Best Barron Gorge National Park walks near Cairns, Queensland

The best Barron Gorge National Parks near Cairns, Queensland, include the trails to the Barron Falls Lookout, Wrights Lookout and Surprise Creek.

What is Barron Gorge?

Barron Gorge is a gorge created by the Barron River near Cairns, Queensland. It cuts between the Macalister and Lamb Ranges in the Atherton Tableland, with the river falling 250 metres onto the coastal lowlands before entering the Coral Sea.

Barron Gorge is inside Baron Gorge National Park, and there are several walking tracks to enjoy here. Most are in the upper section of the National Park, above Barron Falls.

Trip-booster! 8 great day trips from Cairns to power-up your holiday

Kuranda combo package – take the Kuranda Scenic Railway up and the Skyrail cable car down.
Green Island tours with beach time, glass bottom boat and snorkelling. (Or pick a Fitzroy Island trip instead).
Moore Reef day tour – with underwater observatory, snorkelling gear, glass bottom boat & semi-submersible cruises.
Great Barrier Reef snorkelling cruise – with snorkelling stops at two excellent spots on the Reef.
Cape Tribulation rainforest day tour – with Mossman Gorge Aboriginal cultural experience and Daintree River crocodile-watching cruise.
Atherton Tableland waterfalls and rainforest tour – including wildlife-spotting and a swim in a volcanic lake.
Outback 4WD tour – visiting Chillagoe Caves, Aboriginal rock art and Granite Gorge.

Search for discount deals here

Din Din Barron Falls lookout walk

The best known Barron Gorge National Park walk is the Din Din Barron Falls Lookout walk. This is a wheelchair-accessible, 1.2km return walk that takes about 40 minutes.

The boardwalk is elevated above the forest floor, and meanders through the rainforest towards the Barron Falls lookout and the platform where the Kuranda Scenic Railway pulls in.

From these viewpoints, you can also watch the cable cars of the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway ascend towards Kuranda.

The Barron Falls car park is a 31km drive from Cairns and a 3.2km drive (or walk) from Kuranda.

Barron Falls in Barron Gorge National Park, Queensland. Photo courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland.

Barron Gorge National Park walks: Wrights Lookout and McDonald Track

A slightly longer walk from the Barron Falls car park heads towards the Wrights Lookout, which provides a bigger panoramic view over Barron Gorge, Cairns and the coastline. This track is 3km return and takes about an hour.

You can extend that walk for another 2.8km, adding another one-and-a-half hours onto the walking time, by continuing along the McDonald Track.

This track sees rainforest morph into open woodland, then sometimes get slippery on the steep downward section towards Surprise Creek. Head upstream from the bridge, and you’ll find photogenic pools and rapids.

Barron Gorge National Park walks: Stoney Creek Garndal Garndal Track

In the lower section of Barron Gorge National Park, the 2km return Stoney Creek Garndal Garndal track makes for an easy 30 minute stroll.

Set off from the car park at the end of Stoney Creek Road and you’ll head up through Stoney Creek Gorge. The target is the dainty waterfalls next to a giant boulder above the creek.

Of course, if you’d prefer to see Barron Gorge the more adventurous way, you can take a Barron River rafting tour.

Other attractions in Kuranda include Birdworld Kuranda, the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, the Kuranda Heritage Markets and the Kuranda Koala Gardens.