Snapshot
| Where | Western Tasmania, on the Lyell Highway between Derwent Bridge and Queenstown — About 2.5 hours (175km) from Hobart to Derwent Bridge · About 3 hours from Hobart to the Frenchmans Cap trailhead · About 2 hours (165km) from Launceston |
|---|---|
| Getting there | Sealed Lyell Highway (A10) all the way — from Hobart via New Norfolk and Hamilton, or from Launceston via Longford, Poatina (A5), Miena and Bronte Park · 2WD is enough on the highway; the Mount McCall Track and the park's back roads need a 4WD · The Lyell Highway may be closed by snow in winter and the mountain section can ice over from June to September — check road conditions before you drive |
| Best time | November–March — the longest days and the mildest weather of the year, with buttongrass wildflowers from November to January and the December–March window the Franklin's rafting parties aim for |
| Worst time | June to August — heavy rain, snow on the Lyell Highway, flooded rivers and short days; the park gets more than 1,900mm of rain a year and the mountain section of the highway can ice over from June to September |
| Time needed | One day for the three roadside walks — Nelson Falls, the Franklin Nature Trail and Donaghys Hill · 3–5 days for the 54km return Frenchmans Cap walk · 2–3 days for the 28km return Lake Rhona track |
| Cost | Parks Pass required — Daily Pass $49.15 per vehicle (up to 24 hours) or $24.55 per person on foot, cycle or bus; Holiday Pass for up to 2 months $98.35 per vehicle or $49.20 per person; Annual Pass $104.75; Two Year Pass $133.80 · Parks and Wildlife states additional fees may apply for multi-day walks and campground stays · Guided Frenchmans Cap treks run from $2,895 per person |
| Facilities | Toilets at Nelson Falls, at Derwent Bridge and at each Frenchmans Cap hut node · Rainwater tanks at Vera and Tahune but no mattresses or cooking facilities — you carry a tent · Fuel stove only, fires prohibited · No fuel or shops in the park and mobile coverage is patchy to absent |
| Best for | Experienced multi-day bushwalkers heading for Frenchmans Cap or Lake Rhona · Road trippers stopping for short rainforest walks on the Lyell Highway · Paddlers booked onto a guided Franklin River expedition |
| Difficulty |
4 of 5 — Demanding
Parks and Wildlife grades both the Frenchmans Cap and Lake Rhona walks 4: long, rough and very steep tracks with limited signage, mud, almost 1,500 metres of accumulated climb on Frenchmans Cap and rock scrambling near the summit. The roadside walks are Grades 1 and 2. |
Driving there? Car hire and what to check →
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park covers the wet western flank of Tasmania's Central Highlands, and one sealed road — the Lyell Highway (A10) — runs through it between King William Saddle, west of Derwent Bridge, and Nelson Falls, 56km further west. Everything off the highway is river, rainforest and buttongrass moorland in a park that gets more than 1,900mm of rain a year: tannin-stained water, glaciated valleys and Huon pines on the Gordon. It sits inside the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, where Aboriginal occupation reaches back more than 35,000 years. Kutikina Cave on the Franklin River is one of the sites returned to the Aboriginal community under the Aboriginal Lands Act 1995, and today's Aboriginal community retains strong links with the region and a share in its management. The longer tracks here are for experienced, self-sufficient bushwalkers — rough, steep and sometimes unmarked.
Frenchmans Cap stands at the park's heart, a white quartzite summit with the Franklin River curling around its base, and the 54km return track from the Lyell Highway is the walk people come for.
Go if…
- You want a multi-day walk with a hut at each overnight stop — Vera and Tahune both have bunk huts, tent platforms, toilets and rainwater
- You are chasing a quartzite summit, wild rivers and rainforest rather than beaches or easy lookouts
- You like a road trip where the short walks are strung along the highway — three graded walks of 40 minutes or less between Derwent Bridge and Queenstown
- You want to paddle the Franklin and are booking a guided expedition with experienced, qualified river guides
Skip it if…
- You are new to overnight bushwalking: both multi-day tracks are Grade 4, with mud, rough ground and rock scrambling near the summit
- You are travelling June to August and hoping to walk high — snow can close the Lyell Highway and the mountain section ices over from June to September
- You need fuel, shops or reliable phone coverage inside the park — there are none, and the nearest services are Derwent Bridge and Queenstown
- You want to stay dry: this is one of the wettest parts of Tasmania, with more than 1,900mm of rain a year and leeches and mud on wet tracks from May to September
What to expect
Reviewed
You drive in on the Lyell Highway (A10), the only sealed road through the park, and it earns its reputation: narrow and winding in places, climbing to King William Saddle before the long drop toward Queenstown. Use lower gears on the descent and pull over only in formed turnouts. King William Saddle is the park's eastern gate, and the lookout opens west across the King William Range to Mount Rufus and, in clear weather, Frenchmans Cap itself. Buttongrass moorland runs to the road edge here, with the twin peaks of Mount King William across the moor from a roadside stopping point. The park's short walks are strung along this highway like stations on a line: Nelson Falls at the western boundary, Donaghys Hill and the Collingwood River in the middle, the Franklin Nature Trail near the eastern end. Budget more time than the map suggests — the driving is slow, the country pulls you over, and you should not be on this road after dark with wombats, pademelons and Tasmanian devils moving through.
The rivers are the reason the park exists. The Franklin and the Gordon run tannin-stained through gorges and rainforest, and five minutes' walk from the Lyell Highway on the eastern bank of the Collingwood River you reach the Alma–Collingwood junction — the put-in for the Franklin's rafting parties, where kayaks and rafts stage for the run downstream. The river is not a place to learn: Parks and Wildlife states plainly that paddling the Franklin requires an experienced paddler or an experienced, qualified river guide. From Strahan, daily cruise boats run up the lower Gordon River to Huon pine forest at Heritage Landing, which is how most people see the river the 1983 dam campaign was fought over.
Frenchmans Cap is the walk people come for. The track starts at a car park 29km west of Derwent Bridge on the Lyell Highway, 3 hours from Hobart, and the first day is a big one: 15km and 5–7 hours to Lake Vera, crossing the Franklin River on the swing bridge and climbing through mud, scrub and rainforest. The whole walk is 54km return over 3–5 days and Grade 4, with almost 1,500 metres of accumulated climb. From Lake Vera, 5.5km and 4 hours of steep walking takes you over Barron Pass at 950 metres to Lake Tahune and its hut. The summit sits 450 metres above the hut, 3.2km and 2.5 hours return, and the last section is rock scrambling on white quartzite that turns glassy in wind, rain, ice or snow. Parks and Wildlife's rule is simple: do not attempt the summit in poor weather.
Both overnight stops are worked the same way. Vera Hut sleeps 20 and Tahune Hut sleeps 24, each node has a toilet and a rainwater tank, and there are tent platforms at both, but there are no mattresses and no cooking facilities — you carry a tent because the huts are overflow and emergency shelter, not booked beds. Registration is mandatory before you start. The same system applies on the Lake Rhona track at the park's southern end: 28km return over 2–3 days from the Richea Creek car park, Grade 4, with a Gordon River crossing at the start and the end that can be difficult or impossible after heavy rain.
The weather sets the timetable. This is one of the wettest parts of Tasmania — more than 1,900mm of rain a year — and rain, wind, snow and even bushfire are possible in any month. The Lyell Highway can be closed by snow in winter, and the mountain section ices over from June to September. The park is a fuel stove only area and fires are prohibited at all times, so everything you cook comes off a stove. Wildlife is everywhere and mostly nocturnal: the park holds all three of the world's largest carnivorous marsupials — Tasmanian devil, spotted-tail quoll and eastern quoll — with platypus in the rivers and echidnas and pademelons in the undergrowth.
Where to stay
Derwent Bridge, at the park's eastern gate on the Lyell Highway, is the base for Frenchmans Cap and the roadside walks; Queenstown is the western base, with Strahan 40km on for the Gordon River cruises.
When bookings open: Registration is mandatory for the Frenchmans Cap and Lake Rhona walks, and PWS publishes no booking window; hut places at Vera and Tahune are not booked individually, so you carry a tent as overflow. Parks and Wildlife states additional fees may apply for multi-day walks and campground stays. Official booking page. Checked 7 November 2026. Booking dates for every state.
| Stay | Guest rating | Best for | Distance | Style | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vera Hut and Tahune Hut (Frenchmans Cap, PWS) | Not rated | The two overnight stops on the Frenchmans Cap walk | 15km from the trailhead car park to Lake Vera (5–7 hours); Lake Tahune a further 5.5km (4 hours) | Vera Hut sleeps 20, Tahune Hut sleeps 24, each with a toilet and a rainwater tank and tent platforms alongside; no mattresses or cooking facilities · registration mandatory, maximum stay one night | Book now |
| Derwent Bridge Wilderness Hotel | 4.3 / 5 (733 ratings, Exa Places) | A pub bed at the park's eastern gate before an early start | 15573 Lyell Highway, Derwent Bridge — 29km from the Frenchmans Cap trailhead car park | Pub with rooms, a restaurant and bar | Check rates |
| Lake St Clair Lodge | 7.7 / 10 (672 reviews, DirectHotels) | Lakeside cabins and a proper meal after the drive or the walk | 1 Lake St Clair Road, a few minutes east of Derwent Bridge | Cabins and lodge rooms with dining and a bar on the lake shore | Check rates |
| Pumphouse Point | 4.6 / 5 (315 ratings, Exa Places) | A quiet, adults-only night on the lake either side of a walk | 1 Lake St Clair Road, on Lake St Clair near Derwent Bridge | Boutique hotel in a former lakeside pump house, with a restaurant | Check rates |
| Queenstown Cabin & Tourist Park | 4.5 / 5 (441 ratings, Exa Places) | The western base for Nelson Falls and the drive to Strahan | 17 Grafton Street, Queenstown — the nearest town to the park's western end | Cabins and sites, with fuel and supermarkets in town | Check rates |
| Strahan Beach Tourist Park | 4.0 / 5 (552 ratings, Exa Places) | The night before a Gordon River cruise from Strahan | 1–3 Beach Street, Strahan — 40km from Queenstown | Caravan park with powered and unpowered sites and cabins | Check rates |
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What to do here
8 walks & sights
The Frenchmans Cap track
The park's signature walk: 54km return from the car park 29km west of Derwent Bridge over 3–5 days, to the white quartzite summit at the heart of the park. Day one is 15km and 5–7 hours to Lake Vera across the Franklin River swing bridge; day two is 5.5km and 4 hours over Barron Pass at 950 metres to Lake Tahune; the summit is a 3.2km, 2.5 hour return trip from the hut. Almost 1,500 metres of accumulated climb, mud on the lower track and rock scrambling near the top make it a solid Grade 4, and Parks and Wildlife grades it for walkers with experience and full self-sufficiency. Registration is mandatory and you carry a tent as overflow and emergency cover, because the huts have no mattresses and no cooking facilities. The walk lives and dies on the forecast: the quartzite near the summit is slippery in wind, rain, ice and snow, and the park's own notes say plainly not to attempt the summit in poor weather.
Lake Tahune and the Frenchmans Cap summit
The reason to walk in. From Lake Tahune the track climbs 450 metres in 3.2km and 2.5 hours return, ending in rock scrambling on white quartzite. Only go up in a clear window — the rock is slippery in wind, rain, ice and snow — and treat the hut below as your base rather than the summit.
The Lake Rhona track
The park's other multi-day walk, from the Richea Creek car park via the G03 Spur Road. It starts and ends with a Gordon River crossing that can be difficult or impossible after heavy rain, so allow extra days or reschedule. The reward is pink-tinged quartzite sand, tannin-stained water, Denison Range dolerite peaks and King Billy pines; Parks and Wildlife recommends the TASMAP 1:50,000 Denison Range map and there is no public transport to the trackhead.
The Collingwood River and the Franklin put-in
Five minutes' walk along the eastern bank of the Collingwood River brings you to the Alma–Collingwood junction, where rafters and kayakers set off for the Franklin. Commercial operators run guided trips in the December–March window, and the park's position is that the river demands an experienced paddler or an experienced, qualified river guide. There is no casual camping at the put-in — camping there is for paddlers on the trip.
Nelson Falls nature trail
The park's western boundary and its easiest stop: a 1.4km return walk of about 20 minutes on a flat, even surface to a multi-tiered waterfall dropping through tall rainforest. The track is graded 1 and is listed as suitable for wheelchair users with assistance, and it is one of Tasmania's 60 Great Short Walks. This is wet forest in the wettest corner of the state — mosses and ferns crowd the track and the whole amphitheatre drips. It is the best 20 minutes of the Lyell Highway if you are driving between Derwent Bridge and Queenstown and have only one stop in you, and it needs no more than the shoes you are driving in. There are toilets at the trailhead, and like the rest of the park it is a fuel stove only area, so picnics are cold ones.
The Franklin Nature Trail
A flat, even 1km loop, 25 minutes return, off the Lyell Highway about 60km east of Queenstown, with picnic facilities at the trailhead. The track passes the Franklin and Surprise rivers through mossy rainforest on part-boardwalk — the most accessible way to stand on the bank of a wild river in this park. Leatherwood scents the air in late summer.
Donaghys Hill
A gradual 1.1km climb through forest on the Lyell Highway between the Franklin and Collingwood rivers, out to a rocky lookout and back — 2.2km and 40 minutes in total, graded 2 and suitable for most ages. The view runs down the Franklin River valley to Frenchmans Cap. The lookout edge is unprotected, so supervise children closely.
A Gordon River cruise from Strahan
Daily cruise boats from Strahan run through Macquarie Harbour and Hells Gates, past the salmon farms at Liberty Point and Sarah Island, then up the Gordon River to the Huon pine boardwalk at Heritage Landing. This is the low-effort way into the park's river country, with lunch and guides included on the main-deck morning cruise, returning to the wharf around 3:00pm. A national park pass is required for the cruise and must be bought separately through Parks and Wildlife; evening departures also run in the December–January peak.
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park itineraries: 1, 2 or 3 days
3 plans
One day: the Lyell Highway's short walks
- Morning. Drive in to King William Saddle, the park's eastern gate west of Derwent Bridge, and take the lookout over the King William Range, Mount Rufus and Frenchmans Cap. Continue west to Nelson Falls at the park's western boundary — 1.4km return, 20 minutes and Grade 1 on a flat, even surface, suitable for wheelchair users with assistance.
- Midday. Walk the Franklin Nature Trail — 1km and 25 minutes return on a flat, even surface to the banks of the Franklin River — then stop at the Collingwood River, where five minutes' walk on the eastern bank reaches the Alma–Collingwood junction and the Franklin's rafting put-in.
- Afternoon. Climb Donaghys Hill, 2.2km return and 40 minutes at Grade 2, for the lookout down the Franklin River valley to Frenchmans Cap, then drive the highway back to Derwent Bridge or west to Queenstown.
No nights. Base at Derwent Bridge or Queenstown — the park's two boundaries on the Lyell Highway are 56km apart, so the driving is most of the day. A Parks Pass is required, at $49.15 per vehicle for up to 24 hours or $24.55 per person on foot, cycle or bus. It is a fuel stove only area so no fires for a picnic, and there is no fuel in the park: fill up at Derwent Bridge or Queenstown.
Two days: Lake Vera and back
- Day 1. Drive 29km west from Derwent Bridge on the Lyell Highway to the Frenchmans Cap trailhead car park, sign the register, and walk in to Lake Vera — 15km and 5–7 hours across the Franklin River swing bridge and up through mud and rainforest. Vera Hut sleeps 20 and there are tent platforms, a toilet and a rainwater tank.
- Day 2, morning. Walk the 15km back out to the car park, then take the short stops on the drive east — Nelson Falls, the Franklin Nature Trail and Donaghys Hill — back to Derwent Bridge or on to Queenstown.
One night at Lake Vera. Registration is mandatory for the walk and a Parks Pass is required, and Parks and Wildlife states additional fees may apply for multi-day walks and campground stays. It is a fuel stove only area and the huts have no mattresses or cooking facilities, so carry a tent, a stove and your own bedding, and check the road first — the Lyell Highway can be closed by snow in winter.
Three days: Frenchmans Cap to the summit
- Day 1. The 15km, 5–7 hour walk in to Lake Vera from the trailhead car park 29km west of Derwent Bridge, over the Franklin River swing bridge. Sleep at Vera Hut, which sleeps 20, or on the tent platforms beside it.
- Day 2. 5.5km and 4 hours over Barron Pass at 950 metres to Lake Tahune and its hut, which sleeps 24, then the summit trip — 3.2km and 2.5 hours return, climbing 450 metres above the hut onto white quartzite. Go up only in a clear window.
- Day 3. Walk out the way you came — 5.5km to Lake Vera and 15km on to the car park — and drive the Lyell Highway back to Derwent Bridge, with the Nelson Falls and Donaghys Hill stops available on the way.
54km return in total — the figure Parks and Wildlife puts on this 3–5 day walk — with one night at Lake Vera and one at Lake Tahune. Registration is mandatory, a Parks Pass is required and additional fees may apply for multi-day walks. Each hut node has a toilet and a rainwater tank but no mattresses or cooking facilities, so carry a tent, a fuel stove and bedding; the summit is rock scrambling on quartzite that is slippery in wind, rain, ice or snow.
Suggested gear for Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
18 items
- Water bottles or a hydration bladder Carry at least 2 litres per person on the walks.
- Water treatment tablets or a filter Treat creek and camping-area water before drinking.
- Sun hat, sunscreen (SPF 50+) and sunglasses
- Sturdy, broken-in walking shoes or boots
- Day pack (20–30 L)
- First aid kit, including blister care
- Insect repellent
- Head torch with spare batteries
- Lightweight rain jacket
- Personal locator beacon Mobile coverage is unreliable in remote parks.
- Waterproof over-trousers and a seam-sealed shell More than 1,900mm of rain falls here in an average year and Parks and Wildlife warns of rapid weather changes, so wet-weather kit is worn, not packed.
- Gaiters The Frenchmans Cap track is graded 4 with mud on the lower sections and the Lake Rhona track runs through wet scrub — gaiters keep the mud and the scrub out of your boots.
- Pack liner and dry bags You cross the Franklin River on a swing bridge on day one and the Lake Rhona track starts and ends with a Gordon River crossing that can be difficult after heavy rain; gear that gets wet stays wet here.
- Warm hat, gloves and thermal layers The summit is 450 metres above Lake Tahune and Barron Pass sits at 950 metres, and snow can close the Lyell Highway in winter — this is cold country even in the walking season.
- Fuel stove and a full canister The whole park is a fuel stove only area and fires are prohibited at every camp and picnic spot, in every season.
- Boots with real tread The summit finish is rock scrambling on white quartzite that Parks and Wildlife notes is slippery in wind, rain, ice and snow.
- TASMAP 1:50,000 map and compass Parks and Wildlife recommends the Denison Range sheet for Lake Rhona, signage is limited on the multi-day tracks and mobile coverage is patchy to non-existent.
- A tent, even if you plan on the huts Vera and Tahune have no mattresses and no cooking facilities and hut places are not booked — you carry a tent as overflow and emergency cover.
How this compares
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park vs Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park
Tasmania's best-known multi-day walk finishes at Lake St Clair, at Derwent Bridge on Franklin-Gordon's eastern gate, and the Overland Track's five-day run through Cradle Mountain country is the serviced version of a wilderness walk. The lake is Australia's deepest natural lake and the finish has a visitor centre, a cafe and places to stay on the shore, with roadside day walks at the Cradle Mountain end for anyone not walking through — the trade-off is that it is the state's busiest multi-day walk, in drier alpine country of tarns, dolerite and pencil pines. Choose Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair for a five-day walk with road access at both ends and somewhere comfortable to finish; choose Franklin-Gordon for a rougher peak walk in wetter rainforest and river country, with short walks strung along the highway on the drive in.
- Difficulty
- 3 of 5 — Challenging
- Access
- Road access to both ends of the Overland Track, with the Lake St Clair end at Derwent Bridge on the Lyell Highway
- Best for
- Serviced multi-day walking · roadside day walks · finishing at a lake
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park vs Walls of Jerusalem National Park
Walls of Jerusalem is the Central Plateau's walk-in-only alternative: dolerite walls, pencil pine groves and tent platforms, with no roads inside the park at all and free camping at the designated sites. It is a drier, more self-sufficient trip than Frenchmans Cap, with untracked side trips and no huts to count on, and the walking starts higher and stays there. Choose Walls of Jerusalem for a quiet alpine circuit where you carry everything and camp on platforms; choose Franklin-Gordon for a hut at each overnight stop, a sealed highway along the edge of the park and rainforest river country instead of tarns and dolerite.
- Difficulty
- 4 of 5 — Demanding
- Access
- Walk-in only from the Walls of Jerusalem car park past Lake Rowallan; no roads inside the park
- Best for
- Experienced multi-day bushwalkers · alpine camping · pencil pine country
Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park vs Mount Field National Park
Mount Field, about 2 hours east on the road from Hobart, is the accessible highland alternative: Russell Falls, tall swamp gums and alpine tarns reached by sealed road, with day walking that suits mixed groups and a workable wet-weather plan. It pairs easily with a Hobart base and needs no registration, no overnight kit and no commitment beyond a morning. Choose Mount Field for highland day walks and an easy timetable; choose Franklin-Gordon for a Grade 4 peak walk, wild rivers and a long empty highway between the stops.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Reached by sealed road from Hobart, with day-walk car parks and visitor facilities
- Best for
- Highland day walks · families · combining with a Hobart base
Before you go
- A valid Parks Pass is required — Daily Pass $49.15 per vehicle (up to 24 hours) or $24.55 per person on foot, cycle or bus; Holiday Pass $98.35 per vehicle or $49.20 per person for up to two months; Annual Pass $104.75 and Two Year Pass $133.80. Passes are sold online, at park visitor centres and Service Tasmania centres.
- Registration is mandatory before you start either multi-day walk — Frenchmans Cap or Lake Rhona — and hut places are not booked separately; carry a tent regardless.
- It is a fuel stove only area: fires are prohibited at every camp and picnic spot in the park, in every season.
- Fuel before you enter — Derwent Bridge and Queenstown are the service points on the Lyell Highway and there is nothing between them. The park's two boundaries are 56km apart.
- Don't count on your phone. Coverage is patchy to non-existent through the park, so download offline maps and carry paper; Parks and Wildlife recommends the TASMAP 1:50,000 Denison Range sheet for the Lake Rhona track.
- Check the road before you leave: the Lyell Highway can be closed by snow in winter, and the mountain section can ice over from June to September. Avoid driving through the park at night — wombats, pademelons and Tasmanian devils are on the road.
- Both multi-day tracks are Grade 4: expect mud, rough and very steep ground, rock scrambling near the Frenchmans Cap summit, and river crossings on the Lake Rhona track that can be difficult or impossible after heavy rain.
- The Lake St Clair Visitor Centre at Derwent Bridge (03 6289 1115) is open 7 days — 8.15am to 4.45pm from 1 October to 31 May, 9am to 4pm from 1 June to 31 August, and 8.30am to 4.30pm in September.
When to go
seasons & the hard months
November to March is the walking and rafting season. The days are long enough for the 15km first stage of Frenchmans Cap, the buttongrass moorlands flower from November to January, and December to March is the window the Franklin's rafting parties aim for — flows that are navigable rather than torrential. Summer is the busiest stretch on the Lyell Highway, so expect company at the short walks and register early, but the traffic thins the moment you leave the highway. Rain is a constant either way: more than 1,900mm falls in a year and the park sits in the path of the Roaring Forties, so pack for wet weather in any month.
Winter is a different park. June to August brings heavy rain, snow that can close the Lyell Highway, flooded rivers and short days, and the mountain section of the highway can ice over from June to September. What you get in return is silence and waterfalls running hard, but only experienced, self-sufficient parties should be on the multi-day tracks in those months, with the weather closing in fast and no phone coverage to call for help. If the roadside stops are all you want, winter is still worth the drive; if you want the summit, wait for a settled forecast in the walking season.
Questions
6 answers
Yes — entry to Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park requires a valid Parks Pass. A Daily Pass is $49.15 per vehicle (up to 24 hours) or $24.55 per person travelling on foot, by cycle or bus, a Holiday Pass covers up to two months at $98.35 per vehicle or $49.20 per person, and annual and two-year passes are available. Passes are sold online, at visitor centres and at Service Tasmania centres.
Parks and Wildlife grades it 4: 54km return over 3–5 days, with almost 1,500 metres of accumulated climb, mud on the lower track and rock scrambling on quartzite near the summit. It is a walk for people with overnight bushwalking experience who can carry everything they need.
Yes. Registration is mandatory for both the Frenchmans Cap and Lake Rhona walks before you set out, and PWS publishes no booking window. Hut places at Vera and Tahune are not booked individually — you carry a tent as overflow and emergency cover.
You can, but plan as if you might not. Vera Hut sleeps 20 and Tahune Hut sleeps 24, each node has a toilet and a rainwater tank and there are tent platforms alongside. There are no mattresses and no cooking facilities, and the maximum stay is one night at each.
Yes, the roadside half of it. Nelson Falls is 1.4km return and 20 minutes, the Franklin Nature Trail is 1km and 25 minutes return and is wheelchair accessible with assistance, and Donaghys Hill is 2.2km return and 40 minutes. The park's two boundaries on the Lyell Highway are 56km apart, so a day trip from Derwent Bridge or Queenstown is realistic.
Only if you know what you are doing. Parks and Wildlife's position is that the Franklin is remote and extremely challenging and requires an experienced paddler or an experienced, qualified river guide. Commercial trips run in the December–March window and put in at the Collingwood River, and the river is no place to learn.
Nearby & next
Official information
Always check current alerts before you travel.