Ward's Canyon walk map

Closed. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service alert: ‘Closure - Wards Canyon walk (update 28 Aug)’ (Applies: 24 Apr 2025 to 31 Dec 2026). See the alert below.

Carnarvon Gorge · Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service

Check before you go. Trail line: © State of Queensland (Department of Environment and Science), Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service access data, licensed under CC BY 4.0. (we retrieved this data on 30 September 2026; the source may have since updated it). Tracks close and conditions change without notice, and this map may be wrong or out of date. Check Queensland Parks alerts before you set out, carry a backup way to navigate (such as a paper map), and don't rely on your phone alone. Full details

Trail line: © State of Queensland (Department of Environment and Science), Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service access data, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Assembled by Audacia from 5 segments of that data.

Start of the mapped line: -25.0604, 148.2353 (circle). The square marks the turnaround point.

From Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service

Track	“Ward's Canyon walk”
Grade	“Grade 3 walking track”
Distance	“9.2km from visitor area (540m from Main gorge track) return”
Time	“Allow 4hr walking time.”
Starts	“The turn-off to Ward's Canyon walk is 5.9km along the Main gorge track from the Carnarvon Gorge visitor area.”
Hazards and cautions	“A short steep climb through towering spotted gums leads past Lower Aijon Falls to the entrance of this beautiful side gorge off the Main Gorge track.”

Quoted from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service's page for this walk (page last reviewed 2 July 2026; fetched 1 October 2026).

Before you walk: timing, water, shade and seasonal hazards

Best time of day

This walk's page doesn't cover the best time of day to walk. QPWS's general advice for the park: If visiting in summer you should plan to walk early in the morning, as later in the day it can become very hot, with occasional thunderstorms and flash flooding [2].

Water

This walk's page doesn't cover water. QPWS's general advice for the park: Carry plenty of water with you [2]. Creek water is not suitable for drinking unless properly treated [2].

Shade

Start with this, from the walk's own page: Escape from the heat of the main gorge into this shady sanctuary of trickling water, towering ferns and historical connections [1]. Protect yourself from the sun [2]. Wear sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and a long-sleeved shirt, even on cloudy days [2].

Seasonal hazards

This walk's page doesn't cover seasonal hazards. QPWS's general advice for the park: Falling trees and limbs, flash flooding and rock falls occur naturally [2]. At the nearest long-record Bureau of Meteorology station, Injune Post Office (93 km south), mean rainfall is highest in December, January and February (87.1, 85.7 and 88.1 mm) [3]. Station averages are a guide only; conditions on the track can differ.

Alerts and conditions

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service alert: ‘Closure - Wards Canyon walk (update 28 Aug)’ (Applies: 24 Apr 2025 to 31 Dec 2026). Last scanned 3 October 2026.

Conditions change. Check Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service's alerts and the Bureau of Meteorology forecast before you go.

Free GPX download

GPX paused while this track is closed — see the alert above.

Part of our Carnarvon Gorge guide — where to stay, when to go and what else to do. A wild sandstone labyrinth of towering cliffs, hidden gorges, ancient rock art and creek crossings in the heart of Queensland's outback.

Nearby trails

Amphitheatre walk
“Grade 3 walking track” · “8.6km from visitor area (1.2km from Main gorge track) return”
Art Gallery walk
“Grade 3 walking track” · “10.8km from visitor area (or 600m from Main gorge track) return”
Boolimba Bluff walk
“Grade 4 walking track” · “6.4km return from the visitor area”
Moss Garden walk
“Grade 3 walking track” · “7km from visitor area (1.3km from Main gorge track) return”

Where to stay nearby

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Sources

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service — Ward's Canyon walk. https://parks.qld.gov.au/parks/carnarvon-gorge/journeys/wards-canyon-walk (page last reviewed 2 July 2026; fetched 1 October 2026)
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service — Visiting Carnarvon Gorge safely. https://parks.qld.gov.au/parks/carnarvon-gorge/visiting-safely (page last reviewed 2 July 2026; fetched 1 October 2026)
Bureau of Meteorology — Climate statistics, Injune Post Office (043015). https://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_043015.shtml (records from 1925; fetched 1 October 2026)

Trail line: © State of Queensland (Department of Environment and Science), Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service access data, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source dataset qld-qspatial-walking-track, data dated 30 September 2026; joined from 5 segments and simplified for display by Audacia. Data attributions.

Climate: Bureau of Meteorology station Injune Post Office (043015), records from 1925, 93 km south of the start of the mapped line.

Alerts last scanned 3 October 2026. Page built 4 October 2026.

The briefing on this page was written by the Ground Truth Desk, an Audacia AI writer, from the sources listed. The trail facts, grade, distance, times and alerts are quoted from those sources, not written by us.

Read our editorial standards →

About this map and trail data

Where it comes from. Each trail line on this page comes from the source named above: an official park or government dataset, or OpenStreetMap, a community-mapped database. We show the source and the date we retrieved the data. We don't invent or create trail routes ourselves — we process the source lines for display, for example by simplifying, joining or trimming them, without changing the route they represent. Grades, distances and times are the source's, not ours.

It may be wrong or out of date. Maps and data can contain errors or gaps. Tracks can be closed, rerouted, washed out or burnt with no notice, and phone GPS positions can be tens of metres out. We don't guarantee that this map, the trail line, the grade or any other detail is complete, correct or current. On-ground signs and directions from rangers always take priority over this map.

Check official alerts before you go. Always check the park authority's current alerts and closures on the day you set out, using the link in the Alerts and conditions section above. Any conditions notice on this page is a convenience summary with a timestamp. It may lag behind the official source, and it can miss things.

You're responsible for your own safety. Plan within your fitness and experience. Carry a backup way to navigate that doesn't depend on your phone, such as a paper map. Take enough water. Tell someone your route and return time. In remote areas, carry a personal locator beacon (PLB). If something doesn't match the map, stop and reassess; don't push on because the map says the track continues.

Downloads and offline packs are a snapshot as at the date we retrieved the data, shown above. Refresh them before each trip.

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