Family-Friendly Hiking at Mount Osmond Reserve | Review

Perched above Beaumont and Glen Osmond, Mount Osmond Reserve is one of the closest hiking spots to central Adelaide, with sweeping views across the city, the plains and, on clear days, the ocean. LA, eat your heart out.

Review by Carla Caruso

You know how LA celebrities are always hiking scenic trails like Runyon Canyon? Well, we’ve found Adelaide’s equivalent: Mount Osmond Reserve.

Think jaw-dropping city views, a slice of the bush close to home (it’s about 8km southeast of the Adelaide CBD), calf-enhancing climbs, and passing some seriously impressive houses along the way. The only thing missing is the Hollywood Sign.

Like Runyon Canyon, the reserve is made up of multiple routes, so you can choose a hike that suits your fitness level or how much time you have.

If you’re keen for a bigger adventure, several loops can be combined into longer circuits of around 11km, linking Mount Osmond Reserve with other foothills trails.

The routes include a mix of forest tracks, fire trails and occasional roadside sections.

The reserve also sits right beside Mount Osmond Golf Club, and many trails run close to the golf course boundary.

There are several starting points for the walks, including Bayview Crescent in Beaumont, Wheal Gawler Street in Glen Osmond, and the Mount Osmond Lookout car park.

We tried two different routes on separate weekends. One time, we did the 1.6km Wheal Watkins Circuit, which loops through the historic mining area and winds through shady stands of pine and eucalypt forest.

Another weekend, we tackled the 3.4km Beaumont Circuit, which climbs into Mount Osmond Reserve via a series of narrow switchbacks. This route follows sections of the Beaumont Link trail and the historic Pioneer Women’s Trail.

There’s also the option of taking the very steep Centre Track – a fire trail that cuts straight up the hill – if you want a faster but much tougher climb.

The reward for the effort is the specky city outlooks along the ridge.

After our Beaumont Circuit hike, we promptly undid all our hard work by stopping for lunch at Bakery on Linden. (It was totally worth it, though!)

If hiking at the reserve doesn’t quite feel like LA, it might at least feel a little like you’re interstate.

What we like about hiking here

• Panoramic city views, especially near the Mount Osmond lookout
• A mix of well-maintained bushland tracks, fire trails and forest paths
• Part of the Burnside Walks network with several interconnected routes
• Great for hiking, trail running and dog-walking
• Native vegetation typical of the Adelaide Hills foothills
• Wildlife sightings, including kangaroos and birds, especially during early morning or at dusk

Things to consider

• Some sections are steep and rocky, so the hikes are better suited to older kids, and sturdy shoes are recommended
• Trails are shared with cyclists in some areas
• There are no public toilets or water refill stations
• Parts of the trails are exposed and can get hot in summer
• Routes aren’t always clearly marked, so it helps to check a map before you go

Location:

Mount Osmond Reserve is located in the Adelaide Hills, with the main pedestrian access points off Waterfall Gully Road, Dashwood Road, and Hayward Drive.

See our Top Parks & Playgrounds Around Adelaide

For more information and all enquiries, please visit the Walking SA website.

All photos by James Elsby and Carla Caruso for Play & Go Adelaide. 

At Play & Go Adelaide, we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go (unless specified).

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