Black Mountain Nature Reserve

Black Mountain Nature Reserve is a 434-hectare protected area on the northern side of Lake Burley Griffin. Black Mountain, a prominent hill 812 metres above sea level topped by a 195-metre tower, dominates the reserve. The reserve has many walking tracks, with views overlooking the bush capital.

The reserve borders:

Black Mountain Nature Reserve is part of an extensive area of wooded vegetation that includes Aranda Bushland, O’Connor Ridge, Bruce Ridge, Mount Painter and The Pinnacle nature reserves. Together these reserves create connectivity enabling wildlife movement through to the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee rivers.

Cycling is only permitted on management trails including the Centenary Trail.

Picnic tables are available near the parking area halfway up Black Mountain Drive.

Rockclimbing and associated activities including bouldering are not permitted in Black Mountain Nature Reserve.

No dogs or horses allowed.

Natural values

Black Mountain Nature Reserve protects:

sandstone geology that supports a rich shrub and herb diversity, providing habitat for more than 660 species of plants, including 60 orchid species as well as approximately 40 nationally and regionally rare plant species
a significant research and teaching site, and the location of important ecological studies into soil, fire, plant and animal ecology
several threatened and declining nomadic or migratory birds, including the Scarlet Robin (Petroica multicolor) and Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum)
significant areas of old-growth dry forest

Friends of Black Mountain, established in 2001, works to conserve and promote the biodiversity of Black Mountain.

Add a sighting to the NatureMapr or visit the Canberra Birds website.

Black Mountain Nature Reserve is protected under the Nature Conservation Act 2014. Thank you for taking care of the natural environment.

Things to do

Activities

Features

Lookout
NO BINS – take your rubbish with you
Picnic tables
Walking track/s

Restricted or prohibited

Aircraft landing/take-off prohibited
Camping prohibited
Chainsaw use prohibited
Dogs prohibited
Domestic animals (other than dogs) prohibited
Off-road driving prohibited
Driving on management trails prohibited
Drone use prohibited
Fires prohibited
Wood and timber collection prohibited
Horses prohibited
Metal detector use prohibited
Trailbikes prohibited except on public roads

Cycling is only permitted on management trails including the Canberra Centenary Trail
Rockclimbing and associated activities including bouldering are not permitted in Black Mountain Nature Reserve

Walking tracks

Forest Loop Walk

A circumnavigation of Black Mountain's summit. Starts and finishes at the parking area half-way up Black Mountain Drive. Easy to moderate difficulty.

Find out more in the Forest Loop track notes and map (810.6 KB) .

Distance: 2km return

Time suggested: 1 hour

Little Black Mountain Walk

Follows management trails with some short, moderately steep sections. Easy to moderate difficulty.

Start from the Belconnen Way entrance, walk uphill on Orchid Trail then take the second left onto Link Trail. Follow this to its intersection with Little Black Mountain Trail, where you’ll turn left. Avoid a right turn (this is the way you’ll come back) then follow a clockwise circuit, taking a right at each of the next 4 junctions before a last left takes you back to the intersection passed earlier. Return the way you came.

Admire open forest, birds and spring flowers including orchids, as well as views over the parliamentary triangle and the inner northern suburbs.

Distance: 5.2km return (1.4km each way to the start of the circuit, which is 2.4km)

Time suggested: 2 hours

Link Walk

Easy on uneven trails with a narrow walkway. Mildly undulating, with moderate uphill sections. Cycling not permitted on walkway.

At the Belconnen Way entry, walk straight ahead along Orchid Track. At the Caswell Drive end, turn left onto a walking track, which becomes a concrete walkway. Turn left again at the junction with Finnerans Trail (sometimes wrongly labelled Old Weetangera Road). When you reach the Link Trail, turn left and, when you reach the Orchid Trail again, turn right to return to the car park.

Admire open forest, 2 stands of Black Cypress Pine, spring flowers and birds.

Distance: 3km return

Time suggested: 1 hour

Summit Walk

Climb is steady, quite steep in some sections, with a flat section midway.

From the Australian National Botanic Gardens, follow signs to the side gate, then signs to Summit Trail. Or from Frith Road electricity substation, walk uphill and follow the sign to Summit Trail.

Admire dry forest and impressive views to the north and east.

Distance: 2.4km round trip, plus 300m each way from electricity substation on Frith Road or 5.4km round trip from Australian National Botanic Gardens visitor centre.

Time suggested: 1.5 hours

Woodland Walk

Follows management trails, mostly flat or undulating with some short steep sections. Moderate difficulty.

From the Caswell Drive car park, go through the gate and take the first right onto Lower Woodland Trail. About 100m further on you'll pass a walking track on your left – the one you'll return on. Your route ahead continues in an anticlockwise loop, taking left turns at each of 3 junctions, following Upper Woodland Trail before taking a final left turn onto a signposted walking track (near the junction with Black Mountain Trail) and descending via a right-left 'dogleg' back to the car park.

Enjoy views to the National Arboretum, and Tidbinbilla and Brindabella ranges, as well as plants and wildlife, especially spring flowers on the flat area of remnant woodland. Upper Woodland Trail passes through dry forest including Brittle Gum (Eucalyptus mannifera), Scribbly Gum (E. rossii) and Red Gum (E. blakelyi).

Distance: 2km return

Time suggested: 1 hour

Canberra Tracks

Canberra Tracks Heritage Trail Track 3 reveals the ambitions and frustrations of creating a national capital far from Australia's established cities, as well as a vast ongoing project of planning, landscape design and planting, construction and community building. This track takes you from Mt Ainslie to Parliament House, via Mt Pleasant, Regatta Point, Black Mountain and Red Hill Lookout.

Ngunnawal Country and People

Black Mountain Nature Reserve is located on Ngunnawal Country, an ancient and diverse landscape managed and cared for by Ngunnawal people for tens of thousands of years.

For time immemorial Ngunnawal people have maintained a tangible and intangible cultural, social, environmental, spiritual, and economic connection to these lands and waters.

Black Mountain Nature Reserve protects 31 Aboriginal cultural heritage sites listed on the ACT Heritage Register including stone artefacts occurring individually and in scatters. The reserve is likely to contain further, as-yet-unrecorded, Aboriginal heritage sites.

All Aboriginal places and objects in the ACT are protected under the Heritage Act 2004 and must not be disturbed. Aboriginal places and objects within reserves are additionally protected under the Nature Conservation Act 2014. Anyone finding an (unregistered) Aboriginal object or place has an obligation to report it to the Heritage Council.

European heritage

Pastoral settlers arrived in the Canberra region from the 1820s. Stock grazing and other settlement activities reduced vegetation cover in many areas. Photographs from the late 1800s show only scattered vegetation on Black Mountain.

Historic heritage sites in the reserve include a small quarry used to provide stone for local buildings such as St John's Anglican Church in Reid and St Ninians in Lyneham.

Black Mountain Nature Reserve was established in 1970. The mountain is a landmark in the ACT and a key feature in the design geometry of the national capital.

Before you go/How to get there

Before you go

Explore Black Mountain Nature Reserve with Google Trekker.

Prepare by understanding safety and checking alerts.

Respect Canberra Nature Park reserves by:

staying on the tracks to minimise your impact
taking your rubbish home with you
leaving what you find, including plants, animals, rocks and timber (dead and alive)
respecting our heritage - leave cultural sites undisturbed
riding safely and following trail etiquette as a bicycle rider
collecting and responsibly disposing of your dog's droppings (where dogs are permitted)
cleaning your outdoor gear, including bicycles, to avoid spreading weeds and disease

Remember:

bring your own drinking water
carry a mobile phone, especially if you are on your own
let someone know where you are going and when you'll return
be bushfire alert - on total fire ban days some reserves may be closed

Public toilets are available at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.

How to get there

From the Canberra Centre and ANU precinct to the east of the reserve, enter from Clunies Ross Street by turning onto Black Mountain Drive. There are several pedestrian access points along this road. Parking is available half-way up Black Mountain Drive and at the summit. Paid parking is also available at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. The reserve is accessible from within the Gardens.

From the north, enter the reserve from Belconnen Way or from one of two pedestrian entry points along Barry Drive. Parking is available via Belconnen Way – look for the entry sign as you head north-west towards Belconnen.

From the west, enter the reserve via one of 3 pedestrian entry points, or the car park on the mountain side of Caswell Drive.

From the east, enter the reserve via one of 2 pedestrian entry points from Frith Road. Parking is available.

Boundary mapping is indicative only.

More information

If you notice any issues during your visit:

report maintenance issues to Access Canberra
report vandalism or other illegal activities to the police on 131 444
in an emergency, call 000

Find out about:

In a life threatening emergency dial Triple Zero (000)

triple zero 000

5124 0000

6201 6111

1800 629 354

6205 1065

13 11 26

5124 9977

(02) 6205 1700

1800 022 222

13 25 00

Black Mountain Nature Reserve

Natural values

Things to do

Activities

Features

Restricted or prohibited

Walking tracks

Forest Loop Walk

Little Black Mountain Walk

Link Walk

Summit Walk

Woodland Walk

Canberra Tracks

Ngunnawal Country and People

European heritage

Before you go

How to get there

More information