Parking
Gar Trailhead on Roses Gap Road. From Halls Gap, follow Grampians Tourist Road, then the unsealed Mt Zero Road to Roses Gap Road and the signed Gar Trailhead.
Overview
About Mount Difficult Summit Walk
Why go
- Exceptional summit panorama
- High point on the western range
Heads up
- Steep, rocky ascent
- Exposed slabs and cliff hazards
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grampians map
Full mapElevation331–783 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active Grampians alerts
- ClosureBushfire-damaged walks and picnic area remain closedThe Fortress, Red Gum, Billimina, Chimney Pots and Brownings Loop walks, plus Mafeking Picnic Area, remain closed because of track or site damage from the 2024/25 summer bushfires.Official details
- ClosureMackenzie Falls precinct closed during constructionThe Mackenzie Falls (Migunang wirab) Precinct has no vehicle or visitor access during major construction works expected to finish by the end of 2026.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grampians Tour Guide
Your drive to Mount Difficult Summit Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Grampians National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Mount Difficult: The Summit Climb0:00 / 0:35
“You're approaching the Roses Gap Road starting point for the Mount Difficult summit walk. Set aside about four hours for this one: the 8.2-kilometre return route is a hard mountain outing.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Grampians Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Banksia's Underground Brushes
- Gariwerd and the Grampians
- The Bird That Works Downward
- The Hunt You Can’t Hear
- 233 audio storiesacross Grampians’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Short-beaked Echidna, Powerful Owl, Wedge-tailed Eagle, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 81 trails, 62 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Mount Difficult Summit Walk
Route and distanceThis is an out-and-back walk, and the listed distance is the full 8.2 km return (about 5.
This is an out-and-back walk, and the listed distance is the full 8.2 km return (about 5.09 miles), not one way. The physical corridor runs roughly 4.1 km each way, and a typical time is about 4 hours return. Difficulty is rated hard.
The route sequenceStart at the Gar Trailhead on Roses Gap Road and climb onto the Mount Difficult track.
- Start at the Gar Trailhead on Roses Gap Road and climb onto the Mount Difficult track.
- The track is rugged and rocky, with steep climbs, rocky slabs and boulders, passing through stunted eucalypt forest.
- Elevation samples along the route rise from about 331 m near the trailhead to about 783 m near the summit, with an uneven profile rather than a steady grade, so there are pitches of gain and short relief.
- The payoff is the summit of Gar (Mount Difficult), described by Parks Victoria as the highest point on the western side of the range, with spectacular 360-degree views.
- Return by the same track.
Difficulty in practical termsThe distance is short, but the climb is substantial and the surface does the work.
The distance is short, but the climb is substantial and the surface does the work. Expect sustained steep sections on rock, uneven steps between slabs and boulders, and slower travel than the mileage suggests in both directions. Descending the same rocky ground can be as demanding as the climb.
Scenery and viewsFrom the upper track and summit, views open over nearby mountains, the Wartook Valley, Asses…
From the upper track and summit, views open over nearby mountains, the Wartook Valley, Asses Ears and the Black Range, with broad forested ridges and distant plains beyond. The summit itself is open rock slab with low scrub, giving the wide outlook in northern Gariwerd.
Footing, exposure and hazardsParks Victoria warns of:
Parks Victoria warns of:
The upper route is exposed rocky terrain, so weather changes are felt directly.
- Slippery rocks and slippery surfaces, a particular concern in wet weather when rock slabs hold water
- Unstable cliffs, so keep back from summit and track-side edges
- Falling limbs and trees, especially in wind
Access and rulesThe trailhead is reached from Halls Gap via Grampians Tourist Road, then Mt Zero Road…
The trailhead is reached from Halls Gap via Grampians Tourist Road, then Mt Zero Road (unsealed), then Roses Gap Road. Durable restrictions on this walk: dogs are not allowed, and there are no fires, horses, generators, bicycles, camping or firearms.
A shorter alternativeIf the climb is more than you want, Waterfalls of Gar is a different and easier outing nearby:…
If the climb is more than you want, Waterfalls of Gar is a different and easier outing nearby: about 4.6 km return and rated moderate, with seasonal waterfalls.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Grampians
157 sightingsShort-beaked EchidnaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
37 sightingsPowerful OwlMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
59 sightingsWedge-tailed EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
24 sightingsEastern Brown SnakeMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
10 sightingsTiger SnakeMost seen around noonSighting map
29 sightingsRed-bellied Black SnakeMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Grampians. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
