Parking
Start at Rosea Carpark on Stony Creek Road near the Sundial turntable area. There are no toilets at this trailhead.
Overview
About Mount Rosea Walk
- Out-and-back, 8.6 km return (5.3 mi return), following the same corridor back to the start
- Typical time is about 4 to 5 hours return, so allow a full half day if you like to stop
- Strenuous, with steady climbing and long rocky sections in the upper half
- Follows a section of the Grampians Peaks Trail
Why go
- Distinctive Gate of the East Wind bridge
- 360-degree summit views
Heads up
- Long rocky and exposed upper half
- No toilets at the trailhead
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grampians map
Full mapElevation604–983 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 Rosea 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 Rosea: The Gate of the East Wind0:00 / 0:52
“You're approaching Rosea Carpark, where the Mount Rosea walk leads into some wonderfully shaped sandstone country.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Grampians Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Lakeview Lookout from Sundial
- The Cockatoo with a Creaky Call
- The Robin on the Tree Trunk
- The Living Patches on Rock
- 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 Rosea Walk
How the walk unfoldsFrom Rosea Carpark the track starts wide and sandy, climbing gradually through tall messmate…
From Rosea Carpark the track starts wide and sandy, climbing gradually through tall messmate forest with heath understorey. After the first couple of kilometres the grade steepens and the surface turns to rock, leading onto an open ridge among weathered sandstone outcrops. Higher up the route crosses a footbridge at the well known Gate of the East Wind rock formation, spanning a deep chasm, then finishes across exposed rock slabs to the Mount Rosea summit at around 1006 m, where there is a viewing platform with a direction dial.
Footing and exposureThe lower forest section is the easiest walking.
The lower forest section is the easiest walking. Beyond it the track becomes uneven, with rock slabs, loose stone and short steep pitches, and the ridge is open to wind and sun. Care is needed near unstable cliff edges and on rock that becomes slippery. Sturdy footwear with good grip makes a real difference on the upper half.
Views and sceneryThe ridge and summit open out to a full sweep of country, including the Serra and Mount William…
The ridge and summit open out to a full sweep of country, including the Serra and Mount William Ranges, with the Victoria Valley and surrounding ranges visible along the way. The sandstone formations, the bridge over the chasm and the summit platform are the standout stopping points for photographs.
Planning notesStart and finish at Rosea Carpark, a named compacted-surface car park on Stony Creek Road near…
- Start and finish at Rosea Carpark, a named compacted-surface car park on Stony Creek Road near the Sundial turntable area
- There are no toilets at this trailhead
- Dogs are not allowed on this walk
- On the way back, keep track of landmarks such as the bridge and the point where the rock gives way to forest, as the turn off the ridge can be easy to miss
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.
