Parking
Park at Aroona Campground car park; the trail starts at the campground’s north end. High-clearance 2WD access is listed for the campground; toilets are on site.
Overview
About Red Hill Lookout Hike
Why go
- Open view across Aroona Valley toward the Wilpena peaks
Heads up
- Steep sections on fire track
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Ikara-Flinders Ranges map
Full mapElevation378–523 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Ikara-Flinders Ranges alerts
- ClosureBunyeroo Gorge closed after heavy-rain damageBunyeroo Gorge on Bunyeroo Gorge Road remains closed because recent heavy rains caused damage and repair works are pending.Official details
- ClosureNightly closures on multiple walking trailsTwelve walking tracks and trails close nightly through 31 October 2026 for pest control operations.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Ikara-Flinders Ranges Tour Guide
Your drive to Red Hill Lookout Hike, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Ikara-Flinders Ranges 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
Red Hill and Yuluna Hikes at Aroona0:00 / 0:30
“You're approaching the access road to Aroona, which leads to two half-day hikes. Red Hill is a steep nine-kilometre return to a lookout above the valley; from the top, frame Wilpena's peaks over the ridges.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Ikara-Flinders Ranges Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Aroona Valley and Its Spring
- A Roo for the Rocky Slopes
- When Ice Crossed the Flinders
- The Living Layers at Trezona
- 49 audio storiesacross Ikara-Flinders Ranges’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Wedge-tailed Eagle, Short-beaked Echidna, Red Kangaroo, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 21 trails, 43 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 Red Hill Lookout Hike
A hard walk to the lookoutRed Hill Lookout Hike is a 9 km out-and-back from the north end of Aroona Campground, about…
Red Hill Lookout Hike is a 9 km out-and-back from the north end of Aroona Campground, about four hours return. It is rated hard, with steep fire-track sections. The reward is a broad view over Aroona Valley and out to the Heysen Range and Wilpena Pound peaks. Choose it for a half-day climb to a clear viewpoint; skip it if steep climbs are not your thing.
Up to Red HillFrom the Aroona car park, head to the campground’s northern end, then follow the Heysen Trail…
From the Aroona car park, head to the campground’s northern end, then follow the Heysen Trail before continuing on the rising route to Red Hill Lookout. You return by the same approach. The fire-track sections are steep, and the four-hour figure leaves time to climb steadily and stop at the lookout.
Start at AroonaAroona is about 50 km north of Wilpena.
Aroona is about 50 km north of Wilpena. The campground has 13 sites and toilets, and its access is listed for high-clearance 2WD. Park entry fees apply. Dogs are not permitted, except assistance dogs covered by park rules. For walks longer than two hours, the park recommends at least 4 litres of water per person.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Ikara-Flinders Ranges
68 sightingsWedge-tailed EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
104 sightingsShort-beaked EchidnaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
64 sightingsRed KangarooMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
219 sightingsCommon WallarooMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
55 sightingsWestern QuollMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
47 sightingsCommon Brushtail PossumMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Ikara-Flinders Ranges. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
