#10 of 22 trails in Karijini
Karijini National Park, WA
A short, fierce scramble to a blue pool in folded rock.
Overview
Spa Pool is the short, extreme out-and-back from the base of Hamersley Waterfall to a small circular basin at the western end of Hamersley Gorge. The listed distance is 400 m return (0.25 miles) from the waterfall, and the guide allows about an hour. It is a Class 5, Extreme gorge scramble over steeply angled rock, followed by swimming upstream. The distance does not include the separate descent from the lower car park. If you do not want to scramble on wet rock or enter cold water, enjoy the waterfall and turn back.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the swim route for you?Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Karijini Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Karijini 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.
See the Karijini audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Hamersley Gorge: Follow the Folds“You're coming up on Hamersley Gorge, where the rock bands bend into sweeping folds around the waterfalls and pools. Look along those curves: ancient compression buckled layers that had once been flat.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Karijini Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
Start at the foot of the waterfall and follow the gorge upstream. A short ladder and rough rock scrambling lead toward the narrow chute that feeds Spa Pool. This final section is informal rather than a built walkway, and rocks can be slippery. Return the way you came; do not treat the pool-side rocks as an easy stroll.
The pool sits inside a small, curved basin with a narrow waterfall. Its layered red, grey and iron-rich rock is part of the Hamersley Range's ancient folded landscape. Water has carved a tight chute through the gorge rock, giving the pool its distinctive enclosed shape.
Use the lower car park at Hamersley Gorge, off Nanutarra-Wittenoom Road, then take the separate steep descent to the waterfall. The lower parking area is reached by sealed road and has a toilet and lookout. Published distances for that approach differ, so the 400 m Spa Pool figure is not the full walk from the car park. Access advice for the upper pools conflicts: a current description of the waterfall walk says not to attempt them, while the visitor guide lists Spa Pool separately as Class 5. Check current access with park staff and obey signs before continuing upstream. Karijini's gorge water can be extremely cold, especially April to September; flash floods can occur, so leave the gorge if rain starts. Dogs are not permitted, except certified assistance animals.
Wildlife
44 sightingsDingoMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
18 sightingsRock WallabyMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
15 sightingsMulga SnakeMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
36 sightingsHamersley Rock MonitorMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
13 sightingsWestern BowerbirdMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
34 sightingsChildren's PythonMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Karijini. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
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Parkwolf’s Karijini ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
