Parking
Start at the Lost City Rock Formations access area at the end of the 10 km 4WD track from Litchfield Park Road, between Buley Rockhole and Tolmer Falls. There are no on-site facilities.
Overview
About The Lost City Walk
Why go
- Towering sandstone forms packed into a very short walk.
Heads up
- The 10 km approach is 4WD-only and seasonally impassable.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Litchfield map
Full mapElevation164–171 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Litchfield alerts
- CautionReynolds River Track: deep water crossingsThe Reynolds River Track is open to 4WDs only, but rough conditions and water crossings about 500–600 mm deep require care.Official details
- ClosureTabletop Track closedThe Tabletop Track is closed because an Excess Heat Warning is in effect and there is no accessible drinking water. - Permit access only; do not plan an unpermitted walk on the track.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Litchfield Tour Guide
Your drive to The Lost City Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Litchfield 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
The Lost City0:00 / 0:28
“You're approaching the Lost City, where huge sandstone blocks stand like walls and narrow streets. After the long four-wheel-drive track, the walk itself is a short loop, roughly seven hundred metres, so take it slowly.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Litchfield Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Bowerbird's Optical Illusion
- Blyth Homestead
- Tolmer Falls
- Tolmer's Hidden Bat Colony
- 68 audio storiesacross Litchfield’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Works offlinemaps, 17 trails, 31 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 The Lost City Walk
A short loop among the stonesThe Lost City Walk is about 0.42 miles (0.
The Lost City Walk is about 0.42 miles (0.68 km) around a cluster of towering, blocky sandstone formations in Litchfield National Park. The short circuit stays among the rocks near the arrival area; the 10 km 4WD access track is not part of the walk. It's a small, easy stop if you want to get close to unusual geology. The sandstone rises like walls, with narrow gaps that show how differently each face is layered.
Take the loop slowlyAn unpaved path winds around the formations, then uses a short connector beside the 4WD track…
An unpaved path winds around the formations, then uses a short connector beside the 4WD track to return to the start. There's little elevation change, but the surface is uneven, so don't expect a smooth, accessible path. Allow about 30 minutes, longer if you want to wander among the rocks. Look along the horizontal layers and through the fissures; a photo through one gap gives the blocks more depth than a close-up of a single wall. There are no facilities or camping at the site.
Getting thereThe walk begins at the Lost City Rock Formations access area.
The walk begins at the Lost City Rock Formations access area. Reaching it means driving the 10 km unsealed 4WD track from Litchfield Park Road, between Buley Rockhole and Tolmer Falls. Conditions vary through the year; NT Parks closes the attraction in the wet season when this track is impassable. Visitors to the NT need an NT Parks Visitor Pass, and pets are not permitted in NT parks.
