6 of the best views of Adelaide from national parks

The serene bush­land of the Ade­laide Hills and its sur­rounds grants vis­i­tors a spec­tac­u­lar view­point of our beau­ti­ful city.

Head out on some trails, and make sure to pack a pic­nic as these views are best enjoyed at leisure!

Here’s where to go:

1. Mount Lofty Sum­mit, Cle­land Nation­al Park

One of the city’s best known and pop­u­lar look­outs, Mount Lofty Sum­mit in Cle­land Nation­al Park, stands 727 m above sea lev­el and pro­vides the best view of Ade­laide with its unin­ter­rupt­ed outlook.

On a clear day, you might even spot Yorke Penin­su­la on the oth­er side of Gulf St Vincent.

There are plen­ty of walk­ing trails near­by and lots of facil­i­ties, includ­ing an infor­ma­tion cen­tre, café and restaurant. 

Why not make a day of it and vis­it the near­by Cle­land Wildlife Park where you can see a huge vari­ety of Aus­tralian wildlife.

2. Black Hill Sum­mit, Black Hill Con­ser­va­tion Park

Locat­ed on the edge of Adelaide’s north-east­ern sub­urbs, Black Hill Con­ser­va­tion Park boasts an exten­sive net­work of walk­ing trails, with the 4.2 km Black Hill Sum­mit Hike offer­ing spec­tac­u­lar views over Adelaide.

The trail is steep in sec­tions and it is rat­ed as a hard hike, so be prepared. 

Make sure to keep your eye out for kan­ga­roos, koalas, echid­nas and native birds.

3. Adven­ture Loop Trail, Belair Nation­al Park

South Australia’s old­est nation­al park deliv­ers in spades when it comes to beau­ti­ful out­looks over the sur­round­ing hill­sides and veg­e­ta­tion, includ­ing a spec­tac­u­lar view of the city from the Adven­ture Loop Trail. 

Belair Nation­al Park’s chal­leng­ing 13 km Grade 4 Adven­ture Loop is the longest loop with­in the park, suit­able for walk­ers, run­ners or moun­tain bikes. 

Top tip: Head east past Old Gov­ern­ment House on the Adven­ture Loop and after a short climb take a break at Vera’s Seat on Queen’s Jubilee Dri­ve to enjoy views of the city and the sea. 

4. Seav­iew Loop, Shep­herds Hill Recre­ation Park

Shep­herds Hill Recre­ation Park is a sub­ur­ban gem that holds some unex­pect­ed attractions. 

Come and dis­cov­er the mag­nif­i­cent rem­nant grey box euca­lypts envi­ron­ment and take in the 360-degree views of the sur­round­ing Ade­laide plains, coast­line and hills. 

The 2.2 km Seav­iew Loop is classed as a mod­er­ate lev­el hike, and is locat­ed on a wide track with great views of the sea and sur­round­ing park. 

It’s also great for walk­ing the dog or walk­ing and run­ning in groups. Note that there are some steep and loose sec­tions of track. 

Top tip: Make sure you stop for a rest at the bench seat near the top of the ridge and enjoy the beau­ti­ful view.

5. Water­fall Gul­ly, Cle­land Nation­al Park

Locat­ed in Cle­land Nation­al Park, Water­fall Gul­ly is home to the largest of 7 water­falls that exist in the park.

The pop­u­lar 4.5 km (one-way) trail to Mt Lofty Sum­mit starts at the Water­fall Gul­ly car park and climbs through the park’s steep hills, native veg­e­ta­tion and stringy­bark for­est, pro­vid­ing spec­tac­u­lar views across Adelaide.

6. Tem­po­rary loop trail, Glen­thorne Nation­al Park-Itya­mai­it­pin­na Yarta

Glen­thorne Nation­al Park-Itya­mai­it­pin­na Yarta is locat­ed in Adelaide’s south­ern sub­urbs, 16 km south of Ade­laide on Majors Road in O’Halloran Hill.

While the park is still being cre­at­ed, it is open to vis­i­tors, so you can walk a 4 km tem­po­rary loop trail which pro­vides glimpses of the city. 

The trail starts and ends at the park’s ranger sta­tion just off Majors Road.

Now that you’ve got your city view­ing spots sort­ed, check out this sto­ry for spec­tac­u­lar view­ing spots in some of our region­al nation­al parks: 12 of the best views in South Australia’s nation­al parks.