8 things to take on a hike in South Australia’s national parks

Gone on a few hikes and keen to start tak­ing in some longer nation­al park trails?

You don’t need a moun­tain of gear to set out for the day, but here’s what we think you should con­sid­er tak­ing with you:

1. Back­pack or hydra­tion pack

It’s impor­tant to con­sid­er invest­ing in a light­weight back­pack or hydra­tion pack once you’re start­ing to go for longer hikes or rides.

Look for some­thing that can hold at least 2 litres of water, plus a snack or two and a jumper or jacket.

Just remem­ber that more is less, and what­ev­er you pack, you also have to car­ry the whole way. So, con­sid­er the weight of the bag and what you pack inside!

2. Water­proof jacket

It’s impor­tant to pre­pare for the ele­ments, and the pos­si­bil­i­ty of cold­er weath­er or unex­pect­ed rain, so it’s advis­able to pack a water­proof jack­et if you’re going on a walk.

Choose a jack­et that’s water­proof rather than show­er resis­tant — just in case you get caught in a downpour!

3. Good hik­ing boots

If you’re going for longer walks more often, invest­ing in a pair of qual­i­ty, well-fit­ted hik­ing boots can often help you to pre­vent injuries such as blis­ters or rolled ankles.

The extra grip and water­proof-capa­bil­i­ties will also keep you on the trail and hav­ing fun, rather than sit­ting nurs­ing blis­ters or a bruised bum from falling over on a tricky track or slip­pery descent.

4. Gaiters

Gaiters are worn over your shoe and the low­er half of your leg and can help to pro­tect and pre­vent scratch­es or cuts as well as dirt, mud and water enter­ing your shoes or the bot­tom half of your pants. They come in a range of dif­fer­ent materials.

5. First-aid kit

We don’t often con­sid­er it, but acci­dents can hap­pen to the most expe­ri­enced of walkers.

So, if you’re head­ing off on a half-day or longer trek always con­sid­er pack­ing a first aid kit.

As part of your first-aid kit you should also con­sid­er includ­ing a ful­ly charged portable charg­ing device, just in case you need to call for help and your phone goes flat.

While you’re at it, make sure your phone is ful­ly charged before you set off.

6. Sun protection

Being in South Aus­tralia, it’s impor­tant to con­sid­er pack­ing your 50+ sun­screen and a hat in your back­pack year-round.

No one likes com­ing home with a red face, so slather­ing up will ensure you con­tin­ue to have fun even once you leave the park.

7. Food/​Snacks

It’s impor­tant to con­sid­er what snacks and food you add to your back­pack or hydra­tion pack at the start of your trek. 

Con­sid­er what you’re pack­ing and if it’s going to be a hot day, per­haps steer clear of food­stuffs that may need to be kept cold. Instead look for high-ener­gy foods such as nuts, seeds, trail mix or mues­li bars to keep your ener­gy up through­out your journey.

8. Maps

Final­ly, don’t for­get to take a map of the trail with you! Down­load the Aven­za Maps app onto your smart­phone and down­load the geo­ref­er­enced parks maps, which will work with the GPS on your phone to pin­point your loca­tion direct­ly onto the map. You can also down­load maps from the Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Ser­vice South Aus­tralia and print them off at home. It’s also impor­tant to make sure you let some­one know where you are going.

Most impor­tant­ly, remem­ber to have fun! SA’s nation­al parks are fan­tas­tic places to be out­side and enjoy all of the beau­ti­ful parks and land­scapes that our state has to offer.

Want some extra ideas about where to go and what to do in SA’s amaz­ing nation­al parks? Check out our library for more ideas toSee and Door vis­it theNation­al Parks and Wildlife SA web­sitefor more inspiration.

This sto­ry was orig­i­nal­ly post­ed in June 2020.