One of my favourite Canberra adventures is visiting the many nature reserves and hiking trails. Mount Taylor had been on my list for a while and is part of the Canberra Nature Park.
It was such a perfect Friday for a morning out in nature and there were plenty of feeding kangaroos and native birds along the way. The track is very zig-zaggy and also quite steep at times. There are plenty of places to stop and rest and pause for some stunning photos.
The track was surprisingly busy, with lots of people out for exercise and adventure. I think by far this has been one of my favorite walks in Canberra.
Parking is easy and there is plenty of signage, with an information board right at the beginning of the track, along with a map display. Right from the beginning of the trail there are beautiful views and lots of open space. The trail begins wide and steep and then meanders into a smaller, narrower trail surrounded by brush and trees.
There are multiple signs and historical photos throughout the walk along with seating and benches at certain points. The trail is dog friendly too and seemed to be good for trail runners too.
Mount Taylor was named after James Taylor, an early in the district prior to 1829. An early map entitled Survey of part of the Morombidgee and Country South of Lake George by Surveyor White shows Taylor’s huts close to the site of Yarralumla homestead. Taylor was a son-in-law of Colonel George Johnston who commanded the New South Wales Corps, which deposed Governor William Bligh during the Rum Rebellion of 1808.[1 Mount Taylor was originally named Taylor’s Hill but was renamed Mount Taylor during the early years of Canberra. – Wikipedia
I’m pretty much a novice when it coming to hiking, I used to go continuously a few years back and so it’s been really good to be back in some boots and enjoying the activity again. The Mount Taylor hike definitely raised by heart rate and was a good hour and a half work out, and it was good to not have to back track to return to the car park, as the trail continues around in an almost circle. Some of the trails have quite a bit of debris and rock along them so I would recommend sturdy hiking boots or shoes.
The view from the top is quite stunning and overlooks Woden and Tuggeranong and makes for a lovely stop for photographs or just to soak up the atmosphere, with the trail then continuing downwards and back towards the beginning to celebrate your journey.
Hope you get to visit Mount Taylor if you’re in Canberra or if you’re not in the capital where do you like to go hiking?
I also recently did the Aranada forest walk which you can read about here.
Simply,
Natalie Laura
simplynatalielaura 