Kings Canyon hosts our first of three major hikes in the Outback. Today we’ll hike the Rim Walk which is only 6km, but should take us between 3-4 hours due to the level of difficulty (it’s not actually that bad).

During the warmer months this area roasts, but the air is downright pleasant under today’s cloud cover. A reprieve from heat is the only upside to poor weather in this part of Australia.

This fire safety awareness poster makes me laugh. File under: signage you would NOT see in a U.S. national park.

Our group begins the hike with a steep ascent. We’re rewarded with grand views about ten minutes later.

That’s our trusty guide, Angus, below on the right:

Angus points out a plant called something like “yippee yippee” (I must be remembering this wrong because a Google search yields no results). It releases a liquid that seals cuts like a bandaid.

This white tree is a ghost gum (or a corymbia aparrerinja) which grows in dried riverbeds. At night the white trunks and branches reflect moonlight, causing them to appear as ghost-like figures glowing across the desert landscape. I would have loved to camp here overnight to capture photos of this.

Also worth noting — during periods of drought they can sacrifice limbs (like in the photo above) to ensure that major branches get enough water.

My fish eye lens reveals the scope off the canyon after which the area is named.

In the photo below, you can see ripple imprints in the rock to the left of the sign. They reveal that once upon a time this area was under water.

Our group takes a quick snack break. Angus passes out muesli bars.

We descend to the Garden of Eden at the canyon floor, an area dense with plant life and occasional patches of water.

This next ledge proves to be a great photo op location and most members of our tour take turns posing.

About three-quarters of the way through our hike, we reach the vantage point where you can see Kestrel Falls… which is not flowing at the moment. A certain points in the year after rain there is a beautiful waterfall in that gap on the right side of the frame below.

Just inches away from the edge, there is a sheer drop of hundreds of feet. Don’t get too close…

There’s a pool of water on the right below. Now imagine that waterfall…

This is Emi from Japan — she has a big smile on her face the whole trip and is so friendly.

The smooth, solid wall of rock is really impressive.

The bright pink shoes below belong to Natalie from the U.K., who was in my hostel dorm back in Alice Springs. I think I approached her saying, “I don’t mean to be creepy, but can I take a photo of your feet?”

Shortly thereafter we wind up back at the car park and make our way to this evening’s campsite.

Tomorrow morning we will continue on to Kata Tjuta and then Uluru!

This post is sponsored by Muglas Adventures, who generously hosted my 3 day tour of the Outback. Opinions are my own.