2019-09 Forum Trip 8 - Letterbox Gorge, Top of Waterfall, Bowmans Gap North (Chewings Range)
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 9.19 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,486 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Difficult
- Elevation loss
- 1,847 ft
- Max elevation
- 3,257 ft
- TrailRank
- 54
- Min elevation
- 2,225 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Time
- 10 hours 5 minutes
- Coordinates
- 1240
- Uploaded
- October 6, 2019
- Recorded
- September 2019
near Glen Helen, Northern Territory (Australia)
Viewed 572 times, downloaded 15 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
I passed through Letterbox Gorge and turned into the western arm of Letterbox Creek, where the going was easy. When the creek got steeper, I climbed up and over a saddle into the top part of 13 Pools Creek, where the going was also easy. This led down to the top of a dramatic (dry) waterfall. It's possible with care to climb down to the top of the main drop, which is in a fairly dramatic setting. It's actually a 4-drop waterfall, but the full extent can't be seen from the top.
I retreated a little and climbed out to the north at the first convenient break in the rocks, then made my way westward along the north wall of 13 Pools Creek. At the end of the ridge I turned right and made my way down the steep spinifex spur to meet Ormiston Creek at the north end of Bowmans Gap.
Here I met up with Brian. We dropped our packs and headed south through Bowmans Gap, then turned left into the lower part of 13 Pools Creek. Only 10 pools had water in them today, but in May 2019 there was only one pool with water. We made our way upstream until it develops into the Canyon of the 13 Pools.
At one point there's a steep scramble along a line of Callitris Pines to get around a series of unclimbable steps, then it's back to the creekbed to scramble up some fairly steep bits. We reached the final pool and its waterfall, before retracing our steps.
I retreated a little and climbed out to the north at the first convenient break in the rocks, then made my way westward along the north wall of 13 Pools Creek. At the end of the ridge I turned right and made my way down the steep spinifex spur to meet Ormiston Creek at the north end of Bowmans Gap.
Here I met up with Brian. We dropped our packs and headed south through Bowmans Gap, then turned left into the lower part of 13 Pools Creek. Only 10 pools had water in them today, but in May 2019 there was only one pool with water. We made our way upstream until it develops into the Canyon of the 13 Pools.
At one point there's a steep scramble along a line of Callitris Pines to get around a series of unclimbable steps, then it's back to the creekbed to scramble up some fairly steep bits. We reached the final pool and its waterfall, before retracing our steps.
Waypoints
Waypoint
2,942 ft
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