Chapman’s Peak to Silvermine Dam Traverse via Blackburn Ravine – (Table Mountain NP/Silvermine – Cape Town)

Starting at Noordhoek Beach and ending at the Silvermine West Reservoir, this traverse will require you to leave one vehicle at Silvermine and one at Noordhoek Beach so transport is available afterwards. Do not rely on Uber as signal at Silvermine is notoriously poor. Alternatively, to loop back you could head up to Noordhoek lookout and back to the Saddle between Chapman’s Peak and Silvermine before descending back down to Noordhoek Beach again, this circular option will add approximately 11-12km extra and a about 600m extra elevation gain and more than 1000+m elevation loss, so quite the long day out, only attempt this if well prepared. Parking at Noordhoek Beach parking area, the trail begins by making its way onto the sand and up a sand dune to reach a boardwalk. This boardwalk will lead up to Chapman’s Peak drive which must be crossed, the trail continues the other side of the road, path on the other side clearly visible. From here it’s a fairly long climb up to the peak. Fortunately, the path does level and is gradual in some places making it a fairly manageable ascent. Leave early in summer to take advantage of the good shade on the Western side of the peak. As one ascends the views get even better, The vast expanse of sand which is Noordhoek beach and Kommetjie will be present for almost the entire way up. As one rounds the first corner the Sentinel and Hout Bay come into view, this spectacular sight stays with you for almost the entire hike on your lefthand side, it only fades from view after leaving Blackburn Ravine on route down to the Silvermine Dam. At the summit of Chapman’s Peak the view is 360 degrees and rising sharply out of the Atlantic it provides some of the best ocean views in the Cape. A view of Cape Hangklip over False Bay through the Fish Hoek gap along with the Peninsula and Hout Bay can be expected on a clear day. I would even go as far as to recommend Chapman’s as a much quieter alternative to Lions Head. A simple climb up and down from either Noordhoek or the parking on Chapman’s Peak drive will be about the same, if not a bit more effort than climbing Lion’s Head. After taking a substantial break and indulging in the views leaving the summit takes one down to the saddle between Chapmans peak and Noordhoek Peak. Here there is a slightly complicated intersection. Complicated for the fact that 4 paths diverge here but they don’t all diverge in the same place. Here at the large rock Cairn heading left or West will take one down to Chapman’s Peak Drive below. Continuing to the right or East will lead to Noordhoek Saddle, Peak and Blackburn Ravine. Shortly after taking the right at the large Cairn intersection, only a few meters, 30 at most, look for a path that splits to the left. This wasn’t exactly obvious as it’s a slight uphill and rocky terrain that doesn’t make the path particularly clear. You will need to take this path which is known as the contour path. As a general rule the path should be heading straight in the direction of the Constantiaberg Mast or Tower, if you miss the left split in the path you will veer away from the direction of the mast, this means you are heading up to Noordhoek Saddle and Peak. As a note, this is another method to reach Silvermine but Blackburn ravine will be skipped unless it is added on as return route but as mentioned this is a long circuit so be prepared. Following the contour path is straightforward. It dips down and rises out of ravines that may have waterfalls and streams after good rain. After about 3.3km on the contour path one arrives at Atlas Pool. The pool is nothing more than a small built-up weir below a small waterfall on a very clear stream. Fed only by Blackburn and a few smaller tributary ravines the clean drinking water is a welcomed sight and the last reliable water until Silvermine is reached. When leaving the pool the path up on the Northern bank must be followed, here the trail will continue on the Northern side of the stream for a while before cutting back over it, then a series of around 8 or 9 switchbacks will take one upward until another intersection is reached. At this intersection a right turn must be taken to head up Blackburn Ravine. Keeping straight here will continue on what is known as Alfie’s Path which ends at East Fort near Hout Bay Beach. After taking the right at the intersection it’s a long gradual ascent until another series of switchbacks will need to be tackled. These switchbacks are steep but there is little to no scrambling involved. Only a small wooden ladder will need to be climbed before topping out at the Saddle or Pass marked on maps as Noordhoek Peak Bench. From this pass the view over Hout Bay, which has been in sight for most of the hike, fades from sight as the descent into Silvermine begins. Following the very defined path Southeast it will meet a Jeep Track and then it continues in the same direction all the way to the Dam and the parking right near it. The dam is a great place to swim and refresh before departing to fetch the car parked at Noordhoek. Although not significantly long in distance this route does feature a substantial amount of elevation gain made slightly more challenging as its broken up into two sections. That being said the elevation loss is minimal which will please those who aren’t the fondest of downhill hiking. Another element which made this hike harder than expected was the hot February day chosen to attempt it. A later than anticipated start meant shade on the Chapman’s Peak climb was short lived and the Sun had moved round to the Western side of the sky by the afternoon baking us along the contour path and up Blackburn Ravine. The heat did add an extra element of difficulty so this factor should be considered if attempting in Summer. Check the forecast to be sure of the conditions. Heat aside this was a fantastic trail with unrivaled and near constant coastal views. The path is well frequented and although some intersections can be tricky the trail is not hard to follower or navigate per se. We did encounter a few other groups every so often but at no point was the trail crowded. Pack enough water to last from Noordhoek Beach all the way to Blackburn Ravine and perhaps further, in very dry conditions Atlas Pool might not have potable water. As far as security goes do not attempt this trail unless in a group. The trail has many adjoining paths which makes access control difficult. Be on alert especially around Noordhoek Beach area, at the Intersections down to Chapman’s Peak Drive and near Atlas Pool. Report any suspicious activity to the relevant authorities straight away and leave any valuables at home if possible. The trail is very clean for the most part, please help contribute to this by not littering and pick up litter should you find any