Mt Bangalore up Cliffs down Caves Loop

Mt Bangalore is one of those forgotten Main Range Mountains not frequently hiked but is one of my favourites. The views are spectacular, the vegetation varied and complex and the combination of activity challenging for most hikers.

The start is off Wickman Rd which comes off the Head Rd. There are elements of this hike which do cross private property for a short period of time. There is only limited parking at the area we started.

The fist part of the hike involves following the road until you get to a gate where you enter the National Park. Following the fence you get up a few contours before traversing across to the creek which runs most of the way up to the saddle between Mt Bell and Bangalore.

Where you leave the fence you are essentially following cattle trails. Many people who do this route make the mistake of going to high where they first enter the creek and as a result end up having to abseil down cliffs. It is important to enter the creek on or about where this track did.

Following the creek you eventually hit the base of the Bangalore Cliffs. There a couple of Gympie-gympie in the area so be careful which vegetation you lean on. Once you hit the base of the cliffs you progress up against the side of the cliffs all the way to a fork in the creek. Looking back at this point you should see the end of the cliffs of Bangalore.

Now starts the pull up the grassy slopes to the saddle between Mt Bell and Bangalore. There has been growth of sharp vines in the area and the like so make sure you are wearing long pants up this section. Once at the saddle enjoy the views across to Mount Roberts and Lizard Point.

From here you progress up the spur towards Mt Bangalore. Over the years there is almost a track that has started to appear on the top of the ridge. At the end of the spur you will reach the final ascent of Mt Bangalore. This involves progressing upwards until you hit set of cliffs and then passing those cliffs around to the left and then progressing upwards before finally taking a right turn to get to the actual peak of the mountain.

After enjoying the views towards Maroon and May you then progress back across the top of the mountain to the other side where you start the decent. The terrain here is essentially rocky grass tree Eucalypt and does require concentration to ensure that you don't trip. Please try to stick to the Wikiloc line all the way down because if you stray you will miss the caves which are an essential feature of this hike.

At the end of this section you will find the caves and they need to be carefully accessed from the top part of the cave making sure that you don't slip on any of the treefall which has occurred in recent years in this area.

The exit from the cave is from the other side and almost immediately the goal is to drop down a few contours into the slab creek which runs past the cave. You follow the slab creek all the way down the mountain. You will have to exit the slab creek in a few points to avoid blockages that have formed over the years.

Eventually you will come across a barbed wire fence across the creek and what you the is to exit the creek by the right-hand side and then make your way past a fence to begin to traverse back to the finish.

The trails across this traverse to the finish have in recent years become less visible. Those trials which were prevalent in past years have become clogged with treefall. This return journey requires good navigation skills to keep to the line and lots of avoidance of various impediments such as thick vegetation and tree falls. If you do everything right you'll hit a fence in a grassy area which you will follow to a fence corner and then back to a open rock creek area which will be next to where you parked.

Please leave plenty of time for this hike as the terrain in general is rocky, the vegetation can be thick and the potential for error significant. This hike is best undertaken when it is not raining and in the cooler months. The wet slabs in the creek progressing down from the cave can be treacherous at the wrong time. Allow 6 to 7 hours and take the time to smell the flowers.