Food
We ordered our dehydrated dinners through Larapinta Trail Trek Support at good prices. Much of the rest of our food we brought on the plane with us to ensure we had exactly what we wished to have and that we wouldn't be unable to get the quantity we needed of each item. Less critical items like lollies, nuts, dried fruit, hot chocolate etc, and treats for drop box locations we purchased at Woolworths in Alice Springs the night before we started the hike. Due to availability some of the items we purchased were not exactly what we would have bought at home, but close enough.
https://www.treksupport.com.au/
Resupply on Trail
We arranged three food drops and a return transfer from Redbank Gorge to Alice Springs with Larapinta Trail Trek Support (LTTS). As we wished to camp at Ellery Creek North (mainly because we had already visited Ellery Creek South on a previous adventure, and why not try something new?) we opted to pay the extra for a Serpentine Gorge food drop. We were impressed with the service provided by Zac. Our drop boxes were very clearly marked so that we knew which were going where when packing, and which were ours when we went to collect them. When we were camped at Standley Chasm, Zac checked in on those hikers who were there to check how they were travelling. When we advised a change of plan and wished to be able to collect our drop boxes early at Serpentine Gorge and Ormiston Pound, this was no problem. Unfortunately, it appears Larapinta Trail Trek Support are not offering this service in 2026.
https://www.treksupport.com.au/larapinta-trail-e2e-trek-packages
I would strongly suggest having a variety of high calorie and/or favourite items in your drop box to top up calorie consumption. A real hit in our drop boxes was long life chocolate milk- good mix of protein, carbohydrate and fats. Tinned fruit was a delight.
Transfers
We had transfers to and from our accommodation to the airport with Alice Silver Passenger Service.
https://www.alicesilver.com.au/airport-shuttle-1
We walked from our accommodation in Alice Springs CBD to the Alice Springs Telegraph Station to start the walk. This did make for a longer first day, but the extra part was quite easy walking.
Transfers back from Redbank Gorge to Alice Springs were through Larapinta Trail Trek Support, packaged with our food drops.
https://treksupport.rezdy.com/
Itinerary
Below is our planned itinerary, our actual itinerary and what we would do if we were going again and the distances each day. We like to take our time and get a deep feel for a place. I enjoy the photography aspect of hiking, so my stopping to take photographs does slow us down. The camps marked as "dry" require a water carry, but we felt were well worth the extra effort. We also included a day to walk the Ormiston Pound Walk. We have done this walk before, and it is beautiful, but were willing to turn this into a catch-up day if needed. Alice Springs had a Severe Weather Warning for high winds when we were at Standley Chasm. Knowing we had time to spare allowed us to delay deciding whether to head up Brinkley Bluff the next day (as we ended up doing once the winds dropped around lunch time) or to stay in Standley Chasm an extra night if we did not feel confident to head to a high camp in the wind. While we had not planned on the extra days at Redbank Gorge, the weather forecast meant that we were more likely to have good views from Mt Sonder by being ahead of the original schedule. The extra day at Redbank Gorge was actually a bonus - we spent time talking to other hikers who had just completed the walk. It was like a debrief with people who had had similar experiences and could understand in a way friends and family back home could only attempt if they had not done the trail themselves.
|
Day |
Planned
Campsite |
Actual
Campsite |
Ideal
Campsite |
Planned
Distance for Day |
Actual
Distance for Day |
Ideal Plan Distance
for Day |
|
1 |
Wallaby Gap |
Wallaby Gap |
Wallaby Gap |
18.4km |
19.4km |
19.4km |
|
2 |
Simpsons Gap |
Simpsons Gap
(shelter) |
Simpsons Gap
(shelter) |
14.0km |
13.9km |
13.9km |
|
3 |
Mulga Camp |
Jay Creek
(shelter) |
Jay Creek
(shelter) |
17.0km |
27.4km |
27.4km |
|
4 |
Jay Creek |
Millers Flat
(dry) |
Millers Flat
(dry) |
10.0km |
10.4km |
10.4km |
|
5 |
Standley
Chasm |
Standley
Chasm |
Standley
Chasm |
14.0km |
5.3km |
5.3km |
|
6 |
Brinkley
Bluff |
Brinkley
Bluff |
Brinkley
Bluff |
10.6km |
10.6km |
10.6km |
|
7 |
4/5 Junction |
4/5 Junction
(shelter) |
Birthday
Waterhole (dry) |
9.8km |
10.8km |
9.5km |
|
8 |
Fringe Lily
Creek (dry) |
Hugh Gorge Junction
(dry) |
Hugh Gorge Junction
(dry) |
8.0km |
15.3km |
16.6km |
|
9 |
Hugh Gorge |
Rocky Gully |
Ghost Gum
Flat (dry) |
8.5km |
20.5km |
10.6km |
|
10 |
Rocky Gully |
Ellery Creek
North (shelter) |
Ellery Creek
North (shelter) |
15.3km |
13.7km |
22.0km |
|
11 |
Ellery Creek
North |
Serpentine
Gorge (shelter) |
Serpentine
Gorge (shelter) |
13.8km |
16.5km |
16.5km |
|
12 |
Serpentine
Gorge |
Serpentine
Chalet Dam |
Serpentine
Chalet Dam (shelter) |
16.3km |
15.9km |
15.9km |
|
13 |
Serpentine
Chalet Dam |
Hermit’s
Hideaway (dry) |
Hermit’s
Hideaway (dry) |
15.6km |
17.1km |
17.1km |
|
14 |
Mt Giles
Lookout (dry) |
Ormiston
Gorge |
Ormiston
Gorge (shelter) |
15.5km |
14.1km |
14.1km |
|
15 |
Ormiston
Gorge |
Ormiston
Gorge |
Finke River
(shelter) |
14.4km |
10.3km |
19.2km |
|
16 |
Ormiston
Gorge |
Hilltop
Lookout Camp (dry) |
Hilltop
Lookout Camp (dry) |
8.5km |
19.5km |
10.6km |
|
17 |
Finke River |
Redbank Gorge |
Redbank Gorge |
8.9km |
16.2km |
16.2km |
|
18 |
Rocky Bar Gap |
Redbank Gorge |
Redbank Gorge |
14.7km |
18.8km |
18.8km |
|
19 |
Redbank Gorge |
Redbank Gorge |
Back to Alice
Springs |
11.1km |
4.8km |
0.0km |
|
20 |
Back to Alice
Springs |
Back to Alice
Springs |
|
15.8km |
0.0km |
0.0km |
