Dales Gorge

Off Dales Rd, Karijini National Park, 6751

At Dales Gorge you can experience three major highlights of Karijini National Park and Australia’s Pilbara region.

Enjoy a refreshing swim at Fortescue Falls, take in one of the prettiest settings in Western Australia at Fern Pool, or follow the three-hour return trail to Circular Pool.

You can choose to visit these attractions separately, or complete a full loop following the marked walk trails.

Gorge Rim trail

The Gorge Rim walk is the easiest way to experience the Dales Gorge area, tracing a path from Fortescue Falls to Circular Falls and back again. The walk features short steep sections and occasional steps and is a 2 kilometre return walk.

Fortescue Falls Lookout and trail

Fortescue Falls is the only spring-fed waterfall in Karijini National Park. The water cascades down the gently sloped rocks into a pool at the base of Dales Gorge.

From the Fortescue Falls carpark, a 150 metre walk takes to you to the Fortescue Falls viewing area. From the viewing area, a set of stairs with handrails descends into the gorge and the path continues down some stepped rocks to Fortescue Falls and pool.

You can return to the carpark via the same path, or cross the watercourse (on stepping stones) to join the Dales Gorge walk.

Fern Pool

From the base of the staircase on the Fortescue Falls walk trail, a short signposted track leads upstream to Fern Pool with its small twin waterfalls, one of the most beautiful spots in the park. A wooden deck at the edge of the pool allows visitors easy access for swimming.  Fern Pool is a sacred place for local Indigenous people, who ask that visitors treat the area with respect.

Dales Gorge Trail

This trail links one end of the Dales Gorge to the other along the gorge floor, with forested pockets of Fig Trees, Eucalypts and Snappy Gums, and some ledge and stepping stone walking along the way.

Access to Dales Gorge walk trail is via the Fortescue Falls and Circular Pools access points.

Circular Pool Lookout and trail

At the Eastern end of Dales Gorge, the Circular Pool lookout can be easily accessed from the Dales day use area carpark. A short walk trail from the carpark leads to the lookout, with spectacular views into the gorge and the large amphitheatre of Circular Pool, lined with ferns and trees.

To visit Circular Pool, take the trail from the Three Ways lookout which descends into the gorge. This trail includes some roughly hewn steps and a ladder section, and is classified as a Class 4 trail. Enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool before making your way back to the top of the gorge, or following Dales Gorge trail to the Fortescue Falls end.