Easter Alpine Hiking & BASECAMP Cafe
- Snowy Mtns Backcountry
- Mar 24
- 4 min read
Nestled in the heart of the Snowy Mountains at the foot of the Main Range you'll find BASECAMP Cafe at the Guthega Mountain Centre. With commanding alpine views over the Guthega Dam of the Main Range & the Snowy River this is the perfect spot to start your alpine walk. Boasting excellent access onto the Main Range & many nearby walks, the BASECAMP Cafe places you ideally to a range of excellent walks in the alpine & the sub alpine. Come upstairs & fuel up with a variety of breaky menu choices & great coffee, or finish your day with cool brews & alpine views. Or just come on up for a meal & take in the mountain ambience with an everpresent 360 degree alpine view.
Easter Opening Hours:
10:00am - 4:00pm daily over the Easter School Holiday period 12th - 27th April
EXCLUDING: Good Friday, Easter Sunday & Anzac Day
Things to do at Guthega:
Read on for info on a variety of walks from Guthega.
Click here to go to the BASECAMP Cafe THINGS TO DO PAGE for a variety of activities from this ideal Mountain Cafe including info on opening times & Easter menu
Walks from Guthega
Guthega to Charlotte Pass: This walk is day 1 of the new 4 day / 56km Snowies Alpine Walk.
Start & finish BASECAMP Cafe
9km / 3hrs one way
18km / 6hrs return
Formed trail
Steel ramp, gravel & rock paved
Follow signage, map recommended
Hot Tip: This walk can be done in various versions
Park at either end & afterward car shuttle back to start point
Split the group into two & start either end swapping the car keys as you pass each other by
Do the entire walk there & back
Guthega to Illawong: Follows the first part of the
Guthega to Charlotte Pass walk
Formed trail
Steel ramp, gravel & rock paved
Start & finish BASECAMP Cafe
6km / 2hrs return
Follow signage, map recommended
Guthega Trig Walk: For more advanced bushwalkers
Start & finish BASECAMP Cafe
6km / 3hrs
Formed track
No signage
Map highly recommended
More arduous
Guthega Spillway: Stand on the spillway of the first & highest dam of the Snowy Hydro System & look up the Snowy River toward Mt Kosciuszko & down stream towards Jindabyne!
Start & finish BASECAMP Cafe
1.5km / 30mins
Gravel road
Walks from Guthega Power Station: Six kilometeres from BASECAMP Cafe you'll find Guthega Power Station, the highest & first Power Station built in the Snowy Hydro System. Located at the confluence of the Snowy River & Munyang River it's only 500m off the Guthega Rd. From here you can visit historical functioning huts in the subalpine area of the Whites River Corridor with parking at the Guthega Power Station Car Park. This area is behind locked gates & closed to vehicular access but open to walkers. There is a network of huts further on into the northern areas of the Kosciuszko National but consider how far you go regarding turn around times for a day walk! There are alternate routes to the huts along aquaduct tracks but refer to a map for these or else just stick to the main route. Know that the bridge at the bottom of the Disappointment aquaduct track is no longer there which makes for a difficult crossing/rock hop if the river is up!
Horsecamp Hut:
Start & finish at Guthega Power Station Car Park
8km return / 4hrs
steep uphill start for 1.5km
4WD track
Follow signage, map recommended
Whites River Hut:
Start & finish at Guthega Power Station Car Park
16km return / 8hrs
steep uphill start for 1.5km
4WD track
Follow signage, map recommended
Hikers Lunches
Hikers lunches are available at BASECAMP Cafe daily: toasted panninis, bananna bread, muffins, chocolate bars & drinks.
What ever you choose Easter is the best time of the year to walk with azure blue skies, clear nights & early morning frosts. Regardless of the forecast you are in the mountains so please have the correct gear for any season; better to have it & not used it than not having it when you needed it! Looking forward to seeing you at BASECAMP Cafe.
For more ideas of activities from this awesome mountain cafe go to THINGS TO DO AT BASECAMP CAFE including info on opening times & Easter menu
Note:
This information doesn't include time for breaks & times are based on an average walking speed
In this article a formed trail is one that has a specially prepared walking surface & a track is naturally occuring & hasn't had any formal works
It is highly recommended that all walkers have a map & essential items at all times, particularly those off formed trails whether it is on a track, footpad or completely off-track ; maps are available at BASECAMP Cafe
When walking off track the NPWS recommends dispersed walking!
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