The Larapinta Trail is a trekking trail extending west from Alice Springs to Mount Sonder (Rwetyepme) near Glen Helen in the Western Macdonnell Ranges. The Trail was completed in 2002 and has since rapidly earned a reputation as one of the finest treks in the world. The Larapinta Trail is officially 223 kilometres long from its starting point at Alice Springs and hiking to its end point at the summit of Mt Sonder in the West MacDonnell Ranges.
The Larapinta Trail offers exceptional opportunities to experience the living desert landscape of the West MacDonnell Ranges, which rise dramatically from the Central Australian desert. The terrain along the Trail is varied, including sandy creek-bed walking, steep rocky ascents and descents, high ridgelines, spectacular gorges, and more gently undulating hill country. The Trail traverses a variety of landscapes and is home to many rare the arid zone plants.
The Larapinta Trail also links many well known natural attractions along the Western Macdonnell Ranges where hikers can join or leave the Trail, including Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek Big Hole, Serpentine Gorge and Ormiston Gorge. The Larapinta Trail is in effect a connected series of sections between these trailheads, with each section representing a one or two day walk. Each section of the Larapinta Trail has a grade which reflects the difficulty of the hiking encountered on that section.
The word Larapinta is derived from the Western Arrernte "lhere pirnte". Lhere means "river" and pirnte means "salt", hence Larapinta (Lhere-pirnte) means "salty river", which is the traditional Western Arrernte name for the Finke River. The Finke River is one of the oldest watercourses on the earth and is visible from several ridges along the Larapinta Trail. Some of the more western sections of the Trail cross the Finke River.
The best time to hike the Larapinta Trail is during the cooler months from April to September, which are generally warm through the day but have cool nights. The winter months from May to August are ideal for bushwalking, but be prepared for very cold conditions in the mornings and up on elevated ridge tops. Temperatures regularly drop below zero overnight during the winter months.