Hikes near the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is the rare city where a morning surf and an afternoon in Gondwana rainforest are the same day out. Twenty minutes behind the beaches the hinterland climbs fast — Springbrook's waterfall circuits, Tamborine Mountain's short rainforest loops, and the big Lamington track network around Binna Burra and O'Reilly's. Everything below is sorted by real driving-crow distance from Surfers Paradise, with full elevation profiles and offline maps before you head up the range.
- Trails
- 72
- Total
- 253 km
- Easy walks
- 35
- Areas
- 8
Top trails
Closest first — real distance from the Gold Coast, not a guess from the suburb name.
- #1Federation WalkModerate3.08 km9 m upEst. 0.8 hrFederation Walk Coastal Reserve
- #2Casuarina Grove TrackModerate3.43 km76 m upEst. 1 hrNerang National Park
- #3Melaleuca Boardwalk CircuitEasy1.19 km11 m upEst. 0.3 hrCoombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
- #4Oceanview CircuitEasy1.23 km39 m upEst. 0.4 hrBurleigh Head National Park
- #5Tallebudgera Creek Walking TrackEasy0.19 km24 m upEst. 0.1 hrDavid Fleay Wildlife Park / Tallebudgera Creek Conservation Park
- #6Goshawk TrackEasy0.69 km4 m upEst. 0.2 hrCoombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
- #7Koala TrackEasy2.4 km15 m upEst. 0.6 hrCoombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
- #8Myola BoardwalkEasy0.29 kmEst. 0.1 hrCoombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
- #9Jabiru TrackEasy2.29 km6 m upEst. 0.6 hrCoombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
- #10Freeman's Lookout TrackEasy1.6 km58 m upEst. 0.4 hrNerang Conservation Park / Nerang Forest Reserve
- #11MacDonald Rainforest CircuitEasy0.92 km9 m upEst. 0.2 hrTamborine National Park
- #12Curtis Falls trackEasy1.06 km38 m upEst. 0.3 hrTamborine National Park
- #13Lower Creek CircuitEasy1.1 km14 m upEst. 0.3 hrTamborine National Park
- #14Warringa Pool trackModerate1.12 km129 m upEst. 0.5 hrSpringbrook National Park
- #15Purling Brook Falls CircuitModerate4.64 km343 m upEst. 1.8 hrSpringbrook National Park
- #16Witches Falls CircuitModerate3.42 km112 m upEst. 1.1 hrTamborine National Park
- #17Cougal Cascades trackEasy1.74 km51 m upEst. 0.6 hrSpringbrook National Park
- #18Warrie CircuitExpert8.65 km626 m upEst. 3.3 hrSpringbrook National Park
- #19Twin Falls CircuitModerate3.89 km285 m upEst. 1.5 hrSpringbrook National Park
- #20Illinbah CircuitHard7.8 km45 m upEst. 2 hrLamington National Park
The remaining 52 are listed in full below.
All 72 trails in the Gold Coast
Federation Walk
Federation Walk Coastal Reserve
Casuarina Grove Track
Nerang National Park
Melaleuca Boardwalk Circuit
Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
Oceanview Circuit
Burleigh Head National Park
Tallebudgera Creek Walking Track
David Fleay Wildlife Park / Tallebudgera Creek Conservation Park
Goshawk Track
Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
Koala Track
Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
Myola Boardwalk
Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
Jabiru Track
Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area
Freeman's Lookout Track
Nerang Conservation Park / Nerang Forest Reserve
MacDonald Rainforest Circuit
Tamborine National Park
Curtis Falls track
Tamborine National Park
Lower Creek Circuit
Tamborine National Park
Warringa Pool track
Springbrook National Park
Purling Brook Falls Circuit
Springbrook National Park
Witches Falls Circuit
Tamborine National Park
Cougal Cascades track
Springbrook National Park
Warrie Circuit
Springbrook National Park
Twin Falls Circuit
Springbrook National Park
Illinbah Circuit
Lamington National Park
Lower Bellbird Track
Lamington National Park
Ballunjui Falls (Lower Ballunjui Falls track)
Lamington National Park
Caves Circuit
Lamington National Park
Border Track
Lamington National Park
Gwongoorool Track
Lamington National Park
Dave's Creek Circuit
Lamington National Park (Binna Burra)
Tullawallal Circuit
Lamington National Park
Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk
Lamington & Springbrook National Parks
Coomera Circuit
Lamington National Park (Binna Burra)
Mount Hobwee Circuit
Lamington National Park
West Canungra Creek Circuit
Lamington National Park
Toolona Creek Circuit
Lamington National Park (O'Reilly's)
Box Forest Track
Main Range National Park
Box Forest Circuit
Lamington National Park
Centenary Track
Lamington National Park (Green Mountains section)
Wishing Tree Track
Lamington National Park
Morans Falls Track
Lamington National Park (Binna Burra)
Python Rock Track
Lamington National Park
Albert River Circuit
Lamington National Park
Wollumbin (Mount Warning) summit track
Wollumbin National Park
Brindle Creek Walking Track
Border Ranges National Park
Pinnacle Walk and Lookout
Border Ranges National Park
Byrrill Creek walking track
Mebbin National Park
Falcorostrum Loop walking track
Border Ranges National Park
Booyong walking track
Border Ranges National Park
Rosewood Loop
Border Ranges National Park
Palm Forest walking track
Border Ranges National Park
Federation Track
Mount Gravatt Outlook Reserve
Historic Nightcap Track
Nightcap National Park / Whian Whian State Conservation Area
Protesters Falls walking track
Nightcap National Park
Peates Mountain via Rummery Road
Whian Whian State Conservation Area
Sandy Creek Circuit
Tamborine National Park
Minyon Falls walking track
Nightcap National Park
Big Scrub Loop walking track
Nightcap National Park
Aboriginal Art Trail (Hoop Pine Trail)
Mt Coot-tha Reserve / D'Aguilar National Park
Yellow Pinch Track
Mount Barney National Park
Lower Portals Track
Mount Barney National Park
Melaleuca Circuit
Karawatha Forest Park
South Ridge (Peasants Ridge) Route
Mount Barney National Park
Goanna Trail
Enoggera Reservoir
Cronan Creek Track
Mount Barney National Park
Mee-bor-rum Circuit
Moogerah Peaks National Park
Gold Creek Trail
Gold Creek Reservoir / Enoggera
Upper Portals Track
Mount Barney National Park
Three Sisters walking track
Broken Head Nature Reserve
Egernia Circuit
D'Aguilar National Park (Jollys Lookout)
Thylogale Walking Track
D'Aguilar National Park (Jollys Lookout to Manorina)
Morelia Track
D'Aguilar National Park (Manorina)
Atrax Circuit
D'Aguilar National Park (Manorina)
Cypress Grove Circuit
D'Aguilar National Park (Maiala, Mount Glorious)
Gap Creek Falls Track
Main Range National Park
Greenes Falls Track
D'Aguilar National Park (Maiala, Mount Glorious)
Top parks in the Gold Coast
Frequently asked questions
How many hiking trails are there in the Gold Coast?
Aus Trails currently maps 72 walking tracks in the Gold Coast, covering about 253 km in total. Every one has a real elevation profile and a 3D terrain map, and all of it is free to use without an account.
What is the longest hiking trail in the Gold Coast?
The longest the Gold Coast track in our catalogue is Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk in Lamington & Springbrook National Parks, at 28.43 km with 1331 m of cumulative ascent.
Which the Gold Coast trail has the most elevation gain?
Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk in Lamington & Springbrook National Parks climbs the most of any the Gold Coast track we map — 1331 m of cumulative ascent over 28.43 km.
Are there easy walks in the Gold Coast?
Yes — 35 of the 72 the Gold Coast tracks we map are graded Easy, meaning short distances on well-formed track with little sustained climbing. You can filter the full list by grade on the trails page.
Which national parks in the Gold Coast have hiking trails?
The best-covered areas in the Gold Coast are Lamington National Park (13 tracks), Border Ranges National Park (6 tracks), Coombabah Lakelands Conservation Area (5 tracks), Mount Barney National Park (5 tracks), Springbrook National Park (5 tracks).
Do I need to pay to use Aus Trails in the Gold Coast?
No. Offline maps, live GPS, elevation profiles, 3D terrain and every safety feature are free, permanently, with no account required. Pro only adds planning extras like custom route building and printable maps — nothing that keeps you safe on trail sits behind a paywall.