Summiting Mt Maroon with its incredible views on the Scenic Rim!

One of the first National Parks on our list for the Brisbane road trip we did last month was Mt Barney National Park. The national park is famous for its seven summits; in short, it is a hiker’s paradise. The national park itself is a must-visit, even as a non-hiker, and I simply cannot find all the right words to describe it, but it is fantastic! While we were there during a heat wave, it was too hot to climb Mt Barney. Therefore we decided to climb another great mountain in the park, Mt Maroon. While significantly shorter, this was still a challenging climb but absolutely worth the incredible view. Looking back on our entire trip, this is one of my favourite places, and I cannot wait to go back and climb the titular mountain.

How did we get to Mt. Barney National Park?

If you are new to the blog or just haven’t caught up on our latest adventures, here is a little summary! After seven months of working on the incredible sand island, Moreton Island, we needed a new adventure. Our fabulous friends that we met on the island, Kane and Jenna, were heading off to Asia and decided to leave us their car while they were gone. However, it wasn’t just the car. It was a whole set-up; a rooftop tent, camp kitchen, and everything we needed for an incredible road trip. With only four weeks off work, we decided to stay within the range of Brisbane. We would travel as far north as Noosa Heads and south as Byron Bay. After some googling and social media halls, we created our Google map with a short list of the places we wanted to visit and headed off! After exploring the Noosa Everglades, the Hinterland and D’Aguilar National Park, it was time to head off to the mindblowing Mt Barney National Park.

Where we stayed to climb Mt Maroon:

After once again leaving our accommodation plans to the last minute, we finally found a place to sleep inside Mt. Barney National Park. With raving reviews, we headed to the Mt Barney Lodge, which literally sits underneath the titular mountain. We absolutely loved it here! Without phone reception, we could fully disconnect from the outside world for three days. You forget how addictive social media and our phones are until you can’t use them! While the campground was basic, as we only had showers, toilets and fire pits, it was an incredible spot. The office sold some beers, wines and ice to keep you going throughout your stay, but as we tried to stick to our budgets, we brought everything in Boonah before driving down.

Visiting Mt Barney National Park:

Mt Barney National Park should be on everyone’s travel list. It is only an hour and a half from Queensland‘s capital city of Brisbane and even closer to the Gold Coast. Surprisingly, it is not more popular. With outstanding natural freshwater swimming holes, beautiful hikes and camping, it is the perfect weekend getaway from the big cities. Moreover, its seven mountain peaks make it ideal for hiking, climbing and admiring.

Starting to climb Mt Maroon:

With about two full days in the park, we climbed Mt Maroon at the very last minute. We spent the first day hiking to a secluded rock hole and could not miss seeing the well-spoken-about lower portals the following morning. At lunchtime, we got to the mountain to climb – leaving at a highly late time of 2 pm. But since we have some hiking experience, this wasn’t a concern, as the climb would not take us longer than 4 hours to complete. With plenty of water and snacks in tow, we began the tiring and unrelenting climb to the summit of Mt Maroon.

Having already hiked 8km that morning to the lower portals and 16km the day before, our legs were heavy when we arrived. When we say unrelenting, we mean it. We knew we were in for a harsh, hot accent as soon as we hit the rocky incline. As there is no real track, finding the right way up in sections took a lot of work. More than once, we had to turn around to find the markers. However, the real challenge came when we got to the rock scramble.

The scramble to the summit:

The last section before the campground, only 750 meters from the summit, is gruelling but amazing. Being a no-stop zone, we had to keep moving, despite our lungs burning. Don’t get me wrong, looking back, it was such a fun climb; it’s just that it was really hot. It wouldn’t have been so bad had it been a cooler day, but we chose a thirty-something-degree afternoon and almost fried ourselves.

Making it to the campground was an accomplishment in itself, but we eagerly sought out the summit. Getting to the last few scrambles, we started to see the stunning view around us. Having heard about its incredible scenery, we didn’t want to spend too much time resting in the trees. We accidentally took the wrong path twice, but when we finally found the orange markers again. It was time for the final push. Taking the last few steps up, the most unique and gorgeous view of Mt Barney opens up before you, making the climb all the more worth it. We spent half an hour soaking it all in before starting our descent.

The descent was lovely. We made it down without mishaps or major slips, or so we thought. Just as we got to the last few steps before the car park, I got distracted by a wallaby, tripped and cut my knee and favourite hiking pants! With the sun slowly vanishing behind the Scenic Rim, the mountain became lovely and cool, making it much more bearable than the climb.

Do you want to climb Mt Maroon?

Please keep a look out for our complete guide to summiting Mt Maroon, which is coming soon! The climb is one of the better climbs close to Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Just make sure you are prepared. Good shoes, plenty of water, a first aid kit, sunscreen, dry rocks, a map and a PLB, are the basics of climbing this mountain. Don’t even try to go up without any of these items.

Read all the 2023 Greater Brisbane Road Trip Chapters:

1: Kayaking the Noosa Everglades.

2: The Best doughnuts in the Hinterland?

3: Attempt to Climb the Glass House Mountains.

4: Camping and Hiking in D’Aguilar National Park.

5: Mt Maroon and Its Incredible Views on the Scenic Rim.

7: Is Mullumbimby the new Byron Bay?

8: Springbrook National Park.

9: Lamington National Park.

10: Mount Tamborine National Park.

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