Heavitree Gap Yeperenye Circuit is a 3km, grade 3 hike located in the West MacDonnell National Park, Northern Territory. The hike should take around 1.25 hrs to complete.
Hike overview
This spectacular, unofficial and unmarked walk takes you to the Heavitree Gap, the prominent ridge standing sentry over Alice Springs, at the eastern end of the Yeperenye / Emily and Jessie Gaps Nature Park.
The Heavitree Gap, or Ntaripe in the Arrernte language, is a water gap in the Northern Territory of Australia in the MacDonnell Ranges. It is the southern entrance to the city of Alice Springs and in addition to the Todd River it carries the main road and rail access to the south.
Route and GPX file
Max elevation: 723 m
Min elevation: 567 m
Total climbing: 180 m
Total descent: -180 m
Trail location
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About the region
Emily and Jessie Gaps, small Gaps in the Heavitree Range are the first features you come to on your trip into the East MacDonnell Ranges. They contain interesting Aboriginal paintings and are important spiritual sites to the Eastern Arrernte Aboriginal people.
Many places in the landscape are associated with the same dreamtime story. Together these places form a ‘dreaming trail’. Emily and Jessie Gap are both associated with the caterpillar trail. Emily Gap is probably the most significant, as this is where the caterpillar beings of Mparntwe (Alice Springs) originated. These caterpillars formed Emily Gap and many of the topographic features around Alice Springs, then radiated out to the edge of the Simpson Desert.
Emily Gap (Anthwerrke) is a registered sacred site. A large rock painting depicts the caterpillar dreaming. Please respect the site and do not touch any Aboriginal art.
The first European sighting of Emily and Jessie Gap was in 1871. It was thought that ‘Emily’ and ‘Jessie’ were the daughters of Sir Charles Todd, but this was found to be untrue. The basis on which the names are derived is unknown.
Nestled between the East and West MacDonnell Ranges, ‘The Alice’ (Alice Springs) is famous for its beautiful desert landscapes, colourful outback characters, opportunities for adventure and a strong Aboriginal culture. Alice Springs is a remote town in Australia’s Northern Territory, halfway between Darwin and Adelaide, both 1,500km away. It’s a popular gateway for exploring the Red Centre, the country's interior desert region.
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Gear to consider

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Acknowledgement of Country
Trail Hiking Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we hike and pay respects to their Elders, past and present, and we acknowledge the First Nations people of other communities who may be here today.