Hike at a glance

4,682

Quick overview: The Mount Pilot Circuit in Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park is a 14.5 km loop rated Grade 4, typically taking around 4 hours. The trail includes a variety of terrain, such as granite slabs, boulders, and dense scrub, making it challenging. Along the way, you will encounter the historic Yeddonba Aboriginal Cultural Site. The ascent culminates at the summit, where you can enjoy 360-degree views, including Mount Buffalo on clear days. This hike is suited for experienced hikers with strong navigation skills.

Length

14.5km

Duration

4 hrs

Difficulty

Grade 4 (Hard)

Trail type

Circuit

Trail details

Max elevation: 555m
Min elevation: 332m
Total Ascent: 564m

Start: Mount Pilot Track

End: Mount Pilot Track

Location: Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park

State: Victoria

Nearest town: Beechworth

State capital distance: 296km

Latitude: -36.28086615

Longitude: 146.6758489608765

Check current conditions
Track conditions, access and closures can change quickly due to weather, fire, maintenance or safety concerns. Always check the relevant land manager’s website and conditions before you visit. Trail Hiking Australia does not provide real-time track and closure monitoring, and land managers remain the authoritative source for current alerts, closures and access restrictions.

About the trail

Difficulty

Route map

Preparation

Getting there

Photos

The region

Weather

About this trail

Route in detail

The Mount Pilot Circuit hike explores the Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park which is located between Beechworth and the low hills surrounding Chiltern and includes the striking Mount Pilot Range and Yeddonba Aboriginal Cultural Site.

The hike commences at the junction of Mount Piloit Track and McGuinness Lane. Park your vehicle in any available clearing along the gravel road and head north along the Mount Pilot Track as it gradually ascends the Mount Pilot Range. After approximately 5.5km you will reach The Old Coach Road. Turn right at this point and follow the road to the Mount Pilot car park and summit of Mount Pilot where you are rewarded with a 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. On a clear day Mount Buffalo is easily recognisable on the southern horizon.

From the summit the hike now follows a narrow foot trail west from the firetower towards a big black stump. The trail starts on the left hand side of this stump; follow it through an open granite slab and on to the Bakery Wall and a popular rock climbing area of Mount Pilot.

From the Bakery Wall, follow a series of rock climbing trails as it winds throughout the large granite slabs and boulders of Mount Pilot. The trails in this area are not always easy to locate but are marked by small wooden ground pegs with yellow arrows. There are two sections where you will need to lower yourself down steep rock slabs using a chain fixed to the rocks. When the trail can no longer be located you will need to pick your way north through the dense scrub on the eastern side of a spur. Cross the spur to the west before descending into a gully near the foot of Mount Pilot.

Warning; this section is completely off-trail and excellent navigation skills will be required.

After crossing the gully, locate the signposted Yeddonba Aboriginal Cultural Site. The heritage area takes you on a short circuit which provides an insight into local Aboriginal culture. After completing the circuit you will end up at the Cultural Site car park and Toveys Forest Road. Follow this road west for 1km and locate a foot trail on your left. Follow this trail south as it traverses around the western foot of Mount Pilot, ending at the Old Coach Road. Turn left, then right onto the Green Break Track and follow this south towards McGuinness Road. Turn left at the junction and follow the gravel road for a further 1km back to the start point.

Facilities

There are a number of established picnic sites located throughout the park. Reedy Creek is a popular area for campers and prospectors. Camping and accommodation are available in the nearby historic towns of Chiltern and Beechworth

Walk features

Trail difficulty

Grade 4 (hard) badge

Grade 4 (Hard)

For experienced bushwalkers

Grade 4 walks may be long, rough or very steep, and directional signage may be limited. Bushwalking experience is recommended, along with the ability to be self-reliant and manage navigation, weather and emergencies. Walks may exceed 20km.

Good to know: Not every Grade 4 characteristic will apply to every walk, so check the route description for the specific challenges of this hike.

Map and GPX file

Mount Pilot Hike (14.5km)

Map of the route “Mount Pilot Hike (14.5km)”: 14.45 km, 564 m of climbing and 551 m of descent, elevation between 332 m and 554 m, time 04:19:48. It is a loop that starts and ends at -36.28063, 146.67601 (latitude, longitude).

Total distance: 14.46 km
Max elevation: 555 m
Min elevation: 332 m
Total climbing: 564 m
Total descent: 551 m

GPX files, maps and content are copyright Trail Hiking Australia. Not to be copied, redistributed or uploaded to other platforms including AllTrails.

Preparation and safety

Trail tips

Warning; There is a section of this hike that is completely off-trail. Excellent navigation skills will be required.

Plan and prepare

Australian conditions can turn a small oversight into a serious situation faster than most walkers expect. For a day hike, that means the right gear, weather-appropriate layers, enough food and water, and allowing time to finish in daylight. The day hike planning guide walks you through it.

The Hiking Safety Systems and planning calculators help you understand and close the gaps before you leave home. The Interactive Safety Scenarios show how small gaps turn into real incidents. If you’re new to planning hikes, start with the hike preparation guide.

Download the free hiking preparation and safety checklists before leaving home to help you think through your plans. They help ensure important considerations are not overlooked and support safer decision-making on the trail.

Let someone know

Before you go, complete a trip intentions form and share it with a trusted contact. Agree on a Late-Back Time and ask them to call 000 (Police) if you have not checked in. A clear trip plan is one of the simplest and most effective safety steps you can take, and it only takes two minutes.

Let someone know your plans →

Heading somewhere remote, off-track or overnight? Use the comprehensive trip intentions form instead, as your emergency contact will need more detail. Register your trip plan here →

Getting there and where to stay

Directions

Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park is 275km north east of Melbourne and 34km north of Wangaratta. Follow the Hume Freeway to the Beechworth turnoff. Follow the Beechworth-Wangaratta Road through Beechworth then follow the Beechworth-Chiltern Road north for 9.9km towards Chiltern. Turn right at McGuinness Road and drive for 1.6km to the junction of the Mount Pilot Track.

Get there with Google Maps

Accommodation nearby

Search accommodation in nearby towns: Barnawartha, Beechworth, Chiltern, Eldorado, Everton, Springhurst, Wodonga, Yackandandah

Find somewhere to stay near the trailhead. Click the button below to open an interactive map automatically centred on this hike's location.

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Travel arrangements

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Photo gallery

Mount Pilot Hike (14.5km)

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Explore the region

About the region

Across a band of dry foothills and granite rises in north-east Victoria, Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park brings together two landscapes that feel quite different from one another: the box-ironbark country around Chiltern and the rougher granitic country of the Pilot Range. Together they form a large block of bush between Beechworth and Chiltern, where Grey Box, Mugga Ironbark, Red Stringybark and Blakely's Red Gum reflect the shift from lower woodland to stonier upland forest.

That mix of country helps explain why the park is so important for wildlife. It protects one of Victoria's most diverse box-ironbark areas, with a notably high number of recorded mammal, bird and reptile species for this kind of forest. Birdlife is a particular strength, and the park is well regarded for woodland species that have declined across much of south-eastern Australia. Old trees, fallen timber, patches of regrowth and the contrast between creeks, ridges and open woodland all contribute to a landscape that still supports a rich range of habitats.

Human history is written just as clearly into the ground. Gold mining reshaped parts of the park from the early 1850s into the mid 20th century, leaving behind water races, tunnels, mullock heaps, sluiced gullies and other workings that are still part of the bush today. Around places such as Woolshed Falls and Reedy Creek, the creeks and gullies are not simply scenic features but country altered by decades of digging, sluicing and water diversion. The nearby towns of Chiltern, Beechworth and Eldorado make more sense when read alongside this disturbed but enduring forest.

The park also contains deeply important Aboriginal places. Management sources identify it as being within the Country of the Dhudhuroa-Waywurru and Pangerang people, and note significant Aboriginal places and rock art sites within the park, including Yeddonba. This gives the area a cultural depth far older than its mining remains. What stands out today is not a single landmark but the way ecological richness, granite high points, goldfields history and enduring cultural significance all sit close together in one stretch of north-east Victorian bush.

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Weather on the trail

The map shows the rain forecast for the trail area. Use the toggle in the top right corner to switch layers, including wind, temperature, UV index, thunderstorms, fire danger and weather warnings. Windy is a forecast model, not an official warning service. Check the Bureau of Meteorology for current warnings before you go.

Trail reviews

5 Reviews on “Mount Pilot Hike (14.5km)”

Overall rating

Conrad Korten

I have just got back in from doing this hike, and wasn’t sure if I was complete off the trail, or had the markers gone… turns out the markers were gone., but its also likely that I was off track. If you head directly west from the stone marker, you can see the narrow trail where the tree line starts.
Most of the trail is fairly identifiable for the first kilometer, but once you start the Bakery Wall section the track disappears fairly quickly. The comments about grow back since the fires makes sense now.

I was able to navigate my way down using Google Maps and the sun, but there was no real trail to speak of. Definitely wouldn’t attemp it doing snake season.

14/05/2023, 13:42

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Ira Trail Author

As a local in this area, a Bushwalker and a member of Friends of Chiltern mount pilot park I would like to make an update to the informaiton here. The fire tower has not been there for many years. Since the fires in the early 2000s forest regrow has been dense and completely changed the landscape. Any infrastructure that was wooden was burned and not replaced eg pegs, black stump.

10/05/2023, 16:43

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Acknowledgement of Country

Mount pilot hike (14. 5km) - trail hiking australia

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.

Curated by: Darren Edwards | Trail Hiking Australia

Last checked:

August 12, 2026

Hike at a glance

Trail details

About this trail

Route in detail

Facilities

Walk features

Trail difficulty

Grade 4 (Hard)

Map and GPX file

Preparation and safety

Trail tips

Plan and prepare

Let someone know

Getting there and where to stay

Directions

Accommodation nearby

Travel arrangements

Photo gallery

Explore the region

About the region

Discover activities

More hikes nearby

Cascades & Woolshed Falls Hike (14.2km)

Beechworth to Lake Kerferd Hike (6.5km)

White Box Walking Track (7.6km)

Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail (116km)

Explore hikes by town

Weather on the trail

Trail reviews

5 Reviews on “Mount Pilot Hike (14.5km)”

Leave a Review. Cancel reply

Notice something different about this trail?

Acknowledgement of Country

Curated by: Darren Edwards | Trail Hiking Australia

Last checked:

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