Hike at a glance
Hike length
Average duration
Trail Difficulty
Hike Type
Technical details
Max elevation: 463m
Min elevation: 239m
Total Ascent: 587m
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 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.
Trail details
Hike summary
Track difficulty
Uneven terrain and steady climbs
These walks require a reasonable level of fitness and confidence on rough ground. Expect hills, rough surfaces, and sections with steps or short, steeper climbs.
While not technically difficult, these tracks are no longer "easy" and can feel demanding over distance, especially in heat or with a pack. Some bushwalking experience is recommended, particularly for managing footing and pacing. Distances can extend up to 20km.
Worth knowing: Many hikers underestimate Grade 3 when conditions change or fatigue sets in.
Planning essentials
Map and GPX file
Safety and preparation
Planning this hike?
Small oversights can compound quickly in Australian conditions. See how it happens in the Interactive Safety Scenarios. Then refer to the Hiking Safety Systems, planning calculators, and make sure a trusted contact has your trip plan before heading out.
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..
Planning something more serious? The comprehensive trip intentions form is designed for remote, overnight, and off-track trips where your emergency contact needs more detail. Register your advanced plans here →
Free checklists
Download the 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.
Getting there
Need a rental car to get you to the hike? Find one here →
Accommodation nearby
Find hotels, cabins, and campgrounds near the trailhead. Click the button below to open an interactive map automatically centred on this hike's location — no searching required.
Or browse accommodation in nearby towns: Belgrave, Emerald, Kallista, Kalorama, Monbulk, Montrose, Olinda, Sassafras, Tecoma, Upwey
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About the region
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Photo gallery
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Weather on the trail
The map below shows the rain forecast for the trail area. Tap the toggle in the top right corner to explore other layers including wind, temperature, UV index, thunderstorms, fire danger, and weather warnings — all useful for planning a safe hike.
Trail Reviews
Notice something different about this trail?
Whether it’s a new feature, a route change, or a closure, share your update so we can keep our info accurate and helpful for fellow hikers.
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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.
11 Reviews on “Valley & Eagle Nest Loop Hike (7.9km)”
It’s a nice hike but description is a bit out of date. The Valley Picnic Ground has been closed off to vehicles for about 2.5 years (since the big storm in June 2021). There is decent space to park at the gate where Boundary road starts from Silvan road and you can walk in from there. This will add about 1.8km to the hike. Alternatively, you can start the hike at Eagle Nest Picnic ground, which is open.
There are no toilets on this hike. There used to be toilets at Valley Picnic ground but while the toilet block was still there about 5 years ago, the toilets had not been in use since about 2014. I do not believe there is access to drinking water anywhere on the hike either. There are BBQ facilities, but they are the open fire ones.
I was on a different hike yesterday (28 Dec 2023) and at the point where Black Hole Track meets KC Track, there was a sign saying KC Track is currently closed. I wasn’t going down that way anyway and I can’t say what the situation is exactly.
As for how challenging it is, if you’re fit, it’s probably relatively easy. If you’re my size (rather large), it’s quite hard but still rewarding.
Thanks Chris. I’ll make a note to review and update the info.
We also got confused at the start of the walk as we could not find the toilet (I think they decided to remove it) so we walked past a vehicle gate onto a road called boundary track, we walked down this until a ‘T’ intersection, turned right and followed the above instructions.
We also have the same issue on rifle range gully, we did not see the track that went off to the right so it must be a small track?