Independence Trail – American River is a 3.6km, grade 1 Return hike located in Kangaroo Island South Australia. The hike should take approximately 1.5hrs to complete.

Summary

The Independence Trail begins at the boatramp, near the wharf, in American River and follows the coast along the edge of the Port of Pelicans lagoon. At nearby Remembrance Reserve there is a loop in the trail, and this can make an ideal shorter walk to return at this point. Continuing further, the trail is sometimes beside the road or on a walking path along the lagoon, before it reaches Independence Point.

The trail is 3.6km one way or 7.1km return. The trail is marked with short blue posts. The American River Progress Association stocks map leaflets at each trailhead (near the boatramp and in the shelter at Independence Point.)

At Independence Point there is a picnic area, carpark and monument to the schooner Independence. The schooner was the first ship constructed in South Australia, built in 1803 by the crew of the visiting American sealing ship the Union. The ship was built to access the shallow waters of the lagoon in seal hunting endeavors. The schooner may have been constructed from local timbers, but this isn’t clear, as it may also have been constructed from materials from the Union. The ship disappeared on a voyage from Sydney in 1805.

GPX file courtesy of Walking SA. File may not contain elevation data and may only represent half the length on return hikes.

For more information on this hiking trail, please visit Walking SA