Hike Summary

The route to Mokare’s Rock is steep in places but the view to leafy karri crowns and across the Shannon Basin is magnificent. A Boardwalk across Mokare’s Rock protects the fragile carpet of mosses, lichens and flowers growing on the granite.

This walk starts at Shannon Day Use Area in the Shannon National Park. Detour left across the river from the Shannon Dam trail and climb alongside the karri crowns. A you walk, try to identify the different tree species before pausing to catch your breath at Smeather’s Rock.  From here, high above the ground among the leafy karri crowns, you can get a Bird’s eye view of the forest and back across the river to the old Shannon townsite. The chattering Birds urge you to continue your climb. As you go higher, the trees thin out and the drought tolerant jarrah tree becomes more prevalent as the ground becomes rocky. Turn a corner in the trail and there is Mokare’s Rock, complete with a colourful carpet of flowers, mosses and lichens, from a Boardwalk, you can get a close look at the delicate foliage without damaging it. Pause for a moment to enjoy the view across the Shannon River Basin, before slowly winding your way down through shady glens of karri oaks and across trickling creeks to the Shannon Dam. Time for a swim?. You can arrange to be met here, or you can link up with the Shannon Dam trail to wander back along the river to the recreation site.