When is the best time to visit Cradle Mountain, and how many days do you need?
Dec to MarchAnd one day is genuinely enough to see it.
December to March, and one day is enough. Cradle Mountain sits in Tasmania's highlands, where the averages are 19°C at the warmest and 6°C in July, with minimums below freezing from May to September. The Dove Lake circuit — the walk everyone comes for — is about 6km, flat and boarded, so it fits comfortably into a day trip from $169 out of Launceston. The thing to plan for is not the season but the weather: it changes in minutes here, in any month.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Cradle Mountain is Tasmania's most photographed place and its most weather-dependent. Both facts matter when you are picking dates.
The highlands, month by month
| Month | Day | Night | Rain | What it is like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°C | 6°C | 51mm | The best month. Long days, the walks at their most reliable. |
| February | 18°C | 5°C | 38mm | The driest month, and the pick of the year. |
| March | 16°C | 4°C | 62mm | Still good. Cooler, quieter, autumn colour in the fagus. |
| April | 12°C | 2°C | 63mm | Cold and changeable. The fagus turns gold in late April. |
| May | 9°C | 0°C | 81mm | Freezing nights start. Snow is possible. |
| June | 7°C | -1°C | 101mm | Cold and wet. Short days. |
| July | 6°C | -2°C | 112mm | The coldest. Snow on the tops. |
| August | 7°C | -1°C | 122mm | The wettest. Beautiful if it clears, which is not often. |
| September | 9°C | 0°C | 105mm | Thawing. Still properly cold. |
| October | 12°C | 1°C | 80mm | Improving. Wildflowers start. |
| November | 15°C | 3°C | 64mm | Good, and quieter than summer. |
| December | 17°C | 4°C | 59mm | Very good. Long days and the season opens up. |
Bureau of Meteorology long-term averages for Liawenee, the nearest highland station, over 25 years. Cradle Mountain runs similar.
How many days?
- One day covers itif the walk you want is the Dove Lake circuit — about 6km, flat, mostly boardwalk, and it sits right under the mountain.
- Two daysgives you a second attempt if day one is socked in, which is the real argument for staying overnight.
- Climbing the summitis a serious day — a steep boulder scramble, not a stroll, and weather-dependent.
- The Overland Trackis six days to Lake St Clair and a different undertaking entirely.
The day trips
| Trip | Starts and finishes | Effort | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Cradle Mountain Tour | Launceston / Launceston | — | $169 |
| 1 Day Cradle Mountain Tour | Hobart / Hobart | — | $260 |
| 2 Day Cradle Mountain Tour | Hobart / Hobart | — | $435 |
| 2 Day Cradle Mountain & Wineglass Bay Tour | Hobart / Hobart | — | $399 |
All are rated 2 out of 5 for effort — the walking is gentle. Launceston is far closer than Hobart, which is why that day trip is both cheaper and shorter.
If the weather turns
It will, and it is worth going anyway. August is the wettest month at 122mm and July the coldest at 6°C, but cloud sitting on the mountain is part of what the place looks like. The Dove Lake boardwalk still works in rain, the rainforest walks at Weindorfers Forest and Pencil Pine Falls are short and sheltered, and the wildlife is easier to see in poor weather than in bright sun.
Fitting it into a Tasmania trip
Cradle sits in the north-west, so it pairs naturally with Launceston. The classic two-day pairing is Cradle Mountain and Wineglass Bay — Tasmania's two famous views in one trip. The five day loops cover both without either being a day of its own.
2 Day Cradle Mountain & Wineglass Bay Tourfrom $3992 days, 1 nightMotel / Hostel2 days — Cradle Mountain and Wineglass BayView trip
5 Day Tasmania Tourfrom $9395 days, 4 nightsMotel / Cabin5 days — the full Tasmania loopView trip
10 Day Ultimate Tasmania Tourfrom $321010 days, 9 nightsMotel Accommodation10 days — Tasmania properlyView tripWhere this comes from. Temperatures and rainfall are Bureau of Meteorology long-term monthly averages for Liawenee, the nearest highland station, over 25 years of records. Walk lengths are Tasmania Parks and Wildlife's published track notes for Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. Trip details, effort ratings and prices are each trip's own, and update on their own.