Best time to visit Kings Canyon
May to SeptemberThe best walking weather of the year on the rim.
May to September, when the rim walk is at its best. Kings Canyon days average 21 to 29°C through those months, and August is the driest month of the year at 6mm. The rim walk is about 6km and three to four hours along the top of 100 metre sandstone walls, and in this cooler stretch you can enjoy every step of it. The warm months, October to April, are the quiet season: the trips walk the rim at first light, in the cool of the morning, and rain brings the desert up green. Every trip that includes Kings Canyon runs it as part of a three or four day Red Centre loop, from $729.
Checked on 28 October 2026.
Kings Canyon sits in Watarrka National Park, between Uluru and Alice Springs. It is desert country, so the seasons change the shape of your day rather than whether you go. The cool months are made for walking; the warm months are quiet, green after rain, and start before sunrise.
Kings Canyon month by month
| Month | Day | Night | Rain | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°C | 24°C | 44mm | The quiet season. A first-light rim walk and warm nights under the stars |
| February | 37°C | 23°C | 38mm | Rain brings the desert up green |
| March | 35°C | 21°C | 34mm | Summer colour with the edge coming off the heat |
| April | 30°C | 16°C | 15mm | A sweet spot. Warm days, comfortable nights, little rain |
| May | 25°C | 10°C | 20mm | Excellent. Perfect walking weather on the rim |
| June | 21°C | 7°C | 17mm | Cool, clear walking days and a jacket by the fire |
| July | 22°C | 6°C | 12mm | The coolest nights. Crisp air and the clearest skies |
| August | 24°C | 9°C | 6mm | The driest month. The safest bet for weather |
| September | 29°C | 13°C | 10mm | A sweet spot. Warm, dry and still easy walking |
| October | 33°C | 17°C | 23mm | Long warm evenings and early starts |
| November | 35°C | 20°C | 49mm | Big skies and storm light over the sandstone |
| December | 36°C | 22°C | 37mm | The quietest time to have the canyon to yourself |
Bureau of Meteorology long-term monthly averages for Watarrka (station 015652), from 25 years of records.
What each season is for
The cool months. May to September
- The best walking weather of the year21 to 29°C by day, so the climb at the start of the rim walk and the walk along the top feel easy.
- August is the driest monthat 6mm, and none of these months averages more than 20mm.
- Cold, clear nights6 to 13°C on average, which means brilliant stars. Pack layers and a warm jacket for the evenings.
The warm months. October to April
- The quiet season.Fewer people on the rim and at camp.
- First light on the canyon.The trips start the rim walk before dawn in the warmer months, in the cool of the morning.
- Rain makes it green.November to February are the wettest months, at 38 to 49mm, and the desert comes up after it.
- April and Octobersit at either end: 30 and 33°C by day with comfortable nights.
The rim walk, whichever month
- About 6km, three to four hoursalong the top of 100 metre sandstone walls.
- It starts with around 500 stepsand after that first climb it levels out along the canyon top.
- The Garden of Edenis a permanent waterhole in the middle, surrounded by cycads.
- The rim walk closes when the forecast is 36°C or abovewhich is why the warm-month trips set off before dawn and have it done early.
- There is a creek walk tooabout 2km along the bottom, shorter and flatter.
So when would we go?
- May or Septemberif you can pick freely: warm days, cool nights and almost no rain.
- June to Augustfor the coolest walking and the clearest night skies, with August the driest of all.
- April or Octoberfor warmth at either end of the walking season.
- November to Marchfor the quietest trails and a green desert. Just start early with a hat and water.
The trips
| Trip | Length | Starts and finishes | Where you sleep | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Day Uluru Budget | 3 days, 2 nights | Alice Springs or Uluru / Alice Springs or Yulara | Swags | $729 |
| 3 Day Uluru Adventure | 3 days, 2 nights | Alice Springs or Uluru / Alice Springs | Swags | $759 |
| 4 Day Uluru Adventure | 4 days, 3 nights | Alice Springs or Uluru / Yulara | Swags | $819 |
| 4 Day Uluru Safari | 4 days, 3 nights | Alice Springs or Uluru / Yulara | Furnished Safari Tents | $1149 |
| 4 Day Uluru & West MacDonnell Ranges | 4 days, 3 nights | Alice Springs or Uluru / Alice Springs | Safari Tents or Swags | $1389 |
Every one of these includes Kings Canyon. Prices update on their own.
There is more on the walk and the distances on our how long do you need at Kings Canyon page, and on Uluru through the year on Uluru month by month.
3 Day Uluru Budgetfrom $7293 days, 2 nightsSwags3 days. Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings CanyonView trip
4 Day Uluru Adventurefrom $8194 days, 3 nightsSwags4 days. Finishes at Yulara with an airport transferView trip
4 Day Uluru & West MacDonnell Rangesfrom $13894 days, 3 nightsSafari Tents or Swags4 days. Adds the West MacDonnell RangesView tripPeople also ask
- How far is Kings Canyon from Alice Springs, and how long do you need?
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- Kings Canyon tours from Ayers Rock
- What is Uluru like month by month?
Where this comes from. Temperatures and rainfall are Bureau of Meteorology long-term monthly averages for Watarrka, station 015652, from 25 years of records. Walk length, the climb and the heat closure rule are Parks Australia's and the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission's published notes for Watarrka National Park. Trip lengths, start and finish points, where you sleep and prices are each trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own.