How far is Kings Canyon from Alice Springs, and how long do you need?
Half a dayAnd it is the surprise of most people's Red Centre trip.
About 450km from Alice Springs, and you need half a day there. The rim walk is around 6km, starting with a steep climb of roughly 500 steps and then levelling out along the top past the Garden of Eden. Three to four hours covers it. It is almost never a destination on its own — it is the third day of a three day Uluru trip, which is the sensible way to reach it. From $729. And it is the stop most people name afterwards as the surprise of the trip.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Kings Canyon sits in Watarrka National Park, roughly between Alice Springs and Uluru but not on the direct road between them. People arrive with low expectations and leave talking about it more than the rock.
The distances
| From | To Kings Canyon | Driving |
|---|---|---|
| Alice Springs | About 450km | About 5 hours |
| Uluru / Yulara | About 300km | About 3.5 hours |
| Alice Springs to Uluru direct | About 450km | About 5 hours — Kings Canyon is a detour off this |
Road distances. Kings Canyon is reached on the Luritja Road off the Lasseter Highway.
The rim walk
- About 6km, three to four hours.This is the walk, and it is the reason to come.
- It starts with around 500 stepssteeply, and that first fifteen minutes is the whole of the difficulty.
- After that it is levelalong the canyon top, with 100 metre sandstone walls dropping away beside you.
- The Garden of Edenis a permanent waterhole in the middle, down a staircase and surrounded by cycads.
- There is a shorter creek walkat the bottom, about 2km, for anyone giving the climb a miss.
- It closes when the forecast is 36°C or abovewhich is why trips start before dawn in summer.
How to reach it
You almost certainly want a three day trip rather than a visit. Two day Uluru trips do not include it; three days does, and that is the single biggest reason to take three over two. The pattern is Uluru at sunset, sunrise and Kata Tjuta, then Kings Canyon on the last morning.
| Trip | Length | Where you sleep | Effort | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Day Uluru Budget | 3 days, 2 nights | Swags | — | $729 |
| 3 Day Uluru Adventure | 3 days, 2 nights | Swags | — | $759 |
| 3 Day Uluru Safari | 3 days, 2 nights | Furnished Safari Tents | — | $979 |
| 3 Day Uluru Safari | 3 days, 2 nights | Swags or Safari Tents | — | $995 |
| 4 Day Uluru Safari | 4 days, 3 nights | Furnished Safari Tents | — | $1149 |
| 4 Day Uluru & West MacDonnell Ranges | 4 days, 3 nights | Safari Tents or Swags | — | $1389 |
All of these include Kings Canyon. The two day trips do not.
Is it worth the extra day?
Yes, and it is the clearest-cut upgrade in the Red Centre. Two days gets you Uluru and Kata Tjuta, which is what you came for. The third day costs comparatively little and adds a landscape completely unlike either — sandstone domes, a waterhole and a rim walk rather than a monolith. Ask anybody who has done both which they talk about.
Driving yourself
- Sealed roadon the Luritja Road, so a normal hire car is fine.
- Kings Creek Station and the Kings Canyon Resortare the only accommodation, and both are small.
- Start the rim walk at first lightin any warm month. The climb is east-facing and it gets hot fast.
- Take waterthe park advises three litres per person in warm weather and means it.
- No fuel between Erldunda and the resortso fill up.
When to go
May to September for the walking. Summer means the rim walk closing by mid-morning. There is a month-by-month on our best time to visit Alice Springs page, and more on what each Red Centre trip asks of you on who the Red Centre suits.
Where this comes from. Trip lengths, where you sleep, effort ratings and prices are each trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own. Walk length, the climb, the water advice and the heat closure rule are Parks Australia's and the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission's published notes for Watarrka National Park. Distances are road distances.