Last visited: June 2021
Length: 4.8 km return
Time: allow 1.5 hours (plus some time to soak up the views)
Difficulty: 5/10 (see notes)
Reward/effort: 8/10
White Rock Peak is one of our go to hikes as it is close to the city, it doesn't take long and the effort vs reward ratio is on point. When we don't have enough time to get out of the city, we always fall back on this trail.
We have rated this track as a 5 out of 10 difficulty. The reality is that the first part of the track and the last part of the track is quite steep, which is why we gave it a 5, however, the rest of the trail is very manageable and "easy". Given that it's short, this is a great trail for beginners and those still building up their hiking fitness.
The end of the track is quite steep for the last 50-100 metres as you descend to the lookout. You do have to rely on trees to help you down this track. If you don't like steep goats tracks then this probably isn't the hike for you.
Trail Notes
There are two ways to access White Rock Peak. There is a track from Edmonton which we have not yet got to (we will). The most popular trail (and easier trail) is accessed from Lake Morris Road, which is the same road you drive to the top of Copperlode Dam. Be careful not to get caught out, Lake Morris Road is now closed by the council having installed a large gate between the hours of 8:00 pm and 8:00 am, so you will have to start your drive after 8:00 am.
To find the trailhead, drive roughly 10 km up Lake Morris Road, there is a small gravel carpark on the right hand side to park at. The carpark has a sign saying "Dinden National Park" and also a trail sign. As this track is popular there is a good chance there will already be cars parked.
Once you park at the carpark, head up the road a little further on foot, there are some yellow signs and the trail is accessed from between the yellow sign on the right hand side. The trail is also marked by a Queensland Parks trail sign.
This trail, like many others, starts from a service access road. At the start of the gravel road there is metal gate which you can walk around from the right-hand side. Once you are past the gate keep following the road upwards. It does wind a bit, but just keep going up.
We won't lie the service road is steep, but you don't stay on it too long. Just keep following the road up until you reach the fenced off power lines, you then go around the fence on the right hand side, from here the real trail starts.
Since the last time we did this trail there had been some pretty big storms during cyclone season. There were a couple of sections where trees had fallen down, however, there was a clear track around those sections so they didn't cause us any trouble.
The track will eventually clear as you get to the descent. You will come to a slightly overgrown fork. Turn left. We understand that the right track leads down to Edmonton.
Taking the left hand turn at the fork will lead you down a very steep descent to the lookout. We took a photo from the bottom, however the photo doesn't show just how steep this track becomes.
When you get to the bottom, there are two different lookout spots. To the left you will get a better view of the ocean. From the right you will pop out onto the famous white rocks that you see in all the photos.
The views are spectacular over the city, the ocean, the inlet and back across to the Pyramid down south.
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