The wild beauty and remote magnificence of Guy Fawkes National Park, is a reputation well earnt. Having heard of its legendary isolation and challenging navigation from the outdoors community, I decided to experience it for myself in 2023 and then again in 2026. It did not fail to satisfy on all fronts, after 50km of its wooded native grasslands flanking more than 40 wide crystal clear river crossings, the incredible route then propels you up a steep inlcine into the high country surrounding the quaint mountain village of Ebor.
Due to its inaccessibility, there has been little human intervention save the track, which fades in and out of visilbility depending on the whims of the river in its past expolits. A large population of graceful, glossy coated brumbies, will be you only society for the many hours its takes to navigate through that deep arcadian river valley. The sound of their hooves will become common place, such is the frequency of their family groups appearing and then fleeing at the sight of an intruder, in their otherwise secluded Eden.
Once atop the Macdonald spur, a serious hill with many sharp, false summits, the National Trail, which is administered by volunteers, connects the isolated river valley to the rural highland roads of Marengo Stations and Hernani. These undulatings rural roads were devoid of cars and the perfect groomed dirt surface morphed into tar, before ending in the main street of Ebor. The route finishes at the end of the newly installed board walks at the iconic Ebor Falls, where the magnificent Guy Fawkes River cascades dramtically off a narrow granite precipice, crashing towards the distant valley below, where you have spent most of the day. The mere sound of it is a sense of completion and a connection to that lost world that you have now experienced to the full.
Ebor Falls is a short distance from the local Pub, where food and accommodation is available. Ideally if you are planning on setting out on this run, it is recommended that you become a member of the National Trail for a relatively small fee, and some assistance from the Ebor Trail Coordinator may be sought in order to easily access the starting camp ground in Newton Boyd. Joining will also be a nod or appreciation to the volunteers that mapped and supplied the original GPX file, forming the basis of this FKT.
