Cape to Cape Track, WA The Cape to Cape, a few kilometres at a time

You don't need five days and a tent. Four short sections of the track, plus a loop round the lighthouse, give you the cliffs, the coves and a seasonal waterfall in a morning. Here's how long each one is, where to park, and who it suits.

By Made Down South, Busselton · Checked against Parks and Wildlife, Trails WA and the Cape to Cape Track Foundation, September 2026

Walks
5Four one-way sections of the track and one loop
Distance
1.9–6.6 kmOne way. Double it if you walk back
Water
2 L eachNo taps on the short sections
Best months
Spring, autumnQuininup Falls runs in late winter and spring

Before you leave the car

Four of these five walks are one way. Plan a car shuffle, arrange a pick-up, or turn round and walk back, which doubles the distance. The Cape Naturaliste Loop is the only one that brings you back to your car on its own.

Check the fire rating on the day. Prescribed burns and bushfire risk can close or divert parts of the track, so look at Park Alerts from Parks and Wildlife and the Fire Danger Rating on Emergency WA before you set off. On an Extreme or Catastrophic day, don't walk.

Carry 2 litres of water each, even for the short ones. There are no taps out there.

Five walks, north to south

From the lighthouse at Cape Naturaliste down to Conto. The line is the track as far as Conto; the crosses are where each walk ends. Scroll down and it walks with you.

  1. WALK 1

    Cape Naturaliste Loop

    Strictly speaking, this one isn't the Cape to Cape at all. It's a 3.4 km loop that starts and finishes at the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse car park, which makes it the only walk here with no car shuffle to sort out.

    It's a proper bush walk rather than a stroll: bitumen, then sand, then rocky limestone, with a few steeper pinches along the way. It's graded Class 3. Allow one to three hours, depending on how often the view stops you.

    The loop shares ground with the shorter Whale Lookout and Lighthouse Loop walks, so follow the signs for the one you actually mean.

    Distance3.4 km loop, some sources say 4
    GroundBitumen, sand, rocky limestone
    ParkingLighthouse car park, end of Cape Naturaliste Road
    SuitsWalkers happy on uneven ground

    On the road in

    Eagle Bay Olives, a family-run grove planted in 1998, is on Cape Naturaliste Road, which you'll drive for either lighthouse walk. Pick up a jar of dukkah on the way home.

  2. WALK 2

    Cape Naturaliste to Sugarloaf Rock

    This is the easy one. The first 3.4 km of the track is a levelled, sealed path with more than a kilometre of timber boardwalk, graded 1 in 12 and suitable for assisted wheelchairs and prams. Bring the grandparents, the pram and the reluctant teenagers.

    It ends at the Sugarloaf Rock lookout. Admire the rock from there and don't try to cross to it: the ground is dangerous, and red-tailed tropicbirds nest there from September to February.

    There's a car park at each end, and Trails WA lists accessible bays at both. Check a map for the Sugarloaf Rock car park before you set off. With one car, walk back: 6.8 km all up.

    These are also the first few kilometres of the full end-to-end walk, which our Cape to Cape Track guide breaks into five days.

    Distance3.4 km one way
    GroundSealed path and boardwalk, 1 in 12
    ParkingLighthouse car park, or Sugarloaf Rock car park
    SuitsAssisted wheelchairs, prams, first-timers
  3. WALK 3

    Smiths Point to Injidup Beach

    This is where the track stops being a footpath. It's 5.8 km of limestone cliff top, with a clamber down to the coves around Yallingup and sand underfoot when you get there.

    Injidup Beach is the southern end, with a car park reached from Caves Road. Check a map for parking at the Smiths Point end before you set off.

    Walk back and you've done 11.6 km, which is a proper day out.

    Distance5.8 km one way
    GroundCliff top, coves, some clambering
    ParkingInjidup Beach, off Caves Road
    SuitsRegular walkers, steady on rough ground

    Inland at Metricup

    Gabriel Chocolate makes bean-to-bar chocolate at its own factory in Metricup, inland from Yallingup, with a cafe attached. A hot chocolate after a windy cliff top needs no excuse.

  4. WALK 4

    Moses Rock to Quininup Falls

    The shortest of the four sections, at 1.9 km one way, and the one to save for late winter and spring. Quininup Falls is seasonal, so come in a dry month and you may find more rock than water.

    Moses Rock car park is at the end of Moses Rock Road, off Caves Road at Wilyabrup; the last stretch is gravel. The track leaves from the car park and heads through granite outcrops and coastal heath.

    At the falls, stay on the path and don't climb on them. It's a sensitive site, culturally and environmentally.

    There and back is 3.8 km, which makes this the easiest one to fit into an afternoon with a single car.

    Distance1.9 km one way, 3.8 km return
    GroundGranite, coastal heath, some sand
    ParkingMoses Rock car park, off Caves Road
    SuitsAnyone short on time

    A short drive inland

    Cowaramup is a short drive inland. Seven Seas Tea hand-blends loose-leaf tea on the main street. Pick up a bag for the next thermos.

  5. WALK 5

    Redgate Beach to Conto Road

    The longest of the four and the furthest south. It runs 6.6 km from Redgate Beach, off Redgate Beach Road, to the car park at Conto, which you reach from Caves Road.

    Beach sand is harder going than it looks, so give yourself more time than the distance suggests.

    Conto has a campground as well as a car park. You don't book to walk. If you want to stay the night, you book a numbered site through ParkStay WA, as campers have since 8 June 2026.

    Distance6.6 km one way
    GroundCoastal track and beach sand
    ParkingRedgate Beach, or Conto
    SuitsFit walkers who don't mind sand

    On the way home

    Margaret River Fudge Factory has been making fudge by hand in Margaret River since 1999, with a window onto the kitchen. Watch a batch being poured, then take a slab home.

Day walk questions

What are the best Cape to Cape day walks?

Parks and Wildlife picks out four short sections: Cape Naturaliste to Sugarloaf Rock (3.4 km), Smiths Point to Injidup Beach (5.8 km), Moses Rock to Quininup Falls (1.9 km) and Redgate Beach to Conto Road (6.6 km). All four are one way. If you'd rather finish at your car, the 3.4 km Cape Naturaliste Loop starts and ends at the lighthouse. For the whole thing, see our Cape to Cape Track guide.

What is the easiest section of the Cape to Cape?

Cape Naturaliste to Sugarloaf Rock. It's 3.4 km of sealed path and boardwalk, graded 1 in 12. For the shortest walk on natural ground, try Moses Rock to Quininup Falls: 1.9 km one way, or 3.8 km there and back.

Is any of the Cape to Cape wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the first 3.4 km. The path from Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse to Sugarloaf Rock is sealed and suitable for assisted wheelchairs and prams, and the lighthouse car park has accessible bays. The rest of the track has steep, rough stretches and soft sand.

Can you take dogs on Cape to Cape day walks?

No. Dogs, horses and other pets aren't allowed anywhere on the Cape to Cape Track, and that includes every short section. Trails WA lists the Cape Naturaliste Loop as no pets too, so leave the dog at home for all five walks.

When is the best time for a Cape to Cape day walk?

Spring and autumn. Summer is hot and most of the track has no shade, so carry 2 litres of water each whenever you go. Save Moses Rock for late winter or spring, when Quininup Falls is running. In any month, check the Fire Danger Rating first: on an Extreme or Catastrophic day, don't walk.

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