10 Best Hiking Areas in Brisbane

Daisy Hill Trails offers walking, hiking, jogging and cycling through a woodland setting, with loop trails and routes suited to different fitness levels. The area provides a relaxed way to spend a few hours outdoors, from shorter gentle walks to longer and more demanding tracks.

Visitors can also use picnic and barbecue areas, benches and parking, while the surrounding bush supports opportunities to spot koalas, wallabies and birds. Dogs are allowed outside, and dedicated mountain-bike paths add another way to explore the trails.

Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre combines interactive wildlife learning with outdoor exploration in Karawatha Forest. Inside, visitors can browse Australian wildlife books, explore interactive games and touchscreens, and use trail maps to plan their visit. A dark room introduces the night-time world of animals, while the nature play area gives children a hands-on activity. Outside, walking trails, picnic and BBQ areas, playground spaces and wildlife encounters extend the visit. The centre is suited to families, children’s activities and school or kindergarten learning, with Brisbane City Council describing entry to environment centres as free, although some activities may incur a fee.

White Rock Conservation Area is a preserved Redbank Plains setting for walking and hiking on well-marked trails. Routes range from relaxing walks to longer, more demanding tracks, with changing terrain, inclines and declines, sandstone rocks and cliff viewpoints.

It suits walkers, families and hikers looking for a quieter outdoor escape. Practical preparation matters: some sections can be hot, rough or difficult on ankles, and one loop is about 14 kilometres. Water, a phone and GPS or a map are useful for a first visit, while weekend parking can be busy.

Honeyeater Hiking Track offers a workout-focused walk through the Mount Coot-tha area, with steep climbs and descents rather than a consistently gentle surface. The track connects with other paths, allowing walkers to choose easier or more demanding routes, and a lookout near the top adds a destination to the climb. It suits nearby city residents wanting a flexible bush workout, but loose gravel and steep sections call for careful footing and suitable shoes.

Gap Creek Reserve combines bushland recreation with facilities for an active day outdoors. The reserve offers hiking, cycling lanes, mountain-bike tracks, picnic tables, barbecue grills, toilets and parking, with dogs allowed. Riders can choose from easy green tracks through to routes better suited to intermediate and advanced mountain bikers, plus a small skills area for children. Families can use the covered seating and barbecue areas for a relaxed outing, while walkers have a natural setting with a variety of tracks. Parking can become busy, and riders should allow extra attention for wayfinding because signage is not equally clear across all areas.

Northbrook Gorges combines a national park setting with hiking, picnics and swimming among creek crossings, waterholes, native vegetation and birdlife. A shorter route reaches the first gorge in about 10–20 minutes from the car park, while a longer walk follows Northbrook Creek upstream and involves multiple river crossings.

The experience suits families exploring the first waterholes as well as prepared walkers wanting to continue through the gorges. Sturdy shoes, water and gear that can get wet are essential, and a waterproof bag is useful where swimming is required. The trail start can be difficult to spot, and conditions change with rainfall.

Mount Gravatt Outlook Reserve combines a Brisbane city lookout with walking tracks, picnic areas, a playground and public toilets. Visitors can reach the summit by road or by walking from the mountain base, with one trail described as a moderate 2-kilometre walk one way.

The reserve suits families, walkers and visitors looking for an outdoor city view. Picnic tables, grassed areas and kid-friendly facilities support longer visits, while dogs are allowed. The lookout is also associated with koala spotting and views across Brisbane.

Toohey Forest Park offers about 260 hectares of bushland close to Brisbane’s CBD, with walking tracks, shared trails, picnic areas and wildlife habitat. Visitors can explore multiple circuits through forest, looking for birds, lizards and koalas, or combine the park with the connected trails to Mount Gravatt Outlook Reserve. The linked reserve adds a lookout and views towards Moreton Bay islands, the D’Aguilar Ranges and Glasshouse Mountains. Tracks can include washouts, ruts and uneven surfaces after rainfall, so route choice matters.

Seven Hills Bushland Reserve provides walking trails through suburban bushland, including a 3km circuit that takes about an hour for many walkers. The reserve has gravel paths, hills, benches, birdlife and views towards the city skyline, with dogs allowed and several trails suitable for family outings.

It works for a gentle local walk, a more demanding hilly route or a walk-and-talk near Brisbane’s eastern suburbs. Most of the main track is described as suitable for wheelchairs and prams, although walkers should follow the signs carefully where paths meet.

J.C. Slaughter Falls is a Mount Coot-tha Forest walking destination centred on a cascading waterfall flowing into Ithaca Creek. The area offers a short, accessible option for a forest outing, with a concreted path, viewing platform, birdsong and bush scenery. Picnic visitors can use public barbecues, drinking fountains and toilets, while nearby tracks provide a more active walk. Water flow is especially dependent on rainfall, and some routes become steep after the falls, so visitors can choose between shorter approaches and longer loop walks.