Why not sunset?
Everyone talks about hiking bluff knoll for sunrise, but why not for sunset? This is what I was wondering as we starting thinking about hiking bluff knoll. As a very much not morning person, plus a dislike of crowds sunset seemed the ideal time for this popular hike!
Sunset is an excellent time to do the bluff knoll hike!
Just like for sunrise, be prepared for changing weather on the mountain! We set off with fully clear blue skies but ended with strong winds and cloud!
Getting there
Even if you aren’t a hiker, the drive to bluff knoll car park is gorgeous! The road is clear and devoid of gravel ( a rare treat in WA it feels!) The car park has a few picnic benches and honestly the view from here is worth the drive itself! I’m tempted to return to watch the sunset from the car park! Given the direction of the sun, I don’t think sunrise from the car park would be as fantastic but you still get great views over the Stirling ranges!
The hike
The path is well marked and easy to follow! Be warned however.. there are a lot of steps! It’s essentially a giant staircase all the way to the top! This might get boring if the views along the way weren’t so fantastic!
The start was amongst bush and fairly sheltered however as we weaved our way up the mountainside it progressively got windier and in a few spots there was a sharp drop off down the edge of the hill! Fortunately, these spots tended to be wide and we chose to hug the cliff wall!
The final push
The last 1km of the walk was along a meandering path up to the summit. Despite the lack of steps, we didn’t enjoy this much as we were exposed to the full force of the wind! It was also the only part of the hike where there wasn’t much view!
Unfortunately, once we got to the summit it was a bit of a disappointment… we got a glimpse of 360 degree views before the cloud rolled in hiding everything from sight! Rather than hoping for it to clear, we nearly immediately turned around and hiked back down and out of the cloud before it got any worse!
Enjoying the sunset from the trail
Thankfully, we soon dropped below cloud level and were treated to a great sunset over the ranges. Yes, half the sunset was hidden by cloud (crazy how quickly it had formed!) but the other half of the ranges basked in a golden sunset light! Even though we were enjoying it from the side of bluff knoll rather than the summit, it was spectacular!
We watched the sunset from bluff knoll then began our hike back down! Headtorches were a must as it quickly got dark; but with them the path was clear and easy to follow! As we descended the wind picked up even further… and we were glad of our decision not to stick around on the summit!
By the time we returned to the car, the wind was in full force and we were driven away from even having a quick snack! Not wanting to stick around in the wind we immediately drove back down in search of a more sheltered spot for a late dinner! Fortunately, shelter was close by in the form of the car park/day rest area at the entrance to bluff knoll road!
The verdict
Our bluff knoll adventure was great fun and even though we didn’t get the views we were hoping for, we had enough adventure and an enough views to have loved it! The hike even convinced Martti that Western Australia does have some good hikes and trails around!
Even though the weather wasn’t perfect, bluff knoll was a great adventure and I recommend hiking bluff knoll at sunset!