Tasman walks & cape tracks
Guide updated · grades and open status change — verify Parks Tasmania
Start with a clear geology vs cape day vs booked Three Capes decision. Tessellated Pavement covers a short first visit. Cape Hauy is the signature day walk. Distances, grades and times below are planning ranges — always confirm on Parks Tasmania and park alerts. Weather, closures and stair status change.
Decide before you lace up
- Easy lookouts: Tessellated Pavement, Waterfall Bay (via Waterfall Bay Road if Arch/Kitchen is closed) — high reward, still real cliffs.
- Moderate cape day: Cape Hauy from Fortescue — 9.4 km, Grade 3, many steps, reverse clock before dusk.
- Harder / booked: Cape Raoul (Grade 4, Stormlea) or Three Capes (booked 4d/3n) — one hero only, early start, status open.
Stacking two hard walks plus the postcard lookout is the classic first-visit failure mode. Pick the table row that matches energy, then open the full trail guide for getting-there detail.
Quick comparison (planning only)
| Walk / lookout | Grade | Effort | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Hauy | 3 | moderate | 4 hours return (typical published time) | The signature day walk: dolerite columns, Totem Pole / Candlestick, Tasman Island views |
| Cape Raoul | 4 | hard | 5 hours return (typical published time) | A longer, harder cape day than Hauy — dolerite cliffs, platforms and ocean scale |
| Three Capes Track | 3 | moderate | 4 days (mandatory booking) | Booked hut-to-hut walkers — not a free day walk and not a Port Arthur add-on |
| Waterfall Bay | 3 | easy | Allow 1–2 hours depending on start point | A shorter northern-peninsula walk when Tasmans Arch / Devils Kitchen platforms are closed or crowded |
| Tessellated Pavement | 1–2 | easy | 30–60 minutes plus tide timing | First-timer geology without a 4-hour step flight |
| Bivouac Bay | 3 | moderate | Allow a half day for Canoe / Bivouac; do not confuse with the 8-hour Fortescue–Devils Kitchen link | A quieter Fortescue walk when Cape Hauy steps are too much |
| Crescent Bay / Mount Brown | 3–4 | moderate | Allow a half to full day — not a Port Arthur lunch break | Dunes, Crescent Bay and Mount Brown when you are already on Safety Cove Road |
Easy
Waterfall Bay
easyCoastal track to Waterfall Bay. During the Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen works (15 April–29 September 2026 as published 18 Aug 2026), access from Devils Kitchen stays closed; the track remains accessible via Waterfall Bay Road. Verify the live alert before you go.
- Grade
- Short coastal walk — verify grade on Parks Tasmania
- Time
- Allow 1–2 hours depending on start point
- Distance
- Short return (verify signed distance)
View guide →
Tessellated Pavement
easyFamous jointed rock platform at Eaglehawk Neck — pan and loaf formations depending on erosion along joints. Tide and spray matter. Parks Pass still applies in the national park. Pair with Blowhole (and Arch/Kitchen when those platforms reopen).
- Grade
- Short formed access — tide dependent
- Time
- 30–60 minutes plus tide timing
- Distance
- Short paths at Eaglehawk Neck
View guide →
Moderate
Cape Hauy
moderateThere-and-back from Fortescue Bay through woodland and heath, then many stone steps to a viewing platform above Cape Hauy’s columns and sea stacks. Shares the last-day alignment with the Three Capes Track. Parks Pass required. Not walked for this guide — planning from Parks Tasmania.
- Grade
- Grade 3 — some bushwalking experience recommended
- Time
- 4 hours return (typical published time)
- Distance
- 9.4 km return
View guide →
Three Capes Track
moderateParks Tasmania’s 48 km, 4-day / 3-night hut-based walk. Booking fee includes self-catered cabins, Pennicott boat from Port Arthur Historic Site to Denmans Cove, return bus from Fortescue Bay, Port Arthur Historic Site entry (published conditions apply), parks pass for the walk plus a day either side, and the guidebook. Max 48 walkers/day. Separate from free Cape Hauy / Cape Raoul day walks.
- Grade
- Grade 3 hut-based multi-day (booked)
- Time
- 4 days (mandatory booking)
- Distance
- 48 km over 4 days / 3 nights
View guide →
Bivouac Bay
moderateFrom Fortescue Bay, shorter walks to Canoe Bay and Bivouac Bay sit on the Tasman Coastal Trail. Bivouac Bay is walk-in camping only (no vehicle access, basic toilets/platforms, no bookings, fuel-stove only). The same trail continuing to Devils Kitchen is a hefty day — not this page’s default.
- Grade
- Coastal trail from Fortescue — verify times
- Time
- Allow a half day for Canoe / Bivouac; do not confuse with the 8-hour Fortescue–Devils Kitchen link
- Distance
- Shorter Fortescue side trips; Tasman Coastal Trail continues much further
View guide →
Crescent Bay / Mount Brown
moderateAccess via Safety Cove Road from Port Arthur township: Remarkable Cave, Maingon Blowhole, Mount Brown and Crescent Bay tracks. Separate from Cape Hauy (Fortescue) and Cape Raoul (Stormlea). Parks Pass required. Port Arthur Historic Site is next door and is a separate ticket.
- Grade
- Verify grade on Parks Tasmania
- Time
- Allow a half to full day — not a Port Arthur lunch break
- Distance
- Return from Remarkable Cave / Safety Cove precinct — confirm signs
View guide →
Hard
Walks FAQ
Tap a question to expand the answer.
What is the best first walk in Tasman National Park?
If you have a full day and Grade 3 legs: Cape Hauy from Fortescue Bay (9.4 km return, about 4 hours). If time or fitness is limited: Tessellated Pavement and the northern geology circuit. Cape Raoul is longer and Grade 4. Always verify with Parks Tasmania.
Is Cape Hauy the same as the Three Capes Track?
No. Three Capes is a booked 48 km, 4-day hut walk. Cape Hauy is a Parks Pass day walk that shares the last-day alignment with finishers. You do not need a Three Capes booking for Cape Hauy.
Can I do Cape Hauy and Cape Raoul in one day from Hobart?
Usually a bad first-visit plan. Different trailheads, Grade 3 plus Grade 4, plus a dusk wildlife drive. Pick one cape.
Do I need a Three Capes booking for Cape Hauy?
No. Cape Hauy is a Parks Pass day walk from Fortescue. Three Capes is a booked 48 km hut walk that happens to finish via that cape.