Three Capes Track (overview)
Guide updated · verify live track status with Parks Tasmania
Parks 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.
Do not pair: Do not treat Three Capes as a same-day extra after Port Arthur sightseeing. Do not walk hut-to-hut without a booking.
Turnaround: This is a booked one-way. Bail-outs are operational, not a casual reverse. Day walks (Hauy, Raoul) are the Plan B if you cannot book or the track is in a maintenance window.
- Buying Three Capes because Cape Hauy looked good on Instagram — you wanted a day walk.
- Ignoring the annual April maintenance closure and arriving with non-transferable plans.
- Grade 3 hut-based multi-day (booked)
- 4 days (mandatory booking)
- 48 km over 4 days / 3 nights
- Effort: moderate
- Best for: Booked hut-to-hut walkers — not a free day walk and not a Port Arthur add-on
Distance, grade, time and open/closed status change — verify on Parks Tasmania before you go.
Official Parks Tasmania info (verify status)
Where you start
Port Arthur Historic Site check-in, then boat to Denmans Cove
You do not start by driving to Fortescue Bay on day one. Check in at Port Arthur Historic Site, take the included boat transfer, walk a short first day to Surveyors cabin. You finish at Fortescue Bay and bus back to Port Arthur. Confirm current inclusions on the official Three Capes page.
How to get there
- Drive or transfer to Port Arthur Historic Site. Arrive early (Parks Tasmania suggests 60–90 minutes before boat departure) to check in and use Historic Site time.
- Car parking and lockers are part of the published booking package — confirm on the official page for your date.
- You cannot walk on without a booking. Cap is 48 walkers per day.
How to do it (step by step)
- Day 1 (published): about 4 km, 1.5–2 hours after the boat — woodland and heath to Surveyors cabin.
- Day 2 (published): about 11 km, 4–4.5 hours — forest, heath, moorland, Arthur’s Peak views toward Crescent Bay and Cape Raoul.
- Later days: the long sea-cliff day including Cape Pillar / The Blade, then the finish via Mount Fortescue and Cape Hauy into Fortescue Bay. Read official walk notes — this page is orientation only.
- Self-catered cabins: mattresses, gas, water, heating as published. Carry food for the trip. Fuel-stove rules still matter in the wider park.
What this product is
Three Capes is a commercial-style parks experience: capped numbers, huts, boat in, bus out. It is not the free Cape Hauy Track with extra nights. Official walk notes describe 48 km of cliff-hugging country with Antarctica the next land south.
Inclusions published by Parks Tasmania (confirm live): three nights self-catered cabin accommodation; Pennicott Wilderness Journeys cruise from Port Arthur; Port Arthur Historic Site entry (valid for 2 years as published); car parking and lockers; bus from Fortescue Bay back to Port Arthur; “Encounters on the Edge” guidebook; park entry fees for the walk plus an extra day either side.
Fees — a third system
Do not mix this with the daily Parks Pass or Fortescue Bay camping. Three Capes is its own till. Standard adult $650; concession and child $515 (2026 published). Winter promotion $485 pp for new bookings 1 July–31 August 2026. Always re-check parks.tas.gov.au.
No parks pass is needed on top of a Three Capes booking for the walk window — the booking includes it. Day visitors to Cape Hauy still need a normal Parks Pass.
Rough day shape (official notes)
Short intro day after the boat. Forest/heath/moorland day with Arthur’s Peak. Long sea-cliff day (Cape Pillar / The Blade). Finish via Mount Fortescue and Cape Hauy to Fortescue Bay. Exact kilometres and hut names: official walk notes only.
Packing list (shell, grip, water) lives on the gear hub— not as a merch wall on every walk. Pairing and Plan B: plan your visit · Arch/Kitchen closed Plan B.
Map (orientation)
Pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads, parking and track status on Parks Tasmania before you drive.
Interactive map — pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads and road status before you drive.
Extra tips
- Book early. High demand is normal.
- Standard adult fee published 2026: $650; concession/child $515; winter/off-season promotion $485 pp for new bookings departing 1 July–31 August 2026 (not for transfers into the promo window). Fees reviewed annually — confirm live.
- Cape Hauy as a day walk does not need this booking. Do not buy Three Capes because you wanted a 4-hour cape.
Often paired with Cape Hauy— only if energy and weather allow.
Area guide: Three Capes Track (booked) · Maps pin
Nearby stays (optional)
After the walk plan is solid: Port Arthur / Eaglehawk Neck / Hobart beds if you still need them. Kit searches live on the gear hub. Official Fortescue camping, Parks Pass and Three Capes bookings are never affiliated. Guided tours live on the Tours hub.
Nearby stays
Port Arthur · Eaglehawk Neck · Hobart
- Stays at Port ArthurClosest to Remarkable Cave, Three Capes check-in and the Historic Site
- Eaglehawk NeckNorthern geology sites and the isthmus — still a drive to Fortescue
- HobartDay-trip base — about 90 minutes each way via Sorell and the Arthur Highway
All Booking.com links open in a new tab and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Official Fortescue camping, Parks Pass and Three Capes bookings are never affiliated.
Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Parks Pass fees, Fortescue Bay camping fees and official Three Capes / Parks Tasmania bookings are never affiliated. Affiliate disclosure · Privacy
Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Parks Pass fees, Fortescue Bay camping fees and official Three Capes / Parks Tasmania bookings are never affiliated. Disclosure · Tours hub