Here is my complete guide to hiking Mount Kosciuszko, located in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia!

I just came back from a weekend in Kosciuszko National Park of southern New South Wales. 

Most people visit this part of Australia in winter for skiing and snowboarding at resorts like Perisher and Thredbo. 

But in summer, Kosciuszko National Park is a haven for hiking, camping, and mountain biking. 

We camped for 2 nights at a dreamy campsite on the banks of the Snowy River. Full of campfires, river swims, and stargazing, it was a magical time. 

We also tackled the Mount Kosciuszko Summit Hike! 

Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain in mainland Australia, standing at 2,228 meters above sea level (7,309 feet). 

As Australia’s highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko is a popular trekking spot. But it’s still pretty quiet and uncrowded, as this part of NSW isn’t as touristy as other places like Sydney or Byron Bay. 

Let’s get into the guide for hiking Mount Kosciuszko so you can plan your own adventure here!

Hiking Mount Kosciuszko – Complete Guide

Here is my detailed guide to Mount Kosciuszko, including information about the iconic summit hike. 

I’ll include my own experience with hiking and camping in Kosciuszko National Park, as well as some helpful travel tips for planning your visit. 

Where is Mount Kosciuszko?

Mount Kosciuszko is located in the Australian Alps, on the border of southern New South Wales and northern Victoria. 

Many people don’t realize that Australia has its own mountain range known as the Alps! But they are a pure and beautiful part of the country (and snowy in winter).

Mount Kosciuszko is specifically in the Snowy Mountains region of the Australian Alps, in Kosciuszko National Park. 

You can find all the info about things to do, hiking, camping, and park fees on the New South Wales National Parks website.

Read next: How To Ski In Australia On A Budget

How to get around Kosciuszko National Park

The best way to get around Mount Kosciuszko and the surrounding national park is with your own car. 

Most Aussies will be able to road trip to the area in their own vehicle. You don’t need a 4WD, a regular 2WD vehicle is fine. 

But international travelers may be wondering if it’s possible to get to Mount Kosciuszko without a car. 

It’s possible, but it’s not very convenient. You can get coach buses to the nearby towns of Thredbo or Jindabyne from places like Melbourne, Sydney, and Canberra. 

From these towns, you can hike or get taxis to your chosen areas within the park. But these areas are pretty remote and you’re much better off having your own car, especially if you’re camping and going out into the wilderness. 

I recommend renting a car so you can have a more flexible adventure. 

What is the best time of year to climb Mount Kosciuszko?

The best time of year to climb Mount Kosciuszko is at the beginning or end of summer, when temperatures are pleasant and there is no risk of snow. 

November and March-May will have the coolest temperatures, but the weather may be more unpredictable. 

I personally loved hiking Mount Kosciuszko at the end of February! The weather was warm and sunny with blue skies. But it wasn’t that hot and there was a decent wind chill, so I still had a sweatshirt on for most of the time.  

It was honestly perfect hiking weather. 

You can’t do the hike in winter, between June and October. The track will be covered in snow, though you are allowed to snowshoe or cross country ski if you wish. 

Snow can appear on Mount Kosciuszko as early as March, though the heaviest snowfall starts in June. 

Where to start the Mount Kosciuszko hike

You can start your Mount Kosciuszko hike from either Thredo or Charlotte Pass. 

Both locations are popular ski villages during winter. But in summer, they are hotspots for hiking and mountain biking. 

The Mount Kosciuszko hike from Thredbo is a bit shorter and also has a chairlift option. 

The Mount Kosciuszko hike from Charlotte Pass is slightly longer and has a popular bike trail. Here you can also find longer trails that connect to the summit hike if you want a big trekking experience. 

I’ll go into more detail about the different trails shortly!

Save money Down Under with my guide to traveling Australia on a budget.

Is Mount Kosciuszko difficult to climb?

Mount Kosciuszko is not that difficult to climb if you’re relatively fit.

The hike to the summit is either a half-day hike or a full-day hike depending on your fitness level and which trail you take. 

Most of the trails are considered moderate. I found the hike to be slightly challenging but not that steep. 

You’ll see people of all ages hiking Mount Kosciuszko!

How long does it take to walk up Mount Kosciuszko?

Hiking Mount Kosciuszko can take anywhere from 4-8 hours, depending on where you start from and your fitness level. 

You can start your hike to Mount Kosciuszko from either Thredo or Charlotte Pass. Hiking from Thredbo is shorter, and you can even take the chairlift to cut down on time. 

Hiking from Charlotte Pass takes a bit longer, though there are two trails you can choose from there to cut down on time as well. 

We hiked up the Summit Trail and back down the Main Range Trail, starting and ending from Charlotte Pass. 

The Summit Trail is slightly easier than the Main Range Trail. Our hiking time was about 2 hours up and 3 hours down. 

So our hiking time plus breaks and chill time at the summit was around 6 hours total.

Hiking Mount Kosciuszko from Charlotte Pass

From Charlotte Pass, there are two ways to get to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko: the Summit Trail and the Main Range Trail. 

We hiked up the Summit Trail and back down the Main Range Trail. So I got to experience both tracks, and they are quite different. 

I’ll quickly summarize the difference between the two tracks so you can decide which is best for you!

The Summit Trail

• Distance: 9.3km one way
• Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
• Hiking Time: 2.5 hours up, 1.5 hours down (4 hours total)

The Summit Trail is the shortest, easiest, and most direct way to reach Mount Kosciuszko’s summit from Charlotte Pass. 

It’s a wide, flat, mostly-gravel trail that follows a steady incline the entire way. 

There are also a couple of rest areas with toilets along the trail.

The Summit Trail is popular for mountain biking, though bikers can only go as far as Rawson Pass before they have to leave their bikes and walk the rest of the way to the summit. 

But for hikers, this trail is straightforward and not very challenging. 

You’ll get lovely mountain views along the way and cross over the Snowy River. 

The Main Range Trail (only the section to the Mount Kosciuszko Summit)

• Distance: 12.8km one way to Mount Kosciuszko Summit (the entire trail goes beyond the summit and covers 22km in total)
• Difficulty: Moderate/Hard
• Hiking time: 3.5 hours up, 3 hours down (6 hours total)

The Main Range Trail is a longer route to the Mount Kosciuszko Summit. 

Offering more dramatic views of the alpine lakes and peaks, this is definitely the more impressive trail. 

But it is more challenging than the Summit Trail! 

Though it’s only 3.5km longer, it feels much longer because there are more increases and decreases in elevation. 

While the Summit Trail is like a long, slightly-winding ramp, the Main Range Trail is more of an adventure as you trek up and down the mountains. 

Maybe it also felt harder for me because we did the Main Range Trail after the summit. So we had already been hiking for 2 hours and were getting tired. 

Summit Trail Vs. Main Range Trail

For hiking Mount Kosciuszko, I would definitely recommend doing the Main Range Trail. 

It has gorgeous views of the Snowy Mountains and the pristine lakes and rock formations. 

Honestly, the views along the Main Range Trail were more impressive than the views at the summit, in my opinion. 

The trail also feels like more of an expedition as you snake up and down along mountain ridges. There are also some steep parts for those who want a challenge. 

If you just want to get to the Mount Kosciuszko Summit as quickly and easily as possible, or you’re mountain biking, the Summit Trail is the way to go. And it is still beautiful, just not as breathtaking as the Main Range. 

You can also do what we did, which is hike one trail on the way up and the other on the way down. 

Hiking Mount Kosciuszko from Thredo

There is one main trail to the Mount Kosciusko Summit from Thredbo. But there are two options: taking the chairlift to the trailhead, or hiking to the trailhead. 

Mount Kosciuszko Summit Trail from Thredbo

• Distance: 6.5km one way
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Hiking time: 4-5 hours total

From Thredbo town center, you can take the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift to the trailhead. The chairlift ride is beautiful and takes about 15 minutes

Find more info about the chairlift times and costs on the official Thredbo website.

From the top of the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift, you can follow the hiking trail to the summit. 

I don’t know too much about the condition of the trail as I didn’t do this hike. But supposedly there are lovely views of the Snowy River and the local wildflowers in spring or summer. 

Merritts Nature Track

• Distance: 4km one way
• Difficulty: Hard
• Hiking time: 2-3 hours total

If you want more of a challenge, you can skip the chairlift ride and take the Merritts Nature Track to the trailhead. 

This will make your Mount Kosciuszko hike a few hours longer and much harder! But it is bound to be rewarding, if you love hard hikes.

Most people take the chairlift uphill from Thredbo and then do the Merritts Nature Track as a downhill hike. This is a pleasant way to sightsee in the Snowy Mountains. 

But anyone hoping to climb Mount Kosciuszko from Thredbo without the assistance of the chairlift can combine the Merritts Nature Track with the summit trail. 

What to bring for the hike

As the Mount Kosciuszko summit is just a day hike, you don’t need to bring much besides basic hiking essentials.

Some people combine the summit with some longer hikes like the Main Range Trail. So you may need to pack overnight gear if you’re doing that.

But for just the basic summit hike, here is what I recommend bringing and wearing:

☼ Hiking shoes – sneakers would be fine, but the trail can be rocky so boots with good traction are better.

☼ Water – I drank about 2.5L of water throughout the day.

☼ Sunscreen – Don’t forget you’re at high altitudes. You could get sunburned even if it’s cold and cloudy.

☼ Snacks – Always a good idea! Take your trash with you and don’t litter please.

☼ Camera – To capture the views! Drones are not allowed in the national park.

☼ Warm layers – The weather is unpredictable up in the mountains and it can get very cold and windy unexpectedly.

☼ Gloves – In addition to layers of clothing, I’d recommend gloves! Even in summer, my hands were freezing from the wind and I wish I had them on the hike.

Where to stay

Unless you live nearby and are planning to just drive to and from Charlotte Pass or Thredbo in a day, you’ll need to find somewhere to stay for your hike.

There are several lodges, hotels, caravan parks, and campgrounds near Kosciuszko National Park where you can set up for a couple of nights. 

Camping

I highly recommend camping! If you have camping gear or a caravan, there are lots of gorgeous wilderness campsites near Mount Kosciuszko. 

The closest ones include:

• Island Bend Campground (25 minutes from Charlotte Pass)
• Thredbo Diggings Campground (25 minutes from Kosciuszko Express Chairlift)
• Ngarigo Campground (20 minutes from Kosciuszko Express Chairlift)

Island Bend Campground

We stayed at Island Bend Campground! It was the closest campsite I could find to Charlotte Pass, which is where we were starting the Mount Kosciuszko hike. 

I wasn’t expecting much, but this turned out to be one of my favorite campgrounds in Australia. 

There is an Upper Campground and Lower Campground. We drove through the Lower Campground, following the winding trail all the way down to the banks of the Snowy River. 

There are no assigned campsites, and the campground is honestly huge! It was also only $6 for 2 nights when booked online. (You do still have to pay national park fees when you enter Kosciuszko National Park though). 

Because we only had a swag and my small Subaru, we were able to snag a small but prime camping spot right next to the river. 

It was heaven!

We spent 2 nights enjoying campfires and stargazing, while listening to the peaceful rush of the Snowy River. After the hike and on our last morning, we swam in a deep pool of freshwater from the river. 

Though I loved hiking Mount Kosciuszko, camping at Island Bend Campground was the highlight of the weekend. 

Other Accommodations

If you don’t want to camp, there are plenty of hotels, cabins, caravan parks, and Airbnbs around Mount Kosciuszko. 

Mount Kosciuszko itself is in the national park, so there aren’t tons of accommodation options out here. 

But there are a few resorts at the ski towns of Perisher and Thredbo! Just double check that there is availability outside the winter months, as these towns mostly come to life during ski season. 

You can also find more accommodations in the nearby town of Jindabyne. There are cheap holiday parks and more hotels as well. 

Jindabyne is about 45 minutes from Charlotte Pass and 40 minutes from the chairlift in Thredbo. 

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Thanks for reading my hiking guide for Mount Kosciuszko!

This was such a pure, relaxing weekend out in nature. Even with a challenging, full-day hike to the highest mountain in Australia, I felt recharged and zen after my time in the Snowy Mountains.

I highly recommend this as a getaway from South Coast NSW, or even from Sydney or Melbourne if you have time!

For more things to do around New South Wales, check out these articles:

12 Amazing Day Hikes in the Blue Mountains

42 Best Things To Do In The Blue Mountains, Sydney, Australia

NSW South Coast Road Trip Guide

12 Fun Things To Do In Port Stephens, NSW Australia

Grand Pacific Drive: Best Things To Do From Sydney To Kiama

9 Best Things To Do In The Royal National Park: Sydney, Australia