Reopening of popular Cape Town hiking trail delayed

Hiking trail to reopen late

Avid hikers who were looking forward to hiking season in the Mother City will unfortunately find that the famous Steenbras River Gorge and Crystal Pools hiking trail will open a little later than usual this year.

According to the City of Cape Town, unusually high rainfall recorded over a short period this past Winter season left the water levels across the Steenbras River Gorge and Crystal Pools Hiking Trail raised quite significantly.

Because of these high water levels, assessments of the trail found that several sections of the trail have been damaged.

Fortunately, the City began the necessary maintenance work this past Friday, 27 September and they are confident that the trail will be ready to open to the public by Friday, 1 November.

When do bookings open?

Bookings for the Steenbras River Gorge and Crystal Pools Hiking Trail usually open from 1 October each year, with hikes starting from 1 November. However, due to the possibility of unforeseen delays in the ongoing repair work, the booking season has been postponed with one month, the City announced.

Bookings for 2024 will therefore now open on 1 November instead. This adjustment ensures that all sections of the trail are ready for public use when hiking resumes.

Beach lowering underway at several Cape Town beaches

In other news, the City also recently announced that will it kick off its annual beach lowering programme on Tuesday, 1 October with completion set for 8 November.

The work will commence from Fish Hoek to Muizenberg, and Gordon’s Bay to Bikini Beach.

The following areas along the beaches will be lowered:

Bikini Beach: The entire length of beach

Fish Hoek beach: From Jager’s Walk (in front of the Galley Restaurant) to the stormwater outlet in front of the main parking area

Muizenberg beach: From Surfer’s Corner to the Zandvlei River mouth

Gordon’s Bay beach: From the Spur restaurant to the end of the parking area in the north