Tourism NT gives 150 km of range east of town. The first two gaps are closer to the hotel than the airport.
The hotel is on the east side of Alice Springs, which makes the East MacDonnell Ranges the easiest short outing on this whole site. Emily Gap is 12.6 km by road from the front door, nearly the same as the airport. You can be there and back before Tali's breakfast closes on a weekend.
Heading east
- 12.6kmEmily Gap
Aboriginal rock art in the Yeperenye / Emily and Jessie Gaps Nature Park.
- 19.6kmJessie Gap
In the same nature park; Tourism NT suggests it for a picnic.
- 46kmCorroboree Rock
A conservation reserve with a circular walking track around the rock.
- 75kmTrephina Gorge Nature Park
Tourism NT calls it one of the best places in the East Macs.
Beyond Trephina: 4WD country
Past Ross River Homestead the roads change character. Tourism NT says N'Dhala Gorge Nature Park is accessible by 4WD only, and that more than 5,000 ancient rock carvings are etched into its sandstone. Arltunga Historical Reserve holds the ruins of Central Australia's first town, with a visitor centre, a bush pub and overnight campsites. Ruby Gap Nature Park is a remote camping and walking site, named after the garnet stones once found there.
We did not compute road distances to these three, because the routing service and the real track conditions can disagree badly on unsealed roads. Ask at the visitor centre in town about the current state of the tracks.
Rainbow Valley, to the south
Not east but worth listing with the day trips: Rainbow Valley sits about 75 km south of Alice Springs, according to Tourism NT, and the last part is a 4WD access road. The sandstone bluffs in the James Range turn from ochre to purple at sunset; a short walk leads to Mushroom Rock, a natural arch. It is an important place for the southern Arrernte. There are toilets, barbecues and picnic tables, and designated camp sites if you want to stay for the stars.
A half-day east
| Time | Stop | Distance from hotel |
|---|---|---|
| 7.00 | Emily Gap | 12.6 km |
| 8.00 | Jessie Gap, breakfast picnic | 19.6 km |
| 9.30 | Corroboree Rock walk | 46 km |
| 11.00 | Trephina Gorge | 75 km |
| 13.00 | Back at the hotel | about 150 km round trip |
- Extra for the east
- A paper map: phone coverage fades quickly past the first gaps
- Recovery gear and a second spare if you go past Ross River on a 4WD track
- Fuel: fill up in town before you set off
- Respect for rock art: look, photograph without flash where signs ask, never touch
Compare with the West MacDonnell Ranges, which are bigger and busier, or go the whole way on the long road to Uluṟu.