Mt Sugarloaf Northern Track

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Safer Bushwalks Tips on staying safe on track
Before you start any bushwalk ensure you;
• Tell someone you trust where you are going and what to do if you are overdue
• Have adequate equipment, supplies, skills & knowledge for the whole journey
• Consider the impact of weather forecasts, park/track closures & fire dangers
• Can respond to emergencies & call for help at any point
• Are healthy and fit enough for this journey
If not, change plans and stay safe. It is okay to delay and ask people for help.

Getting There Transport options and directions

Start	From the Mount Sugarloaf Road (-32.8908174,151.5394901)
Mode	Car (There is free parking available.)
Directions	From Pacific Motorway, M1, West Wallsend. Turn on to George Booth Drive Offramp then drive for 640 m At roundabout, take exit 1 onto George Booth Drive and drive for another 1.8 km Turn left onto Mount Sugarloaf Road and drive for another 3.5 km

Track Notes Turn by turn instructions & maps

Getting started
From the car park, this walk follows the road gently downhill out of the car park, while keeping the pond on your left. The road is followed for about 35m, until coming to a four-way intersection, with a yellow stone monument (on your right).....

Turn map	Directions & comments
	From the Mount Sugarloaf Road Start (a walking track).
	After another 85 m veer left. After another 225 m continue straight.
	After another 610 m continue straight.
	After another 75 m continue straight. After another 80 m find the "Western viewpoint" (9 m on your left). Western viewpoint The western viewpoint at Mt Sugarloaf offers good views out to the surrounding inland plains and in the distance, to the Watagans on the Great Dividing range. This viewpoint is unfenced, although it has metal posts which are missing cable. This would be a great place to watch a sunset. After another 520 m pass the toilet (75 m on your right). After another 185 m continue straight.
	The starting point of an optional sidetrip. An optional side trip to Northern Viewpoint. To start this optional side trip veer left here. On returning from this side trip veer left when you get back to this intersection. Details below. After another 220 m turn right. After another 10 m continue straight. After another 630 m come to the viewpoint (on your right).
	After another 680 m (from the Mount Sugarloaf Road) turn left.
	After another 35 m turn right.
	After another 520 m (from the Sugarloaf Range Road) turn right, to head along Sugarloaf Range Road (a vehicle track). After another 30 m (at the intersection of Mount Sugarloaf Road & Sugarloaf Range Road) turn left, to head along Mount Sugarloaf Road (a highway\|tertiary).
	After another 50 m (from the Mount Sugarloaf Road) veer right, to head along Mount Sugarloaf Road.
	After another 65 m (from the Mount Sugarloaf Road) continue straight, to head along Mount Sugarloaf Road. After another 115 m pass the picnic table (50 m on your right). Then pass the BBQ (30 m on your right).
	After another 15 m (from the Mount Sugarloaf Road) veer left, to head along Mount Sugarloaf Road. After another 70 m pass the toilet (15 m on your left).
	After another 40 m (from the Mount Sugarloaf Road) veer left, to head along Mount Sugarloaf Road. After another 40 m find the "Mount Sugarloaf Car Park" (on your left). Mount Sugarloaf Car Park Mount Sugarloaf car park is located in West Wallsend (25km west of Newcastle) and offers fabulous views of the surrounding countryside. This car park is the starting point for many walks around Mount Sugarloaf. There is a pond, information sign and great views to the east.
	Continue another 10 m to find from the Mount Sugarloaf Road at the end.

An optional side trip to Northern Viewpoint.

Turn map	Directions & comments
	Start.
	After another 80 m come to the end. About 10 m past the end is "Northern viewpoint". Northern viewpoint The northern viewpoint is located on a steep rocky ridge (750m north of Mt Sugarloaf), where the ground drops away to the north. This is a quieter viewpoint than those closer to the Mount Sugarloaf summit. Turn around and retrace your steps back the 80 m to the main route.

Terrain Know the Hills, grading & facilities

Mt Sugarloaf Northern Track

Grading

	Class 3/6 Moderate track
Length	4.3 km
Time	1 h 30 min to 2 h 15 min

Quality of track	Formed track, with some branches and other obstacles (3/6)
Gradient	Short steep hills (3/6)
Signage	Directional signs along the way (3/6)
Infrastructure	Limited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6)
Experience Required	Some bushwalking experience recommended (3/6)
Weather	Weather generally has little impact on safety (1/6)

Some facilities on route

Toilet: There are 2 on route, on average they are 1.4 km apart with the largest gap of 2.6 km.

Order of key facilities on route

Item	From Start	Name & link to notes
Toilet	1.6 km	[toilet]
Toilet	4.2 km	[toilet]

Articles Discover more details to thrive on track

Mount Sugarloaf Car Park
Mount Sugarloaf car park is located in West Wallsend (25km west of Newcastle) and offers fabulous views of the surrounding countryside. This car park is the starting point for many walks around Mount Sugarloaf. There is a pond, information sign and great views to the east.

Western viewpoint
The western viewpoint at Mt Sugarloaf offers good views out to the surrounding inland plains and in the distance, to the Watagans on the Great Dividing range. This viewpoint is unfenced, although it has metal posts which are missing cable. This would be a great place to watch a sunset.

Northern viewpoint
The northern viewpoint is located on a steep rocky ridge (750m north of Mt Sugarloaf), where the ground drops away to the north. This is a quieter viewpoint than those closer to the Mount Sugarloaf summit.

Get more information
Wildwalks

Weather & Alerts Check forecasts & closures
Weather Forecast
- Wallsend Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon
  
  Monday 19 May
  
  Rain. Heavy falls possible.
  
  Cloudy. Very high chance of rain. Heavy falls possible. The chance of a thunderstorm about the Lower Hunter. Damaging winds possible. Winds southerly 20 to 30 km/h. Daytime maximum temperatures between 13 and 17.
  
  Alert: Large and powerful surf conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as rock fishing, swimming and surfing.
  
  UV Alert: Sun protection 10:30am to 1:20pm, UV Index predicted to reach 3 [Moderate]
  
  Tuesday 20 May
  
  13°C → 20°C
  Rain.
  100% chance of rain
  35 → 90mm
  
  Cloudy. Very high chance of rain. Heavy falls possible. The chance of a thunderstorm near the coast. Winds southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h. Overnight temperatures falling to between 9 and 13 with daytime temperatures reaching between 14 and 19.
  
  Alert: Large and powerful surf conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as rock fishing, swimming and surfing.
  
  Wednesday 21 May
  
  14°C → 21°C
  Showers.
  95% chance of rain
  20 → 50mm
  
  Cloudy. High chance of showers. Heavy falls possible. Winds southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h becoming light during the evening. Overnight temperatures falling to between 10 and 14 with daytime temperatures reaching between 16 and 20.
  
  Thursday 22 May
  
  13°C → 21°C
  Showers.
  90% chance of rain
  3 → 25mm
  
  Cloudy. High chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm along the coastal fringe. Light winds becoming south to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening. Overnight temperatures falling to between 10 and 13 with daytime temperatures reaching between 15 and 19.
  
  Friday 23 May
  
  14°C → 22°C
  Showers.
  80% chance of rain
  1 → 20mm
  
  Showers.
  
  Saturday 24 May
  
  12°C → 22°C
  Shower or two then sunny.
  50% chance of rain
  0 → 2mm
  
  Shower or two then sunny.
  
  Sunday 25 May
  
  11°C → 22°C
  Partly cloudy.
  20% chance of rain
  
  Partly cloudy.
  
  Monday 26 May
  
  12°C → 23°C
  Possible shower.
  40% chance of rain
  0 → 1mm
  
  Possible shower.
  
  Forecast data thanks to © Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Alerts
- Sugarloaf State Conservation Area alerts
  Safety alerts: Major roadworks in Sugarloaf State Conservation Area
  Major roadworks are ongoing in Sugarloaf State Conservation Area. Partial and intermittent road closures should be expected.
  Visitors are asked to avoid the area (if possible). Otherwise, please be aware of trucks and machinery working on roads within Sugarloaf SCA and to drive to the conditions.
  For more information, please contact the NPWS Lower Hunter Area Office on 02 4946 4100.
  
  Closed areas: Parts of Sugarloaf State Conservation Area closed
  Parts of Sugarloaf State Conservation Area are closed for approved underground mining operations. The affected areas (see map) have been closed to protect visitor safety, because they're subject to subsidence and remediation activities from the mining operations.
  Great North walk remains open. An update will be provided should this situation change.
  If you're visiting the park, please be aware of subsidence and pollution incidents that took place in 2013, which were greater than what was expected from normal mining operations. These included a cliff fall in the north, and a subsidence and grout leak incident in the central part of Sugarloaf State Conservation Area.
  If you're planning to visit the park during this time, please stay on formed tracks and trails and observe all barriers, warning signs and safety messages. Areas subject to possible cliff fall or subsidence in both areas of the park are clearly marked.
  For more information, call the NPWS Lower Hunter area office on 02 4946 4100. NSW National Parks safety page.
  
  Alert kindly provided by © NSW Nataional Parks and Wildlife Service

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