Garden of Eden on the Kings Canyon Rim Walk, plus the Creek Walk

Kings Canyon can be met from the bottom or the top. The Kings Creek Walk stays low and follows a gentle trail along the base of the canyon, while the Rim Walk climbs to the top and circles the edge.^5,8 The Garden of Eden on the Kings Canyon Rim Walk belongs to the rim route, because the rockhole sits about halfway round the loop.³ That is why this page treats the creek walk and the garden as a pair: they answer the question of how much canyon you can see without a long climb.

Tourism NT presents the creek walk as a trail between sandstone walls, and it describes the route as an easy and accessible option for families and for people who want a shorter, less strenuous outing.⁵ The rim route is a different commitment. It is a loop of 6 km that usually takes around 3 to 4 hours and is graded moderate to difficult, Grade 4.⁸ Put side by side, the walks do not compete so much as answer different groups.

The car park is the trail head for most of the walks in the area, with routes that are colour coded and well marked.⁹ A group that splits, with some on the rim and some on the floor, should agree where and when to meet again, and check at the car park which trail head each walk starts from.

The Garden of Eden is not on the creek walk. You find it on the Rim Walk, about halfway round, where a rockhole sits surrounded by rare plant life.³ From the main trail you cross a metal bridge and climb down a series of staircases to reach it.¹⁹ Because the descent adds stairs on top of an already demanding loop, the Garden is a stop for walkers who have the energy left, not a casual detour.

Tourism Central Australia describes the Garden of Eden as a permanent waterhole shaded by some exotic plants.²⁰ It is also a sacred spot for the Traditional Owners, and the guidance is to avoid swimming and to treat the place with respect.²¹ Tourism NT states plainly that swimming is not permitted in this waterhole.⁴ Bring a camera and a quiet voice, and leave the swimsuit in the car.

The route to the Garden begins with a steep start. The Rim Walk opens with a climb of some 500 steep steps, nicknamed Heartbreak Hill, and after that the trail eases onto the plateau.²² The domes that you pass along the top are known collectively as the Lost City because they resemble an ancient walled city, and a section of the trail runs between them.¹⁸ If the climb is more than your group wants, the canyon floor still delivers the cliffs, just from below.

If you plan to sleep at Kings Creek Station, it helps to picture the distance. The station lies 36 km from Kings Canyon among desert oaks, so the drive to the trailhead is a proper journey and not a stroll.²⁵ Kings Creek Station is a working cattle station of 2,000 square kilometres at the foot of the George Gill Range.³⁹ Plan the transfer into your morning, as you would for any remote road.

The station is also the breakfast stop of the full-day tour that this site books. The listing states that the coach goes to Kings Creek Station for a cooked breakfast, then on to Kings Canyon for the walk, and guests choose between the Rim Walk and an easier, shorter walk on the canyon floor. The listing is rated 4.6 from 629 reviews and is priced from $242. On that day the choice between floor and rim is made at the canyon itself.

Camping and beds are outside the park, not inside it. There is no camping or accommodation allowed within the national park itself, so every group starts the day from the resort or the station.⁴⁰ The resort lies 7 km from the park entrance, and the station is further out.^28,25 Check the station's season before you plan a stay there: it is closed from 1 November 2026 and reopens on 1 March 2027.²⁶