2–3 day West Macs loop

2–3 days / 1–2 nights · Best for: Visitors who will book official camping and actually walk Ormiston

Guide updated 13 Sept 2026 · verify NT Parks the morning you go

Night at Ellery or Ormiston (official booking only), Pound walk in cool hours, optional Redbank if access and energy allow. Alice is still the supermarket.

Permanent waterhole under red cliffs at Ormiston Gorge, Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park — Ormiston Gorge waterhole
Binarysequence · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Two nights beats one heroic day. Camping is designated sites only, booked on parkbookings.nt.gov.au before you leave Alice. No on-site payment. No pets, no generators.

Fires: prohibited at Ormiston; designated pits only elsewhere; collect wood outside the park. Treat tank water; bring your own drinking water. Alice remains the supermarket — do not invent a Glen Helen grocery run.

Glen Helen gorge is NT Parks. Commercial lodge/camp is a different product — do not plan dinner there unless you have confirmed the operator is open.

Always verify park-open, camp availability and the road report before you leave town. This plan is unofficial orientation only.

Track status, weather and closures change — verify on NT Parks before you leave, then use the timeline below as a planning skeleton only.

Timeline

Weeks before
Book camps + keep fee systems separate
Official Category B camping at Ellery or Ormiston (or both) on parkbookings only. Parks Pass if required is a different product. Screenshot bookings. If the nights you want are gone, stay in Alice and run honest day trips — do not arrive hoping for a walk-up site.
Day 1 — morning
Alice supermarket → Simpsons
Buy water, ice, firewood (outside the park if you will use a designated pit), and food for every meal. Leave late morning if it is a positioning day, or early if you want Simpsons properly. Short walks only. Official: no swimming at Simpsons.
Day 1 — afternoon
Ellery or Ormiston camp
Camp only in the site you booked. Short walks, hydrate, read tomorrow’s walk notes at the shelter. Do not start the Pound at 3 pm. Official: Ormiston fires prohibited; Redbank is a different night and a 4WD access question.
Day 2 — morning
Ormiston Pound (or Ghost Gum Plan B)
Pre-dawn / first-light start for the Pound loop only if you will swim (official park-open, 14 Aug 2026: short swim through deep cold water). Otherwise Ghost Gum lookout + waterhole — official Ghost Gum loop also currently requires a swim. Agree a turn-around time before you leave the car park.
Day 2 — afternoon
Heat rest + optional Ochre Pits
Rest the heat of the day in shade. Ochre Pits is a colour stop, not a hike. If anyone is wrecked, skip the western add-on without guilt. Treat tank water; drink what you carried.
Day 3
Redbank if 4WD/access ok — or reverse to Alice
Only add Redbank / Sonder if the unsealed access is suitable for your vehicle (official: high-clearance 4WD only) and people still have legs. Otherwise take the sealed road home via any stop you skipped. Check the road report. Do not invent a Mereenie “since we are west” without a permit and a 4WD plan.

Packing

Water treatment · Amazon search
Warm night layer · Amazon search
3 L+ day-walk water · Amazon search
Fly net · Amazon search
Dry bag (Pound swim currently required) · Amazon search
PLB / sat messenger (optional, multi-day) · Amazon search
Headlamp · Amazon search
Food for every meal + emergency snacks
Basic first aid / blister kit · Amazon search
Booking + pass screenshots offline

Amazon search links may earn a commission · not brand endorsements · park fees never affiliated · Disclosure · Gear list

Parking & access tips

Camp only in the site you booked — no on-site payment, no overflow inventing.
Caravans: official Ormiston page lists caravans at that Category B camp — confirm live for Ellery/Redbank.
Official park-open: Redbank is high-clearance 4WD only.
Do not leave bags visible at day-use parks.
Fuel and groceries in Alice before you leave.

Skip if short on time / energy

Full Larapinta sections
Mereenie to Watarrka without a permit and 4WD plan
Sonder ridge after a full Pound the same morning
Assuming Glen Helen lodge is serving dinner
Walk-up camping because “it looked quiet online last year”

Extra tips

Who this plan is for

Visitors who will book official camping before leaving Alice
Groups who actually want the Pound (and will swim if the live note still requires it)
People happy to use Alice as the supermarket, not Glen Helen as a backup restaurant

Decision gates (say them out loud)

If camp bookings fail: stay in Alice and run one honest day — do not arrive hoping for a walk-up site
If the Pound swim is live and the party will not swim: Ghost Gum + waterhole is Day 2
If Redbank access is 4WD-only and you have a sedan: turn around on the sealed road
If anyone is cooked on Day 1: skip the western add-on without guilt

What success looks like

Booked nights only, fires/pets/generators rules kept
One real walk completed in cool hours
No invented Mereenie or Sonder heroics on the way home
Water and reverse clock still working on the last morning

Related trail guides

Ormiston Pound WalkThe West Macs day that earns the drive: climb to a saddle over the 46+ km² Ormiston Pound, cross the flat amphitheatre floor, then return via the gorge creek bed to the main permanent waterhole. Official park-open note (checked 14 Aug 2026): the loop currently requires a short swim through deep, cold water.
Redbank Gorge & Mount Sonder lookoutNarrow chasm and waterhole at Redbank, with Mount Sonder (Rutjupma) as the western icon and a common Larapinta finish. The last stretch of the Redbank access road is unsealed — high-clearance 4WD is commonly recommended. Confirm live access.
Ellery Creek Big HoleA large permanent waterhole under red cliffs — the classic West Macs swim/picnic stop when official advice allows it. Cold water, submerged hazards, and a designated campground booked separately from the Parks Pass.

Official links to verify

Stays, tours & gear for this plan

Optional next steps once your timeline is set — park fees and official NT Parks bookings are never affiliated.

Nearby stays

Alice Springs (primary) · Hermannsburg

Hotels & motels in Alice SpringsPrimary gateway — all services, airport, hire cars
Hermannsburg / NtariaWestern / Ntaria base — limited commercial beds

All Booking.com links open in a new tab and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Official NT Parks camping and cottage bookings are never affiliated.

Guided tours

Optional — useful for first visits from Alice Springs without a hire car

A tour does not replace checking NT Parks alerts, heat, or gorge safety yourself.

What to bring

Practical kit for heat, water, rock and limited reception

Water capacity 3 L+Heat is the dominant hazard. Tank water can run out and must be treated — carry more than you think you need
Sun hat + high SPFOpen Pound floor and ridge lines have little shade; UV is severe year-round
Light long-sleeve sun shirtBetter than burning through a singlet on Ormiston or Larapinta ridges
Sturdy trail shoesRock-hopping, creek beds and loose ridge rock — fashion sneakers fail here
Day pack 20–30 LWater, electrolytes, first aid, layers and a dry bag for a possible gorge wade
Electrolytes / salty snacksSweat loss in dry heat is easy to underestimate until you cramp on the exit
Insect head net / fly veilFlies are normal, not a surprise — especially still mornings at waterholes
Warm layer for nightsCool-season nights (April–September) drop hard after 35 °C days
Personal locator beacon or sat messengerReception is limited in gorges and on much of the Larapinta. 000 needs a signal. Optional planning item — not a coverage map
Offline maps (Avenza / downloaded)Official park maps + Avenza are recommended. Do not rely on live data in the Pound
First-aid + blister kitRocky days and isolation — help is slow on longer walks
Water treatment (camping)Treat or boil tank water at Parks sites; bring your own drinking water as the default
Dry bag (gorge swim / wade)Official 14 Aug 2026: Pound loop and Ghost Gum loop require a swim — keep phone and layers dry, or skip the loop
HeadlampPre-dawn Pound starts, Sonder ridge, and getting back to the car before you are cooked

Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Park fees, camping bookings, Larapinta trail fees and Mereenie Loop permits are never affiliated. Affiliate disclosure · Privacy