Best rainforest walks near Cairns: 5 must-do trails

Cairns sits at the intersection of two World Heritage Areas — the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland — creating a walking and hiking destination of extraordinary ecological richness within a short drive of the city, with the Barron Gorge National Park 20 minutes from Cairns and the Daintree Rainforest accessible as a day trip providing world-class rainforest walking without requiring overnight travel.

Barron Gorge National Park — the gorge walking tracks accessible from Kuranda (reached by the heritage railway or the Skyrail gondola) provide the most accessible tropical rainforest walking from Cairns, with the Rainforestation circuit, the Barron Falls lookout, and the creek swimming at Crystal Cascades available within 30 minutes of the city centre.

Mossman Gorge — the Kuku Yalanji-managed gorge walking circuit 75 minutes north of Cairns provides the most culturally significant rainforest walking experience in North Queensland, with the traditional custodian guides explaining the Daintree Rainforest ecological and cultural significance in the oldest continuously inhabited landscape in Australia.

Crater Lakes, Atherton Tablelands — the volcanic crater lakes at Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine on the Atherton Tablelands provide the 3km circumference rainforest circuit walks around the blue volcanic water, with the cassowaries, the tree kangaroos, and the rainforest birds creating the most wildlife-rich walking environment accessible from Cairns as a day trip.

Josephine Falls — the base-of-mountain swimming hole and walking track below Bartle Frere (Queensland's highest peak) provides the most spectacular freshwater swimming in the Cairns region alongside the multi-day summit track for the experienced hiker wanting the most challenging walk accessible from the city.

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