Pinnacles loop walking track

How to get there

1. From Pambula ~9 km south on the Princes Highway, left Haycock Road (2WD gravel). Follow signs for The Pinnacles.
2. Free vehicle entry. No Green Cape $8 here. Do not confuse this with the southern section.
3. Park only in signed bays. After extreme rain, treat Haycock Road as possibly closed and read alerts.
4. This is not the Pambula River track — that start is via Pambula Beach Road.

How to do it (step by step)

1. Walk the signed 1.1 km loop. Official 20–40 minutes. Grade 3 on a short loop still means uneven ground — shoes, not thongs.
2. Keep off the clay-and-sand formations. The photo is from the formed track. Views toward Lennards Island and Haycock Point.
3. Night shooting is underway through 6am Friday 25 September 2026. This loop is open 6am–6pm and closed overnight when operations run. [VERIFY] live alerts.
4. Carry water. The loop is short and open — sun and wind still count. Agree a sit-down at the car, then decide if Haycock picnic is extra.

What to expect

Official: 1.1 km loop, Grade 3, 20–40 minutes. White sand cliffs with a red clay or gravel cap in the free-entry northern section. Views to Lennards Island and Haycock Point.

This is the northern postcard. It is not a scramble, not a kids’ sandcastle and not the same geology as the folded red platforms on Light to Light. Stay on the formed track.

Who this walk is for

First visit from Merimbula or Pambula. Families who can handle a short Grade 3. Anyone who wants Beowa colour without the $8 southern fee or a multi-day.

If the group wants a longer coastal walk, that is Haycock–Barmouth (3 km one-way, steps) — decide a turnaround first. If they want Boyds Tower, that is a different section and a different morning.

When and what not to stack

Morning light on the red cap is kinder than midday glare. The loop is on the night-shooting list after 6pm through 6am Friday 25 September 2026 — finish in daylight while that snapshot is current. [VERIFY].

Do one northern hero. Adding Boyds Tower the same day is a highway, not a better visit. Adding Haycock–Barmouth at 3pm is how you walk steps in the dark.

What to pair

Strong pairs: Haycock Point picnic; Pambula River track if you still have legs and it is a different road (Pambula Beach Road).

Weak pairs: Green Cape the same afternoon; climbing the formations for a photo; treating this loop as a Light to Light warm-up.

Two failure modes (and the turnaround)

Failure one: stacking Boyds Tower onto this loop because both are Beowa. North is free, south is $8, and Twofold Bay is in the way. Pick one section.

Failure two: leaving the formed track for a closer photo of the red cap. Official: stay on the track. The formation is the reason the walk exists, not a scramble.

Official vs the sign: 1.1 km Grade 3, 20–40 minutes. Night-shooting hours and Haycock Road after rain still change. This page is not a walked status check.

Map (orientation)

Pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads, parking and track status on NSW National Parks before you drive.