Peak Charles
Peak Charles National Park
Directions - Peak Charles is located 170-kilometres north of Esperance. From the centre of Esperance, take Coolgardie Esperance Highway north until you reach Kumari-Lake King Road. Turn left and follow this until you reach the left turn for Lake King-Norseman Road. Take another left onto Peak Charles Road and follow the signs all the way to the day use area, where you will find a gazebo and the trail head.
The Hike - When I think of the vast area north of Esperance, granite hills/mountains the size of the ones you find in the Porongurups are not what I used to think existed there. When I found out about Peak Charles many years ago, it was immediately a place I wanted to visit, and with a hiking trail leading to the summit of the 651m rock, I was hooked. I originally planned to visit in 2018 when we visited Fitzgerald River and Esperance but limited time meant I couldn't justify the drive out and back for one hike.
In 2020, this was meant to be the final hike of an epic three week road trip around the South West and South Coast, but on the penultimate day I lost my camera to water damage, and that meant not being able to properly photograph both the Le Grand Coastal Trail and Peak Charles, so I returned home without hiking either. Fast forward to 2023, and I had another three week road trip planned to research a new book I was writing (that can be purchased here), and Peak Charles was back on the menu boys. Tweaking my plans a little due to road closures around Cape Arid, I decided to travel to Peak Charles after leaving Esperance, on my way to the final leg at Cape Le Grand, rather than visit on the way home. After a 35C day in Esperance the previous day, I was glad that things had cooled down a little today. Being a bit of a silly sausage, I plugged Peak Charles into my GPS and blindly followed the route north from Esperance, surprised when it told me to turn left way before I thought I had to.
Google was taking me the back roads way, which was fine right up until I joined Field Road that approaches Peak Charles from the south. It's a designated 4x4 only track, and initially it wasn't a problem, until it was. Reaching a patch of particularly soft sand, I managed to power through in second gear with my foot firmly planted, and a lot of verbal encouragement for my X-Trail. With no phone signal and no chance of seeing anyone else out here, I at least had my epirb and bike in the car in case I got bogged and needed assistance. Long story short, I got to firmer ground and was relieved when I was rolling along hard tracks after entering the Western Woodlands surrounding the smaller Peak Eleanora and Peak Charles. Don't be like me, take the highway all the way north. Arriving at the day use area for Peak Charles, there is an official (and free) campground not too far away that has the most basic of facilities (but on water so you have to BYO).
Getting my hiking gear ready, slathering on some sunscreen, and making sure I had my sunnies (it was bright), I first checked out the gazebo that has a lot of information about the park and what you can find here. Heading to the start, I was excited to finally hike Peak Charles, and knowing it was a Class 5 trail, see how it compared to the other Class 5 climbs located in the Stirling Range. With the recent spate of hot weather, I wasn't expecting to see many wildflowers along the flatter parts but one could hope. Initially you walk through the stunted forest, where a seasonal creek might be found in wetter months, before reaching exposed the granite and syenite rock that will become familiar as you hike to the summit. Out of the vegetated part of the walk, the bulk of Peak Charles is visible to your right, and it was a foolish pursuit to try and guess where the trail took you to reach the top. Officially there are three trails in this area but in sneaky fashion, it's really just the summit hike broken up into three parts depending on your ability and risk aversion.
The first "trail" takes you up to a place called Mushroom Rock, so named for the obvious reason you can see in the first photo gallery. This is the third Mushroom Rock I have visited, with one being located under the water off Hamelin Bay, and the other one right on the coast near Kalbarri. Following the white poles to reach Mushroom Rock, these will become important features of the trail that you need to look out for. To start with they are easy to find but later on you need to make sure you have the next one sighted before continuing, as it can lead to heading in the wrong direction. I may be saying this from experience, as there are a few points where it looks like a natural trail ahead but it doesn't lead anywhere. Not long after reaching Mushroom Rock, you take a right turn and begin the steeper climbing that takes you up to the amazing views, and literal breath-taking exposed rock surfaces. My hope for wildflowers was answered through here with a few varieties of Melaleuca and the threatened Peak Charles Drummondita.