A Heavenly Walk to Little Hell – Ben Lomond National Park, Tasmania

High up on the mountain of Ben Lomond, Tasmania, is a day walk named ‘Little Hell’. In springtime, it is actually quite heavenly! Below is my account of this surprising northern Tasmanian day walk.

Getting there

Little Hell is a day walk inside Ben Lomond National Park. A parks pass is required for park entry. When we visited, we came in from Evandale, which is 50 minutes south-west of the park, but most visitors will likely come from Launceston, which is roughly an hour’s drive north-west.

The drive in from the park boundary up to the top of Ben Lomond is one of the highlights of any visit to the area, as you get to drive up ‘Jacobs Ladder’, which is a series of hairpin turns on an unsealed road to the summit. Because of the potentially dangerous conditions (hairpin turns and high altitudes prone to ice and snow make an interesting mix), the speed limit is 30km/h. Going slow is the key to enjoying this experience so you can take it all in, so see the speed limit as a gift and not a challenge!

At the top of Jacobs Ladder is a view-point where you can admire your driving handiwork to have made it up the mountain! In winter, vehicles are required to carry snow chains and anti-freeze is recommended. We went in spring so were able to access the mountain without these items on board.

I haven’t been to Ben Lomond to ski, but I understand that during the ski season, a shuttle bus operates from the Ben Lomond lower carpark. The road to the top can also close without notice if conditions become too snowy or icy to be safe, so make sure you prepare your trip accordingly.

Ben Lomond Ski Resort

When we got to the Ben Lomond Ski Resort, it felt a little bit like we had arrived at a ghost town. I suppose this was to be expected considering we visited outside the ski season and this area isn’t hugely popular with hikers at other times of year. However, I was actually surprised to see such well-maintained infrastructure and buildings at the resort.

A fun fact about the ski season in Tasmania is that it can be as little as two weeks some years…or even as little as two days! When you take this into account, the fact that there are ski lifts up here, or any infrastructure at all, is quite a demonstration of outdoor-enthusiast optimism.

The walk

The 1.5 hour return walk to Little Hell starts from a marked route heading south from the Ben Lomond Ski Resort Car Park and follows the path of a cross country ski trail for a total of 5km. Being a cross country ski trail, the route is marked by ski poles, rather than as a built track.

The day we went, parts of the ground were frozen hard and icy, and other parts had turned to mushy bog. The track began as solid ground, but quickly became a miniature creek through the scrub.

Along the way, the frozen puddles and streams swirled into intriguing shapes and icicles clung snugly around the low-lying vegetation, making for lovely close-up photographs.

I’d highly recommend taking your camera if you do this walk in the springtime, as you might be able to get some unique and attractive shots. You should also make sure you dress warmly and read the weather forecast beforehand, as this walk is in alpine Tasmania, which is notorious for rapidly changing conditions.

A short way into the walk, two of our party decided to turn around based upon how wet things were getting underfoot. Myself and one other bushwalker trudged on, hopeful that conditions would improve, and thankfully, they did. After a short while, the track took us up to higher and drier ground, and we found ourselves in a unique setting that felt almost like it had been professionally landscaped.

The sun came out. The wind disappeared as we were now sheltered by the side of a hill. Rounded shrubs and hardy bushes pressed up between the rocky outcrops in a burst of colour that I had not anticipated to be in this area at all. All was blissful. It was quite gorgeous and not hellish at all!

We walked onwards and found a snowy patch where we made some snow angels to catch our breath and take in our surroundings and have a sip of water.

We then made our way up to the gentle slope to the summit of Little Hell. Once we got above the ridgeline, it was windy, cold and rocky. However, it was easy going to the summit marker and from there, we were provided expansive views across Ben Lomond and the surrounding area. One other person was at the summit when we were there, but other than that, we had the place to ourselves.

After the summit, we made our way onwards to Surprise Valley, which was meant to take us back to Ben Lomond Car Park in a circuit. It did, but it was longer than expected and by now we were concerned by how long we’d been away from the car, as we had people waiting for us.

This portion of the walk was far more ‘hellish’ in appearance than what we had previously encountered, being devoid of vegetation, and was not an easy walk to do quickly. The return trip was mainly a rock hop along a vast plain of rock scree. As there was no track as such, but a continuation of the ski poles that marked the vague direction in which you should be heading, every few steps required you to stop to plan which rocks you would need to navigate to move forwards. I actually really enjoy this sort of walking, however, it’s less than ideal when you’re in a bit of a hurry. This part of the walk was interesting in its own way, being very barren and desolate and dramatic, but it was not as pretty as the earlier, vegetated part of the walk.

We made our way back down to the ski resort and back to the car. The walk had been highly enjoyable and spring had been a spectacular time to do it. Despite being in such a hostile environment, the walk had been filled with colourful vegetation and contrasting moments. We wound our way back down Jacobs Ladder, keen to warm up back in our accommodation in Evandale and settle in for a night in a local pub.

Little Hell is definitely a walk I’d recommend to those living in, or visiting, the Launceston and surrounds area who feel like going for a easy, beginner friendly, mountain-top jaunt!