Atlas › Karijini NP - Pilbara WA
Knox Gorge
verified
ACA 3C
High flood risk
Tom Price, WA
Banded iron technical gorge with a single short rappel and swift-water swims, run mostly under commercial canyoneering permit. The public trail ends at the rim lookout.
Knox sits in the Weano cluster with Joffre. Ropewiki has it at 3C III v2a4. Trailhead coords from ropewiki are the parking pair, not the canyon mouth. Class 5 designation on the public-trail signage means extreme difficulty in Trails WA language, not an ACA-equivalent grade.
Logistics
| Manager | DBCA Parks and Wildlife Service, Karijini NP |
|---|---|
| Permit | Park entry fee $17 per vehicle (DBCA). Access beyond the public-trail terminus is restricted; the technical descent below the lookout is signed as off-limits to unaccompanied visitors and is run commercially under permit by West Oz Active and partner operators. |
| Distance | 1.8 mi |
| Elevation | ~300 ft loss |
| Time | 5 to 6 hr |
| Technical | Banded iron formation gorge, technical descent past the public-trail boundary. One rappel up to 20 ft (longest), generally short. Swift water at high flow, swims through narrow pinch sections. Native grade v2a4 III; ropewiki publishes ACA 3C III. |
| Season | May to Sep (cooler months). Avoid wet season Nov to Mar, flash flood risk and pool temperatures drop fast. |
| Flood risk | High. Pilbara summer storms drop the gorge in minutes. Cancel on any rain in the upper catchment. |
| Vehicle access | Passenger sedan on the sealed approach. The shuttle to the rim car park is paved. |
| Crowd | Light. Most visitors stop at the rim lookout; the technical descent is commercial or off-limits. |
| Coordinates | -22.3712, 118.2963 |