Mount Field East via Lake Nicholls

How to get there

1. Lake Dobson Road must be open. Phone 03 6288 1149 option 3. Parks Pass required.
2. Not suitable for campervans, buses or long vehicles. Chains possible in winter.
3. Carry TasMap Mount Field, PLB and full alpine kit. Official notes mention limited reception on tracks such as Mount Field East.
4. No public transport. Start early enough that a turnaround still gets you off the gravel before dusk wildlife.

How to do it (step by step)

1. This is a navigation-and-weather walk, not a waterfall circuit. Confirm grade, distance and closures the morning you go.
2. Stay on the formed route. Turn around early if cloud sits on the peak.
3. Lake Nicholls is a decision point, not a reason to continue into collapsing weather.
4. If the group is not moving well, reverse. There is no café bail-out on this circuit.
5. Do Three Falls and Tarn Shelf first on a first trip. This is a second-visit peak.

Who this walk is for

Experienced walkers who have already done Tarn Shelf, can read a TasMap, and will turn around when cloud sits on the peak. It is a quieter alpine circuit via Lake Nicholls — published as about 10 km and 4–5 hours, Grade 4. Verify live figures.

Not a first Mount Field visit. Not an add-on after Three Falls from a late Hobart start. If anyone in the group is unsure about navigation or exposure, stay on Pandani Grove or Tarn Shelf.

Status first, summit second

Do not rely on this site or last year’s blog for open/closed status. Parks Tasmania and the Visitor Centre (option 3 for the road) are the authority for your date.

If the gravel road is closed, this walk does not exist today. Russell Falls is still the park.

Kit and daylight

Full alpine kit: waterproofs, warm layers, extra food, map, compass or GPS you can actually use, PLB or satellite messenger, headlamp. Coverage is specifically called out as limited on this track.

Agree a clock-time turnaround before you leave Lake Dobson. A late finish on the gravel road is a wildlife-collision problem as well as a fatigue problem.

When not to go

Cloud on the peak, ice you did not pack for, a group that struggled on Pandani Grove, or a late start. Turn around is competence.

Winter snow can rewrite the day the same way it rewrites Tarn Shelf. If you need skis or snowshoes and do not have that skill, stay down.

Map (orientation)

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

Extra tips

• Do Three Falls and Tarn Shelf first on a first trip. This is a second-visit peak.
• PLB and offline maps are the comms plan. 000 needs reception.
• Pack as for Tarn Shelf, then add navigation comfort. Grade 4 is rougher walking, not a longer picnic.
• Overnight at the campground or National Park township so you are not driving Hobart after a 5-hour alpine day.