The Dove Lake Circuit starts from the end of the shuttle bus route. There’s a fee to park at the park and ride the shuttle. The shuttles run continuously; we never had to wait for more than a few minutes. Vehicle access within the park is only permitted when the shuttles are not running.
The Dove Lake Circuit (and other trails within the park that we saw) are well sign posted. The Dove Lake Circuit surface varies from gravel to boardwalk to stone. Much of it is boardwalk and is narrow. It’s recommended to do the circuit clockwise to reduce the need to pass on the narrow trail. Since we’re so slow we still had to step aside to allow others to overtake us. Sometimes it was hard to find a spot to do that.
The views are fantastic around the whole lake, with lots of different views of Cradle Mountain. We were lucky to be there on one of the 60 or days of the year when you can clearly see the entire mountain.
Sometimes you get a view of the mountain without the lake. The lake is tea-colored, thanks to the tannins in the surrounding area. At bottom left is the famous Dove Lake boathouse. Next to it is another small pond we glimpsed in the surrounding area.
We saw colorful bark along the trail. Some trees looked like their bark was wrinkled. On closer inspection, it was wrinkled.
We also got our first good up close look at an echidna near the end of the trail. He didn’t seem bothered by hikers shoving cameras in his face. In the middle photo you can see the backward facing claws on his hind feet for digging.
Here’s one last view of Cradle Mountain. You get good views of the mountain right at the start of the trail, so if you’re not in the mood for a hike you’re not missing out. The hike is quite easy.
