Walking Tthe Cradle Mountain Dove Lake Circuit, Tasmania

Last updated on 7 November 2025

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One of the activities that was top of our ‘things to do in Tasmania’ list was to drive inland and do the Cradle Mountain Dove Lake Circuit. My friend and I spent about 10 days in Tasmania, exploring some of the island, and while none of us are hikers or spend heaps of time on nature trails like this, we knew that we wanted to check it out.

Cradle Mountain is a stunning part of Tasmania, and there are lots of walks that you can do around the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, specifically in Cradle Mountain. The one that was going to work best for us and the a) time we had and b) walking experience we had (haha), was the Dove Lake Circuit.

The Cradle Mountain Dove Lake Circuit

We had been staying in Launceston for a few nights, mainly so we could make the day-trip to Cradle Mountain. So we got up early one morning and drove about two hours to the National Park entrance and Visitor Centre. If you don’t have a car while you’re visiting Tasmania, there are some great tours you can grab, especially day-trips from Launceston to Cradle Mountain.

Note: You can actually buy a National Parks pass, which would get you into the Park for free/as part of your pass, but we were only planning on making it to one National Park during our time in Tasmania, so we decided we’d just pay for our park entrance and Dove Lake circuit when we got there. But just know that if you’re visiting, that’s a really good option.

After grabbing our tickets for the walk, we jumped on the shuttle bus, which dropped people off and picked people up at various different walks in Cradle Mountain, Dove Lake being the final stop.

While we had all day, we did want to spend time in Launceston that afternoon, so we didn’t dilly dally and got straight on the trail upon arrival. The park rangers/workers have you walk in a clockwise direction around the loop, even though it is a loop, it’s just easier if everyone is walking in the same direction. There are even signs to guide you to make sure you start off the correct way, although inevitably, there were a few groups we met as we neared the end who had gone the wrong way.

The full Dove Lake Circuit took just under 2 hours, and we definitely stopped multiple times to take photos, and we stopped for a bandaid/snack break. (I hadn’t worn my shoes enough yet, and one of them did start to rub a little bit. Nothing a well-placed plaster couldn’t fix at about the halfway mark.)

As you can see by the images, it’s absolutely stunning. The weather started out quite grey, but by the time we were about 3/4 around it really brightened up and was a lovely day. We even go too warm, although when we go back to the car park it was suddenly really cold again.

🚶🏻‍♀️‍➡️ Note to the wise: We also forgot to stretch after the walk, and when you’re sitting in a car for two hours back to Launceston after walking up and down for 2 hours non-stop… you muscles will hate you the next few days if you don’t stretch it out. 🙄🙄🙄

I will just say, that if you’re abiding by the rules and you’re going clockwise around the trail, there are a lot of stairs near the end, which we were not prepared for. Definitely made the final push a bit tricky and unexpected because it’s a pretty easy walk up until then … but you’ve been warned!

As we got back on the shuttle bus when we’d finished the walk, we definitely reflected that we would have loved to do more of the walks around Cradle Mountain and the surrounding area. It would be worth staying nearby (as nearby as you can!) and make a couple of days out of it, for sure.

But our morning out walking around Dove Lake was totally worth making the trip!

Have you done the Cradle Mountain Dove Lake Circuit in Tasmania? I’d love to know how you got on, and if you did any of the other walks, too! Let me know in the comments!

Cradle Mountain Dove Lake FAQs

Where is Dove Lake?

Dove Lake is part of the Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania, Australia. It’s about a 20-minute shuttle ride from the Cradle Mountain visitor centre, and the last stop on the route.

How long does it take to walk around Dove Lake?

It’s about a 6km walk, which takes most people about 2-3 hours. Totally depends on your walking speed, how often you stop and take photos, stop for a snack etc.

How hard is the circuit at Dove Lake?

While most of the track around Dove Lake is well marked and gravelled, some parts of the track have a rough surface, there are some slippery parts if it’s been icy or rainy, and there are quite a few steps at the end.

What do you need to take with you?

Like any walk, it’s good to take things like water, plasters (for emergency blisters!), a snack or two. But you’ll also want to take into consideration the weather. We were there in winter, so we had extra layers. But we also popped on sunscreen (always a must!) and had our sunglasses with us too.