Today the popular Lion’s Head main trail will be closing entirely to Table Mountain National Park visitors, for some much-needed maintenance.
The much-loved spiral trail up to the mountain’s summit is closing for roughly a month, from today January 7 2019 to February 15 2019.
A decision was made by the South African National Parks to close the trail for necessary intervention following a Trail Audit Report done for both Lion’s Head and Signal Hill.
Measures will be taken to ensure the environmental protection of both spots, the safety of hikers in the area and the longevity of the Lion’s Head route.
Since the inception of the Trail Audit Report, the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) management has formulated a phased approach to implement the recommended actions.
Minor work done on the trail that caused little interruption has now been completed. This work included closing unauthorised pathways and desire lines, erecting new directional signage to guide hikers along official trails and completing the assessment for certification of the climbing infrastructure along the trail.
TMNP will now embark on one of the more intensive phases of the project where the condition of the trail will be addressed.
Please note no access will be permitted to hikers or runners via the track entrance along Signal Hill Drive. This includes the restriction on access after sunset and before sunrise. Due to the maintenance in progress, the safety of visitors along the pathway cannot be guaranteed, hence the entire trail being temporarily closed.
Signal Hill will remain open to the public as a viewing point.
For more information on which paths you may use for hiking contact SANParks
Mathabatha Matjila, Table Mountain National Park, Tel: 021 422 1601; Email: [email protected]
Picture: Pixabay