Standley Chasm
Standley Chasm
A narrow path winds between red rock and river gums before disappearing into a towering gap in the West MacDonnell Ranges. The walls close in until there’s little more than a strip of blue sky overhead. At midday, with the sun sitting high, the walls on either side come to life as the sunlight reaches deep into the narrow chasm. This is Standley Chasm.
Quick Details
Total Length: 2.4km
Elevation: Almost none
Grade: Easy
Best season: Late autumn to early spring
Suitable for kids: Yes
Starting the Trail
I’ve just left Simpsons Gap and am driving through the West MacDonnell Ranges. By now, the drive itself is becoming part of the experience. The mountains stretch alongside the road in long bands of red and orange rock, sometimes rising sharply from the otherwise flat landscape and sometimes disappearing into the distance. It’s one of those roads where there’s always something outside the window worth looking at.
I pull into the Standley Chasm carpark a little after midday, and there are dozens of cars and people about. Because of the narrow width between the chasm walls, the best time to visit is the middle of the day. I’m a little late for that, but hopefully that means there’ll be fewer people about. I pay my entrance fee at the gift shop and head through the gate.
Standley Chasm is also known as Angkerle Atwatye and is an important cultural place for Western Arrernte people. The chasm and surrounding land are Aboriginal owned, with the site operated by the Angkerle Aboriginal Corporation. The entry fee helps support the management of the area and the facilities at the visitor centre.
The trail is well maintained and easy to follow, and despite the heat I find myself taking my time to just enjoy the sights and sounds along the trail. There looks to have been some damage along the track at some point, maybe from a storm or the creek flooding, but today you’d never be able to tell aside from the occasional bent railing.
It's worth allowing a little more time here than simply walking to the chasm and straight back again. The trail itself is short, but the landscape changes considerably over that small distance — from the shaded creek line near the entrance to the huge red walls at the end.
River gums lean across the track and provide patches of shade, while the trail follows the natural line of the creek between the surrounding hills. The red rock walls on either side get closer together and the trail gets a little rockier underfoot as I start to reach the end of the trail.
I reach the entrance and a few people are sitting around making the most of the shade from the tall gum trees. I’ll leave the tree shade for later — right now I’m more interested in the shade between the chasm walls.
Standley Chasm
Two enormous walls of red rock rise straight up on either side, separated by a narrow passage running between them. From inside, there’s only a strip of blue sky visible overhead and almost everything else is rock — deep orange and red where the sunlight reaches it, darker through the shaded sections.
The air is cooler inside the chasm than it is outside. The floor is covered in loose rock and enormous pale boulders, some wedged between the walls and others scattered along the creek bed. The gap between the walls offers a slim window into what lies beyond the chasm — more rocky outcrops covered in silvery-green spinifex grass that my feet are itching to explore.
I’m not sure how far beyond the chasm you can normally go — if at all. On my visit I can’t quite reach the end to see for myself what lies beyond the walls, because there’s a large pool of water sitting at the end. While I would probably dry quickly in the heat, I still have more to explore this afternoon and don’t particularly fancy wet socks and boots for the journey.
With a final look at those gorgeous red walls, I step back out into the heat and make my way back to the visitor centre for lunch before continuing my day through the West Mac Ranges.
Getting There
Standley Chasm is around 50 kilometres west of Alice Springs along Larapinta Drive and takes roughly 40–45 minutes to reach by car.
The road is sealed all the way to the turn-off and into Standley Chasm, so a 4WD isn't required.
There is parking at the visitor centre, where entry tickets can be purchased before heading through the gate to the walking trail.
Tips and Tricks
The entrance gate requires a code to open, so you do need to buy a ticket for entry.
Midday is the most popular time to visit. At that time the walls glow in the sunlight, but it’s also incredibly busy at that time.
You can buy food and drinks at the visitor centre. There’s a great undercover outdoor area to enjoy one of their cheeseburgers and a chat with hikers coming in from the Larapinta Trail.