We have recently made a significant change to the Van Stadens Dam Hike to avoid the Van Stadens Train Bridge which is no longer in a safe condition. The builder of our other hiking trails and outdoor enthusiast, Andy Wesson, kindly offered his services once again to assist us in rerouting and creating the trail.  With the help of his three trail builders and the 3Rivers trail crew, a new section of trail has been created. The trail begins just after the Lower Van Stadens Dam and joins the existing trail on the western side of the Van Stadens Train Bridge.

This new 3 km section is challenging and technical but is well worth it, with incredible views of the historical Van Stadens Train Bridge, Van Stadens N2 bridge and the Lower Van Stadens Dam and Gorge. The rerouted Van Stadens Dam Hike is 13 km with 700 metres of elevation.

A new alternative section has also been cut which allows hikers to loop back to the “Beach” descent from the lower Van Stadens Dam. This section of trail is only 870 metres but has an elevation of 210 metres and gives hikers an enjoyable variation to the standard Van Stadens Dam hike, taking them back to the trig beacon where they can link up with the other mountain hikes.