Crystal Pools Hiking Trail Gordon's Bay is Closed From 1 May 2011

The Crystal Pools Hiking Trail in Gordon's Bay will be closed from 1 May 2011 to 1 May 2012 by Cape Nature Conservation to give the area a chance to rehabilitate due to the volume of hikers causing damage to the flora around the trails...this is going to be a big let down to many hikers over the next year. The Crystal Pools Hiking Trail also know as the Steenbras River Gorge is enjoyed by many and is a major draw card to Gordon's Bay...

Crystal Pools, Cliff Jumping Gordon's Bay

Day Walks in and Around Cape Town (Struik leisure guides)

Crystal Pools Hiking Trail, Gordon's Bay, Cape Town, South Arica

Crystal Pools Hiking Trail, Gordon's Bay, Cape Town South Africa

Cliff Jumping at Crystal Pools, Hiking Trail Gordon's Bay

One of the nicest hiking trails in the Helderberg is Crystal Pools Hiking Trail, Gordon's Bay. The hiking trail is clearly marked and the trails are well maintained. It takes about 2 hours to get to the top pool. Where you can take leap a off the cliffs in the pool below or just take a refreshing swim in the fresh mountain streams. The Steenbras River is feed from the Steenbras Dam which is located above the trail (you can see the dam from the N2).


To get to the Crystal Pools Hiking Trail head out of Gordon's Bay along the coastal road towards Steenbras River heading towards Rooielse. Before you get to the Steenbras River Bridge there are a cluster of homes with a restaurant called the Sunbird, permits are available at R15 each. The parking area is across the Stenbrass River Bridge and the entrance to the Crystal Pools Hiking Trail starts from there.


Take along towels, something warm and be careful of snakes especially puff adders. I believe that there is also a troop of Baboons in the area that are terrorizing hikers attempting to hijack their rug sacks to get a free lunch. A final word of warning be very careful when climbing the waterfalls many people have slipped and to get medical help can take hours due to the lack of access. 

To see what it is like to cliff jump at Crystal Pools take a look at this amazing video clip of cliff jumping at Crystal Pools, Gordons Bay, Cape Town South Africa:

Crystal Pools Extreme Cliff Jumping