Bells Rapids Walk Trail, Swan Valley
Location: Bells Rapids Walk Trail, Swan Valley
Distance: 5.5km loop
Grade: 1/2
Trail Marker: Some totems with directional signage but is minimal.
Duration: 1 - 2 hours
Cost: $0, free entry
Toilet Facilities: Yes, at start/finish
Dog Friendly: Yes
Date Hiked: 25th September 2018
The scenic Bells Rapids walk trail enjoys views of both countryside and coastal plains on this circuit. It is also the habitat of the beautiful Grey Kangaroo which can be seen in abundance at certain times of the year. It's a beautiful time of year to visit, was good to see so many families out and about and my boy Diesel absolutely loved it. This walk that I have done actually links the 1.25km River Walk and the 3km Goat Walk together making it a 4.25km trail. Both start on the other side of the bridge. A totem with signage marks the location you start from. The first section is a steep ascent I like to call 'Heartbreak Hill' as it definitely gets the heart pumping. Luckily the views are worth it from the top. You can see the train line running through the valley, but it's not the highest point yet.
This can also be a little bit tricky to navigate. Make sure you turn left at the top of the hill, do not go straight ahead. Once again you are following the fence line and the trail declines slowly but I am sure you can see what's ahead right. What goes down must come up, in hiking cases anyway so enjoy the slight relief from climbing up. The next climb is a little higher up but provided even better views than the last. Turn around and take a good look around. It was just glorious looking down you can see the bridge where you started and river running through the valley. Right over the other side in the crevice there is a secret waterfall, well it's not really a secret but it's not accessible. This position offers the best vantage point to view it. The trail flattens out a bit up here with nice little rest spots to stop and immerse yourself in the wonders of nature.
The trail starts to decline from here but make sure you keep an eye out for the granite rock area on the right part of the way down as it offers some pretty epic views of the valley below all the way out to the Perth CBD. Be sure to stop and get a pic of 'Buttock Boulder' and no I haven't named it that. There is even a sign post pointing that way. Continuing on a little bit further we pretty much neared the end of the Goat walk Trail. The trail links up here to the River Walk. This area is not sign posted either but make sure you take a left turn and walk through the fence and gate towards the river. The river walk is a nice change as you walk along side the river on a narrow trail sheltered in most cases by the trees. There is a small amount of rock scrambling to do but also provides lots of places to get close to the river and dip your toes in to cool off. The River section is family friendly so a lot more popular than the Goat Trail. The River Walk takes you right back to the bridge where the trail loop ends.
