Sugarbush Day Trail

About Sugarbush Day Trail

Start: Robert Broom Drive
Finish: starting point
Duration: 8 km
Fitness: relatively fit; great for families although children need supervision because of old mines in the area
Our tip: be careful during the heat of summer as this trail affords very little shade

Day trails within Johannesburg are not easy to come by so this one, not far from Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, is a find for hikers who do not have a whole day at their disposal to drive somewhere. But the hike is sufficient to make a day of it anyway.

The Sugarbush Trail winds through the escarpment of the West Rand, renowned for its natural heritage and history. Much of the trail is on land protected by the Cradle of Human Kind World Heritage Site with views, once you've made the final climb, over the Magaliesberg Mountains.

The trail is on a mixture of private land and nature reserve. The initial part of the trail, once you've managed to climb a series of rocky outcrops, takes you through a valley rich with sugarbush (Protea caffra) – hence the name of the trail. This beautiful small shrub tends to occur in wooded grassland or on rocky ridges and is typical of the area. It is the flower that makes the plant so famous, their pinkish-red heads evident for up to 8 weeks between October and December.

After the sugarbush valley you take another climb onto the edge of an escarpment with views over the Magaliesberg. It is on the descent, after following the edge of the escarpment for a while, that takes you past an old mine shaft – unstable and best avoided.

Another steep ascent takes you away from the mine and to yet another outlook point with beautiful views, before you descend to where you started.