Kings Kloof Trails: The Hike I Forgot (And Apparently, Everything Else Too)

jeeksparties8
Oct 15, 2024
3 min read

Salt and I hiked Kings Kloof Trails ages ago, back.....when I wasn’t obsessed with documenting every hike.

You know, I was just a regular hiker chasing that elusive “inner peace” and an active lifestyle. Now? Forget inner peace, if there’s no photo proof, did the hike even happen? (I feel a Blog coming on....).

The only thing I remembered about this trail was that it wasn’t a favourite. Too many zigzags,, like someone was just trying to hit the "longer trail" requirement by looping us around in circles.

Since our hike, Kings Kloof has been popping up all over Facebook. Pics everywhere! Scenic views, epic trails... and I’m sitting there thinking, “No way that’s the same place.”

But curiosity won, and I decided to drag Pepper along to see if we were missing something.

We pull up, and I think, "I swear I’ve never been to this place."

There were a few trail options,, but it was already 9 a.m., which is basically afternoon for me (thanks, Pepper). Plus, His Worship wasn’t exactly in the mood for a death march, so we settled on one of the 5km routes—the one with a waterfall. Naturally, because who picks "no waterfall"? (Well, apparently I did the first time because I definitely did not remember any cascading water.)

The start of the hike? Let’s just say... underwhelming, just like my memory. Some crumbling houses that scream “we left these here for ‘authentic’ trail vibes.” No deep musings from me about historical backstories though. Nope. Moving on.

The trail became a lot more scenic. Trees everywhere, giving me that enchanted-forest-meets-suburb vibe. I’m really into trees these days, so I was suitably satisfied.

Then we passed a fenced-off dam. Possibly accessible, but I wasn’t about to suggest investigating. Not with Pepper’s mood hovering between “meh” and “don’t even.”

But, of course, there were a couple of off-trail spots that were too tempting to skip. I blame Salt’s influence; the man taught me to go rogue and find the hidden gems. And guess what? Those detours were the best parts.

The first waterfall? (If you could call it that). “Underwhelming” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

But hey, I’m the last of the great explorers, right? So, naturally, I took us on another little diversion—nothing extreme, mind you—and stumbled upon a second waterfall. Lovely.

Of course, I had to get that perfect shot, and in the process, my one hiking boot decided it needed a spa day in a mud bath. But mud's all part of the charm, right?

And then, we finally reached the last waterfall… a stunning little area, of course. As if to taunt me for my earlier cynicism, it was as if nature was sitting there, arms crossed, going, “Oh, you didn’t think I had it in me, huh?” Touché, King's Kloof. Touché.

On our way back to the car? Cows. Cows everywhere. Naturally, I had to take a photo. Because nothing says "I’ve hiked and conquered nature" quite like photographic evidence of grazing cows.

Except, my phone battery was down to 7%. I reach into my bag, smugly, like the seasoned hiker I am, for my trusty portable charger. And then—no cable.

If you've ever depended on a male's phone for GPS, you know this was no longer a hike. It was a race against time,

Would we make it back to civilization, or be forging a new life amongst the cows?

Back home, I tell Salt I wasn’t even sure we’d hiked Kings Kloof before. And of course, he remembers everything. The waterfall, the dam...the time when he had both enthusiasm and stamina.

Youth—so completely wasted on the young.

AREA - Muldersdrift

COST - R 50 per adult

DIFFICULTY

We did the yellow trail, and this was easy.

LENGTH

We did 5.6 km

TIME

Between 1 and 2 hours, depending on your speed.

ELEVATION - 94 m

MARKERS - 100%

HIGHLIGHTS