Klipriviersberg's Trail: Lost and Found—Third Time’s the Charm

A Tale of Sweat, Sons, and Stubbornness

So, my son Salt and I decided to tackle the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve hiking trail—again.

If you’ve followed my previous hiking escapades, you’ll know my other son, Pepper, and I had already attempted this same trail twice before… yes, “attempted.”

You see, Pepper and I share a rare gift: we get lost. Not just “oops, wrong turn” lost. No, we’re talking “how did we end up in another time zone?” lost.

Klipriviersberg - Round One: The Great Meltdown

The first time, it was scorching hot, crowded, and back when our idea of hiking was basically a brisk park walk.

We picked the same route both times and, naturally, ended up on the same confusing path both times—except today,

Salt and I actually finished it! Yes, we finally conquered the beast.

But back to that first hike....

We were wandering around, looking as lost as two tourists, when appeared this kind older gentleman who noticed our blank stares, and graciously motioned for us to follow him. Bless him. Every few meters, he’d point out the path like a patient saint babysitting two bewildered meerkats.

Then came the ascent.

This was no ordinary climb - it was a steady, soul-sucking endless rock staircase, which reminded me of my age.

And because it was crowded, with people hot on our trail, Pepper kept urging me to pick up the pace. Meanwhile, I was sweating like a pig, gasping for air, and ready to surrender to the mountain. 

Eventually, guilt got the better of me. I told our guardian angel to go on without us. He hesitated, probably calculating the odds of ever seeing us alive again, before reluctantly trudging ahead.

Meanwhile, I had reached my limit. I stopped dead in my tracks, and declared that we had to turn back.  

But of course, we managed to get so ridiculously lost that we ended up at some mysterious “other entrance”—because, apparently, this reserve has secret portals........and naturally, this one was miles away from our parking spot.

For those who haven’t had the pleasure, let me just say this reserve is the size of a small country.

To make matters worse, Pepper had run out of water yonks ago, and yes......in what I can only describe as my greatest hiking humiliation—WE CALLED AN UBER to take us back to our car.

Round Two: Stubbornness Strikes Back

Naturally, my OCD couldn’t let it go. That ascent had mocked me, and I wasn’t about to let a pile of rocks have the last laugh.

So I dragged poor Pepper back for a rematch.

This time, we did it my way—slow, steady, and filled with dramatic sighing. We actually conquered the dreaded climb… only to get lost again on the way down. At this point, I’m convinced Klipriviersberg has hidden portals.

Round Three: Salt to the Rescue

Which brings us to this day. With Salt as my hiking sidekick, I was determined to finally beat this beast. And - we did it!

Turns out, the trail is actually gorgeous when you’re not wandering aimlessly in the wrong direction. Who knew?

And that infamous ascent? A breeze. Okay, maybe more of a light wheeze—but still, a vast improvement. Apparently, all those other hikes have done wonders for my lung capacity (and humility).

AREA - South of Johannesburg.

COST - Free.

Managed by Johannesburg City Parks, this place is impressively clean and well-kept.

Sure, a few areas could use some TLC, but I’ve seen far worse in reserves that charge an entrance fee.

DIFFICULTY

Easy (mostly) except for those few spots where it isn’t... but  it's doable.

No technical.

Bring more water than you think you’ll need.

LENGTH - 7 km

TIME - 2 hrs

ELEVATION - 213 m

MARKERS

Not awful, but again, AllTrails came in handy. 

There are a lot of options at certain points which can be a bit confusing.

ABLUTIONS 

SAFE PARKING

AMENITIES 

There seems to be a coffee shop, but it was closed.

here seems to be a coffee shop, but it was closed.

ON A FINAL NOTE

If you’re looking for a free, scenic day hike near Johannesburg, it’s absolutely worth the sweat—and maybe even the confusion.

Because if I can finally conquer it, you’ve got no excuse.