26 · Western Cape, South Africa

Table Mountain

Climb Table Mountain's front face on the Platteklip Gorge stone staircase, cross the plateau to Maclear's Beacon at 1,085 m, and come back down the same steps.

Trail runningOut and back

CAPE TOWN
SOUTH AFRICA

Table Mountain National Park (SANParks)

33° 57' S
18° 25' E

3 kmDistance680 mElevation gainHardSite gradeCape TownNearest base

Site grade

HardFeatured

680 m of gain in about 3 km on stone steps, with no shade in the gorge, and a plateau crossing where cloud can remove every landmark.

The experience

680 metres of gain in 2.5 kilometres, on stone steps with no shade, then a plateau crossing to 1,085 metres where the wind and the cloud arrive without notice.

The route climbs a gorge the SANParks page calls relentlessly up, and in race week the TM35 field runs the same steps at dawn with 1,928 m of gain still to come.

Maclear's Beacon is a stone cairn built in 1865 by Sir Thomas Maclear as a triangulation station to help measure the curvature of the earth. The Cableway below has run since 4 October 1929. The whole mountain chain is inside a national park that stretches 70 km from Signal Hill to Cape Point.

Where the sources disagreeSANParks opens its Safe Hiking page with attacks and muggings in and around the park, asks you not to go alone, says four is the ideal number, and keeps a security hut at the bottom of Platteklip. The Cableway shuts in high wind, so plan to descend on foot. In August 2026 a wildfire above Kloof Nek closed the Contour Path and trails to the Cableway. SANParks publishes a distance for the gorge but no elevation gain; the 680 m here comes from a guiding company, and published distances for the route disagree by half a kilometre.

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Trail path

The line
you follow.

StartPlatteklip Gorge trailhead, Tafelberg RoadFinishPlatteklip Gorge trailhead, Tafelberg RoadDirectionUp the gorge, east across the plateau to the beacon, back the same way

01Platteklip Gorge trailhead
02Top of Platteklip Gorge
03Upper Cable Station junction
04Maclear's Beacon

Route sections

01 · The Stone StaircaseTafelberg Road to the top of Platteklip Gorge
Switchbacks of stone steps up the cleft in the front face. SANParks describes it as relentlessly up. You will hike most of it; nobody runs Platteklip clean.02 · The Table CrossingTop of the gorge to Maclear's Beacon
Turn left at the top, away from the cable station crowd, and run the plateau east on sandstone and boardwalk to a stone cairn built in 1865. This is the only stretch with rhythm.03 · The Same Steps DownMaclear's Beacon back to Tafelberg Road
Retrace the plateau, then descend the gorge on the steps you climbed. Knees pay here. If the cable car is closed for wind, this is your only way home.

Weather profile

What the sky
is likely to do.

SANParks says the weather on Table Mountain changes suddenly, with loss of visibility, and the gorge can be extremely hot or very cold and windy with the top much colder than Tafelberg Road even in January and February. Summer brings the south-easter and the cloud tablecloth over the plateau.

Season & timing

Managed seasonNo managed season on the trail. The Cableway runs first up 08:30, last up 18:00, last down 19:00, and closes in high wind.Best windowNovember to March, starting at first light, off the plateau before the wind builds.Race timingRMB Ultra-Trail Cape Town, 20 to 22 November 2026. The TM35 starts at Gardens Rugby Club at 06:00 on 22 November and climbs Platteklip Gorge.SurfaceStone steps and gabion-built switchbacks in the gorge, sandstone slab and boardwalk on the plateauDirectionUp the gorge, east across the plateau to the beacon, back the same way

Signature moments

What you will
remember afterwards.

The security hut and the first stone step off Tafelberg Road

The cleft narrowing to a slot near the top of the gorge

Turning left at the top while everyone else turns right for the cable car

The cairn at Maclear's Beacon with the Cape Flats below

Cloud pouring over the plateau edge behind you on the descent

HIGH POINT

1,085 M

The top of a mountain that starts at sea level, inside a city

The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway visitor guide gives the height of Maclear's Beacon, the highest point of the mountain, as 1,085 m above sea level. The Cape Town city bowl sits directly below it.

Access & logistics

AccessDrive or take a ride-share up Tafelberg Road past the Lower Cableway Station to the Platteklip Gorge car park and security hut. Walk the road; do not leave valuables in a parked car.PermitsNone for the trail. The park is open access. Drones are prohibited. Stick to the path: the mountain is a World Heritage Site with plants found nowhere else.BookingsNone to run it. A Cableway ticket only if you plan to ride down, and check it is running before you count on it.WaterDo not count on water on the mountain. Carry all of it; SANParks tells hikers to take enough water, especially in summer.FoodCarry your own. The cafe at the Upper Cable Station opens with the Cableway.Mobile coverageSANParks says some parts of the park have no reception. Save the emergency number 086 110 6417 before you start.DurationSANParks gives 1 hour for the super fit to 3 hours for the less-than-fit on Platteklip Gorge, and 45 minutes to an hour from the Upper Cableway Station to Maclear's Beacon. The Cableway gives 1.5 to 2 hours for the gorge.

Key hazards

▲Muggings and attacks in and around the park; go in a group of four or more
▲Sudden weather change and loss of visibility on the plateau
▲Heat and no shade in the gorge
▲Cableway closure in wind
▲Wildfire closures in the dry season
▲Stone steps slick after rain
▲No reliable water on the mountain

SafetyOrientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance. Go in a group, tell someone your route and return time, carry a windproof layer and water, and turn back if cloud closes the plateau.

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Official sources

Last verified 2026-09-16 · Record CETC-RUN-026 · Orientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance.

Photograph: Lovemedead · CC BY-SA 4.0