early October at Cradle Mountain
 

I'm finally ready to start booking our flights,etc. for our 5-week trip to Australia next September/October.

I have been researching for some time now (thank you to everyone on this board who has helped me!!). And I thought that I had determined that very early October would be a good time to visit Cradle Mountain.

Now, from some other things I've read, I'm wondering if we should move the whole trip a bit later. We like to walk/hike and had hoped to walk the Dove Lake circuit, etc. Is this likely to be covered in snow in the very beginning of October?

Also--in Colorado/Wyoming they have what the call "mud season". It's in the spring--when the snow is gone, but there really isn't any grass yet. It's just muddy. Not the best time to go walking. Will Cradle Mountain be like this?

Our plan had been to start our trip in mid-September--and visit Uluru, Darwin and North Queensland during the first 3 weeks (before it gets really hot in the center). Then Tasmania and finally finishing with 5 days in Sydney. I guess maybe this all works--but maybe Cradle Mountain isn't a good idea??

We visited Cradle Mountain early Oct. last year and it snowed while we were walking around the lake.

My memory of the Dove Lake circuit is that a lot of it was along wooden boardwalks or stone paths - so mud will not be problem - others may like to comment.....

Cradle mountain lodge is a lovely place to stay and close to the park entrance.

We spent two weeks in TAS in October and had great weather, two days of which were spent in Cradle Mountain.

We were told by a park employee that Cradle Mountain only gets about 35 really nice days per year, it rains 7 out of 10 days and the sun only shines 1 day in 10. There was snow at higher elevations, but we didn't encounter any on our walks.

The Dove Lake circuit is 6.5 km and takes about 90 minutes to walk. As I recall, it's a combination of boardwalk and dirt path, so mud is certainly a possiblity, but shouldn't be a major concern.

Suggest you be prepared for rain, but I wouldn't bother moving your trip around as you just never know what the weather will do.

We were also in TAS in March and the weather was awful. Even the locals seemed surprised at how cold and wet it was, but we still had a great time.

Thanks so much for your answers. I think we will go ahead with our plans. Rain won't bother us (not much anyway). We just didn't want the trails to be completely hidden by snow!