Hit the Trail: These Are Melbourne's Top-Rated One-Hour Hikes and Day Trips for 2026
There's no need to travel far to find a top-quality walk — this list of top-rated treks will help you get a move on instead.
Looking to get more active in 2026? Now you have a convenient list of breathtaking tracks to explore on foot, as go-to hiking and biking app AllTrails has revealed the top-rated one-hour hikes and day trips within touching distance of Melbourne.
According to the data, Australians are loving the great outdoors more than ever, with users on our shores navigating over 28 million kilometres in 2025. That's nearly three times the distance logged during the previous 12 months.
Brook James
Topping the list of one-hour loop trails outside Melbourne is the 3.9-kilometre Ker-Bur-Rer Walk. Situated near Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula, this easygoing trek pairs gentle hills with stellar views and wildlife encounters, from wallabies to emus.
Other highly rated walks were Doncaster's Ruffey Lake Park Circuit, the Albert Park Loop and the Parkdale Beach Walk. Primed for laidback strolls in a convenient location, it's no surprise these walks are considered some of Melbourne's most popular.
If you're keen for a little more adventure, the list of top-rated day trips looks further afield. At number one, Berwick's Pinetree Walk offers relaxed hiking amid the Wilson Botanic Park, while the Queenscliff Beach via Point Lonsdale Beach provides dazzling views of Port Phillip Bay.
As for Australia's top-rated hikes overall, a trip to Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania is required to reach AllTrail's best. That'd be the loop trail spanning Crater Lake, Marions Lookout, Lake Lilla, Dove Lake, with each vista more stunning than the last.
Keen for more hikes? Check out Ten of the Best Walks in and Around Melbourne, or head to AllTrails for more information.
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