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Cape Town hikers planning an early-morning Lion’s Head mission will need to tweak their usual route from next week. SANParks has announced that the Jeep Track, which winds around the peak from Signal Hill Road, will close from 20 April to allow for essential maintenance work.
SANParks says it hopes to reopen the trail by June 2026, but that is subject to the weather playing ball with the work that needs to be done. And we all know what a Cape winter can look like!
The closure means the Jeep Track will be off limits to hikers and runners for two months, but the summit itself will remain accessible via alternative routes. (Did you hear all those fitfluencers breathing a sigh of relief?)
So with the Jeep Track closed, what are the alternate routes up Lion’s Head?
The closest option to the usual jeep track route is the Kramat trail off Signal Hill Road, which starts near the Kramat (check out our story about Cape Town’s ‘Circle of Saints’) and heads straight up the northern flank of the peak until it joins the very end of the Jeep Track. SANParks says parking at the Lion’s Head parking area will still be available for hikers using the Kramat approach.
There is also a trail from Kloof Road, but you’ll need to negotiate the roadworks there. If you’re feeling very fit, there’s also a trailhead at Upper Rhine Road from the top of Sea Point, but that leads up to the Kramat Trail anyway, so you might as well park up top and save yourself the climb.
The maintenance project is aimed at improving trail safety on a track that gets its fair share of footfall in the summer and rain erosion in the winter. So while it may briefly disrupt one of the city’s favourite hikes, the long-term payoff should be a safer climb.
The bad news? Lion’s Head is one of the most popular hikes in the city, and even if it’s not peak tourist season, the squeeze of putting all of those jeep-track hikers onto a narrow single-track route means the going is likely to be slower than usual. Pack some extra patience and enjoy the extra time to chill on the mountain.
Another option (and my recommendation)… switch out Lion’s Head for one of the dozens of other great walks on Table Mountain. Try Devil’s Peak if you want city views, or the Pipe Track for Atlantic vistas. Start with our guide to the best day hikes in Cape Town.
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