Mount Hassell
Stirling Range National Park
Directions - Mount Hassell is located within Stirling Range National Park, a one hour journey by car from the centre of Albany. From the centre of town, head north along Albany Highway, taking the Chester Pass Road exit at the large roundabout, and following this for 77km until you reach the turn-off for Stirling Range Drive. Drive down the unsealed road (2WD accessible) for three kilometres until you see the sign pointing you left into the car park for Mount Hassell. The trail head is on the southern side of the car park.
The Hike - Mount Hassell is not one of the toughest or longest of the day hikes in Stirling Range National Park but it's an enjoyable hike that takes you up to see some incredible views of the surrounding peaks. I first hiked this one back in 2016, and like all the other day hikes in the area, it had its own character and charm that stuck with me. Some of my favourite photos from that trip are from Mount Hassell, so I was looking forward to returning and seeing if the magic was still there.
Scheduling in some time to visit the Stirling Range on a three week hiking road trip, Mount Hassell would be my lunch hike on my first full day in the park. Having hiked up Toolbrunup Peak in the morning, I would be seeing it again, as Mount Hassell is a close neighbour. Between my last visit here and now, there have been a couple of fires in the Stirling Range, and after my Toolbrunup visit, I was confident that the area had recovered enough that it wouldn't be an issue. A feature of the pre-fire trail was the Tibetan prayer flags at the summit, so I was curious to see if they had survived. It was a relatively cool day, with sunny, partially cloudy skies and temperatures in the late teens, perfect hiking conditions in my book. Starting the hike after reading the information board, the first section leading up the hill is one of the toughest in terms of gradient. Much like Mount Trio, there is no warming up, just straight into the action. This was fine with me, as I knew what was ahead, and I'd rather have a more relaxing time higher up, when the views were plentiful and the photos were going to be at their best.
Early on the wildflowers had me stopping frequently, with lots of different species, including many that I had never seen before. With the Stirling Range home to a vast number of unique flora that is only found in this region, I love the possibility of what you might find out here. Rather than take you up a straight path, the first part of Mount Hassell sees you turn to the left and ease around the contours of the mountain. This provides variety, and more importantly, you are now facing one of my favourite views looking back to Yungermere Peak, and as you get higher, Bluff Knoll. Facing in a south easterly direction, the lighting is at it's best after mid morning, and with the aforementioned sprinkling of clouds providing more even light, I was taking a lot of photos. Winding around the side of the mountain, you eventually reach the ridge line of Mount Hassell as you face to the west now. This hike I've said in the past is a three parter, with the tough climb up to the ridge being one section, the ridge being the second, and the final ascent to the summit being the final part.
The gradients flatten out as you reach the ridge, and here is a good opportunity to spot the local reptiles sun bathing on the lichen stained rocks that you pass through. I was lucky to see a large Southwestern Rock Skink enjoying the midday sunshine, and I managed to get a few snaps before moving on. Continuing to rise up the hill, the summit of Mount Hassell was not yet visible, just a narrow trail cutting through the heath. Eventually I got high enough that the bulk of the final summit was visible and the end was near. The pyramid shape of the Mount Hassell summit reminds me of West Mount Barren, where you are staring up at the vegetated hill as it rises up into the blue skies, producing some nice photos. There's a little bit of a dip before you behind the final ascent up to the last part of the climb, and the steeper gradients return. Enjoying the continued colour of the wildflowers through here, I was soon at the foot of the last challenge before reaching the summit. This is a great spot to stop and take stock of the surrounding views, with plenty to enjoy here, including looking back at Bluff Knoll, spotting the car park below you, along with the views across to Mount Trio.
Staring at the rock wall leading to the summit, this can be a pinch point if you're not a confident rock scrambler. With the fires clearing the vegetation a bit up here, my podcast partner had mentioned there is an easier path around to the left, so I decided to investigate that. In the end, I don't think it was much easier but I thought I would try. A short flat section leads to the summit cairn, and the prayer flags were no longer there. The flat summit provides a nice area to sit down and have a rest, enjoying the views looking across to Toolbrunup Peak, and back to Yungermere Peak and Bluff Knoll. Soaking in the sun, I had some fun photographing a hover fly as it was darting around, trying to manually focus while it moved about. With one more mountain climb for the day, I decided to head back down and fuel up at my cabin. The descent was thoroughly magical with those spectacular views for company, and lots of wildflowers finds I didn't see on the way up.
Final Thoughts - Mount Hassell has to be one of the most photogenic day hikes in the Stirling Range, being perfectly positioned between several amazing peaks, along with the main part of the trail running east-west.
I've lucked out on my visits here, with perfect lighting but this is one of my favourites due to the variety of scenery, epic wildflowers, and impressive views.
Most people might drive by Mount Hassell on their way to Talyuberlup Peak and Mount Magog, but I can assure you that it worth stopping to take in another fantastic climb in the Stirling Range.
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