Lions Head will be closed from the 7th of January to the 15th of February in order to repair its severely damaged and eroded trails, making it safer for hikers.
The famous hiking trails on Lions Head will be closed from today until mid-February. This is to help restore the eroded trails. An audit was done by SANParks in 2017 and it was recommended to close the area to help conservation efforts.
In a press release shared last year, SANParks confirmed that the process would take place in phases and the closure of the area would be the final phase of the project.
South African National Parks (SANParks) wishes to inform all Table Mountain National Parks (TMNP) visitors of the pending trail maintenance that will take place on Lions Head from 7 January 2019 to 15 February 2019. Successful completion of this much-needed intervention on the popular spiral trail up to the summit requires full closure of the trail during the maintenance period.
During 2017, a Trail Audit Report for the Lions Head and Signal Hill footpath network was completed. The outcome of the report resulted in recommendations to improve the longevity of the trail, safety of hikers in the area and the environmental protection of the Lions Head and Signal Hill.”
SANParks did minor work that included the closure of unauthorised pathways and the erections of directional signage to guide hikers along the official trails.
“Kindly note that no access will be permitted to hikers or runners via the track entrance along Signal Hill Drive. This includes the restriction on access after sunset and before sunrise. Due to the maintenance in progress, we cannot guarantee the safe passage of visitors along the path way and hence the entire trail will be closed.”
Signal Hill will remain open to the public as a viewing point so people will still be able to go for a romantic sunset view.