Maclear's Beacon via Platteklip Gorge

Maclear's Beacon is the highest point on Table Mountain at about 1,086 m, and this route reaches it by climbing Platteklip Gorge and then crossing the plateau, in Cape Town, South Africa's Western Cape. The trailhead is on Tafelberg Road above Gardens, about ten minutes by Uber, Bolt or taxi from the city centre, with R70 to R110 typical fares. No permit is needed within Table Mountain National Park. The first leg is the roughly 3 km Platteklip Gorge staircase, climbing about 650 m over stone steps with almost no shade. After emerging on the plateau, a path leads east for about 5 km one way over a rocky sandstone surface, past small pools, fynbos and the Hely-Hutchinson reservoir area, to the beacon, a stone cairn built in 1865 for a survey. The whole outing takes about five to six hours. The plateau is cold, windy and often shrouded in cloud, so navigation can be difficult, and a warm layer and offline map are important. Landmarks include the upper cableway station, where there is a cafe and toilets, the Hely-Hutchinson dam and the path junctions that descend toward Kirstenbosch. Water is not safe to rely on, so it must be carried. The cableway station is the only real refuge. Hikers can return by the same route or ride the cableway down, subject to operating hours and wind. The sensible turn-around point is the cableway station if cloud descends, as the plateau paths are easy to lose in poor visibility.