Cairns locals will know Crystal Cascades as the go to spot to relax and swim on a hot summers day, while Copperlode to be the towns drinking source for water and for the view over Cairns on the drive up.
I decided to walk from Crystal Cascades to Copperlode which meant there was no shortage of uphill travel. For this walk the up hill was an absolute calf burner on top of carrying my 15kg pack to test out how I would go. The first 1km didn't give you a flat ridge for a break it was continuous trudging in what would be a zig zag line up the mountain to attempt to make the vast incline just a little more bearable in the humid Cairns rainforest, from this experience my advice would be to carry plenty of water for the start.
After about a kilometer in you come to this great lookout point down through Redlynch Valley (top photo). It has been cleared as its the electrical lines up and down the mountain, this is the only real lookout point on the walk, but from here the walk is extremely simple as you follow the ridge line all the way to Copperlode Dam, where there is usually a cool breeze blowing across. Unless you want to walk back it is advised to car pool, by dropping a car before you start off at Copperlode Dam or Crystal Cascades depending if you want to walk up or down hill.
