Western Australia has more than 100 national parks across roughly 6.5 million hectares, from squeaky-white beaches and karri forest to billion-year-old gorges and striped sandstone domes. You can’t do them all in one trip, and you can’t reach all of them in the same vehicle. So this guide does two things: picks the best parks, and tells you honestly which ones suit a campervan and which need a proper 4WD or a tour.
Which parks can you do in a campervan?
This is the bit most guides skip. Our campers, and most hire vehicles, are built for sealed roads and short, well-formed gravel access. That covers a lot of WA’s best parks. It does not cover soft sand, river crossings or heavily corrugated outback tracks, which is exactly where some of the famous parks sit.
Easy in a campervan (sealed/formed access):
- Cape Le Grand (Esperance), Lucky Bay, on sealed road
- Nambung / the Pinnacles (Cervantes)
- Kalbarri, Nature’s Window, the Skywalk, the coastal cliffs
- Cape Range / Ningaloo, the main coastal road is sealed
- Walpole-Nornalup (Valley of the Giants) and Leeuwin-Naturaliste (Margaret River)
- John Forrest, near Perth
Needs a genuine high-clearance 4WD or a tour, not our vehicles:
- Karijini, corrugated interior roads
- Purnululu / Bungle Bungles, 4WD-only track, remote Kimberley
- Francois Peron (Shark Bay) and the Yeagarup dunes in D’Entrecasteaux, soft sand
Keep that split in mind as you plan, and you won’t end up booked into a park your vehicle can’t legally reach.
The best parks, region by region
South coast
Cape Le Grand is the south coast’s headline act, Lucky Bay’s white sand and beach kangaroos, Frenchman Peak, and a sealed road in. It’s the payoff at the end of the Perth to Esperance drive. Nearby Fitzgerald River National Park is a UNESCO biosphere with over 1,800 plant species and brilliant wildflowers, though many of its roads are unsealed.
South west and Great Southern
Walpole-Nornalup is home to the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, 40 metres up among the red tingles. Leeuwin-Naturaliste wraps the Margaret River coast with its capes, caves and surf. Both fold neatly into the South West loop and are easy campervan country.
Near Perth and the Coral Coast
Nambung National Park holds the Pinnacles, thousands of limestone spires near Cervantes, an easy stop on the Jurien Bay run. Kalbarri pairs river gorges (Nature’s Window, the Skywalk) with dramatic coastal cliffs, all on sealed roads, see the Perth to Kalbarri guide. Further north, Cape Range drops off the Ningaloo Coast, where you can snorkel a reef straight off the beach at Turquoise Bay, the end of the Coral Coast drive.
Pilbara and Kimberley (the 4WD/remote ones)
Karijini in the Pilbara has WA’s most dramatic gorges and swimming holes, but its best gorges sit on corrugated roads that need a real 4WD. Purnululu, in the East Kimberley, holds the striped Bungle Bungle domes, reached by a 4WD-only track or scenic flight. Both are bucket-list parks: Purnululu is beyond our hire range, while Karijini we’ll only consider by request on the right vehicle and dates, see their guides for how to visit properly.
Parks passes (and what’s included with our hire)
Most WA parks charge a day fee, with multi-day and annual passes for bigger trips:
| Pass | Cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Day pass | $17/vehicle ($10 concession) | A single park, one day |
| Holiday pass (5 days) | $30 | A short trip |
| Holiday pass (4 weeks) | $70 | A longer road trip |
| Annual all-parks pass | $130 | Frequent visits |
Buy them through WA’s Parks and Wildlife Service. Two things worth knowing: our hire includes the annual WA Parks Pass, so park entry is already covered when you travel with us, but that only covers entry, not camping fees, and not the separate permits some Aboriginal lands require.
Camping and the practical stuff
WA has well over 100 national park campgrounds, from basic (pit toilet, no water) to fully serviced. They book out months ahead over school holidays and the peak season, so reserve early through Park Stay, and arrive self-sufficient at the remote ones (our campers carry their own power and water, which suits them well).
A few constants across WA parks: carry 4–5 litres of water per person per day, download offline maps (reception is patchy to none), avoid driving at dawn and dusk for wildlife, check fire bans before cooking outdoors, and no pets in national parks. For the hot, remote north, our guide to outback travel around the heat is worth a read.
Best time to go
It varies by region, but as a rule: spring (September–November) is the all-rounder, wildflowers and mild weather statewide. The north (Pilbara, Kimberley, Ningaloo) is a dry-season trip (roughly April–October); summer up there is 40°C-plus with cyclone risk and some parks closed. The south coast and south-west are good most of the year, best in spring and summer for the beaches.
Plan your parks trip
The easiest way to string several parks together is by campervan on the sealed routes, the south-west loop, the south coast to Esperance, or the Coral Coast. Compare the campervan and 4WD camper options, check live availability on the fleet listings, and remember the WA Parks Pass is already included. For the corrugated and Kimberley parks, plan a specialist 4WD or a tour.
FAQs
Does WA have national parks?
Yes, more than 100, covering around 6.5 million hectares, managed by the state’s Parks and Wildlife Service.
What are the best national parks in Western Australia?
For most visitors: Cape Le Grand, Kalbarri, Nambung (the Pinnacles), Cape Range/Ningaloo and Walpole-Nornalup are the easiest to reach and reward, while Karijini and Purnululu are the bucket-list pair for those equipped for remote 4WD travel.
What are the top 5 national parks in WA?
A defensible top five: Karijini, Cape Le Grand, Purnululu (Bungle Bungles), Kalbarri and Cape Range (Ningaloo), two coastal, two outback, and one that’s both.
Do you need a pass to enter WA national parks?
Most charge an entry fee. A day pass is $17 per vehicle, or you can buy a holiday or annual pass, and our hire includes the annual WA Parks Pass, so entry’s covered (camping fees are separate).