HomeDestinationsAntarcticaShirley Island Walking Route from Casey Station
Easy
Hiking
🌐 Antarctica
Satellite

This track was identified and mapped via high-resolution satellite imagery.

ID: AQ-06
Access is only for Australian Antarctic Program personnel and authorised visitors (including guests of IAATO-member operators on approved station visits) under Antarctic Treaty permits. Recreational trails must be signed out with the station before leaving, and walkers must keep their distance from wildlife and stay on the flagged/marked route.
https://www.antarctica.gov.au/

Shirley Island Walking Route from Casey Station

Added on 14 Oct 2026
Logged by @trailx

A walk from Australia's Casey Station across the ice of Launch Channel to Shirley Island, a mostly ice-free rocky island just north-west of Bailey Peninsula in the Windmill Islands. The route circles the island and returns to the station.

Trail Map

Initialising Map Engine...

Trail Profile

General Instructions

About 2.9 km out and back including the island loop, 1–2 hours. The channel crossing is on sea ice and depends on station approval of ice conditions. Sign out with the station and follow Australian Antarctic Division field rules.

Weather check

At Start
16m

Sampling Micro-Climate...

-66.2824, 110.5237

Slide to preview conditions across the entire route • Point: -66.2824, 110.5237 @ 16m

Quick Stats

Distance
2.86 km
Type
Hiking Trail
Elevation Range
14m - 16m
Max Elevation
16 m
Max Gradient
0.1%
0.7%

Highlights

  • Cross the sea ice of Launch Channel when it is approved as safe
  • Circle the rocky island
  • Look over Vincennes Bay and the Windmill Islands
  • Watch for Adélie penguins from a respectful distance
  • See Casey Station from the water side

Field Radio Protocol

VHF-UHF Communication

Emergency Simplex
146.520MHz
Team Coordination
446.006MHz
Scout Primary
146.400MHz

Propagation Telemetry

Ridge Line

92%

Gorge Floor

18%

Sector Relay: Sector Alpha Relay• 12-18 KM Range

Regulatory Compliance

VHF/UHF frequencies are for monitoring and emergency coordination only. Transmitting on these bands may require an Amateur Radio License or regional government permits. Check local telecommunications laws before operation.

Technical Analysis

Total Ascent

+1 m

Total Descent

-2 m

Ruggedness Index

Terrain Roughness Index

Vertical displacement per km. Typical range: 0 (Smooth) to 100+ (Extreme Mountain).

0 (Smooth)50 (Steep)100+ (Extreme)
1

1.0

Tortuosity Index

Route Curviness Index

Ratio of actual path to straight line. Typical range: 1.0 (Direct) to 3.0+ (Switchbacks).

1.0 (Direct)2.0 (Winding)3.0+ (Serpentine)
1.24

1.24

Gradient Distribution

Flat (0-3%)100%
Moderate (3-8%)0%
Steep (>8%)0%

Surface & Hydrology

Paved0%
Unpaved100%

Surface Spectrum Analysis

Sand
100%
Water Crossings

Includes only technical water fords where the vehicle actively enters a stream or riverbed. Permanent bridges are excluded from this count.

0

Difficulty Analysis

SCORE: 4

Difficulty is determined by a technical multi-vector analysis of elevation profile, surface quality, and topographic intensity.

Resulting CategoryEasy

Bounding Box (WGS84)

MIN LAT: -66.284033
MAX LAT: -66.280350
MIN LON: 110.498391
MAX LON: 110.523708

Point Spacing: 65.1 m • Engine: TrailX Precision GPX ANALYTICS v1.0.0

Reviews & Discussion0

Expedition notes, route modifications, and surface updates shared by the community.

Log Expedition Notes

You must be signed in to contribute reviews

Authenticate Identity

Be the first to review

No reviews registered for this technical sector yet. Share your experience, surface observations, or gear recommendations!

Plan this trip

Before you go: Shirley Island Walking Route from Casey Station

More like this

Navigate it offline

Download this trail and its map in the free TrailX app for turn-by-turn guidance, off-route alerts and GPS recording without signal.

Open in TrailX app

Read before you go

Nearby

Trails near Shirley Island Walking Route from Casey Station

All trails in Antarctica →