"Started out at Alivio Tourist Park and made our first mistake by punching Telstra Tower Black Mountain into Google and it started sending us up the mountain by road. We were fifteen minutes into the walk when we realised this. Take two. Started on Belconnen Way at Fairfax St, and headed west until we saw a sign for Black Mountain Nature Reserve and saw a track entering the bush. We took this track and quickly came to an intersection and crossed over the Powerline Track and kept heading southwest. We came to another intersection and turned southeast (left) onto Link Track and followed this until it terminated at Callitris Track and headed southwest and then south to another cross intersection and kept heading south. The track then starts to steepen for the last 600m or so. We then just followed the track around the summit until it pops out just near the summit marker. " — Julian4077 • Jan 20, 2022

"Saturday morning walk with friends. Rather squishy underfoot following a rainy week. Started at Hackett Gate and took the zig zag trail, with a sidetrip to a couple of dams (and paths that had become creeks!)" — kjw • Aug 15, 2020

"Parked in the car parking area off Coulter Drive in Cook. Walked up a dirt track to the ridge, then at the water reservoirs turned off on the track to the Mt Painter Trig. Great views. A popular walk" — VK1DI • Apr 26, 2020

"Very decent hike up the highest mountain in the Canberra Metro Area. Surprisingly very quiet up at the summit due to the road not being accessible to the public but did see a few people on the track heading down to the carpark. " — austinbaker • Sep 30, 2019

"Straight forward trip up Mt Ainslie Rd. Saw a range of wildlife on the way up from native wallabies to introduced pests rabbits. Had to watch traffic though as some drivers have questionable abilities and sense." — Julian4077 • Oct 9, 2018