| Golden Gate Highlands National Park | |
|---|---|
 Brandwag Buttress | |
 Location of the park | |
| Location | Free State,South Africa |
| Nearest city | Bethlehem |
| Coordinates | 28°30′22″S28°37′0″E / 28.50611°S 28.61667°E /-28.50611; 28.61667 |
| Area | 340 km2 (130 sq mi) |
| Established | 1963 |
| Governing body | South African National Parks |
| www | |
  Golden Gate Highlands National Park (South Africa) Show map of South Africa Golden Gate Highlands National Park (Free State (South African province)) Show map of Free State (South African province) | |
Golden Gate Highlands National Park is located inFree State,South Africa, near theLesothoborder. It covers an area of 340 km2 (130 sq mi).[1] The park's most notable features are its golden, ochre, and orange-hued, deeplyerodedsandstonecliffs andoutcrops,[2] especially the Brandwag rock.[3] Another feature of the area is the numerous caves and shelters displayingSanrock paintings.[4] Wildlife featured at the park includesmongooses,eland,zebras, and over 100 bird species. It is the Free State's only national park and is more famous for the beauty of its landscape than for its wildlife.[5] Numerouspalaeontology finds have been made in the park, including dinosaur eggs and skeletons.
"Golden Gate" refers to the sandstone cliffs found on either side of the valley at the Golden Gate dam. In 1875, a farmer called J.N.R. van Reenen and his wife stopped here as they travelled to their new farm in Vuurland. He named the location "Golden Gate" when he saw the last rays of the setting sun fall on the cliffs.[6]
In 1963, 47.92 km2 (11,840 acres) was proclaimed as anational park, specifically to preserve the scenic beauty of the area. In 1981, the park was enlarged to 62.41 km2 (15,420 acres), and in 1988, it was enlarged to 116.33 km2 (28,750 acres).[6] In 2004, the park was announced to be joining with the neighbouringQwaQwa National Park.[7] The amalgamation of QwaQwa National Park was completed in 2007, increasing the park's area to 340 km2 (84,000 acres).[1][8]
The park is 320 km (200 mi) fromJohannesburg and is close to the villages ofClarens andKestell, in the upper regions of theLittle Caledon River.[4] The park is situated in theRooiberge of the eastern Free State, in the foothills of theMaluti Mountains. TheCaledon River forms the southern boundary of the park, as well as the border between the Free State and Lesotho. The elevation ranges from a 1,800 m (5,900 ft) plateau in the north to heights of 2,700 m (8,900 ft) in the south.[9] The highest peak in the park (and also in the Free State) isRibbokkop at 2,829 m (9,281 ft) above sea level.[6]
The park is located in the easternhighveld region of South Africa and experiences a dry, sunny climate from June to August. It has showers, hail, and thunderstorms between October and April. It has thick snowfalls in the winter.[10] The park has a relatively high rainfall of 800 mm (31 in) per year.[6]
The park is an area of rich highveld andmontanegrasslandflora.[4] It has more than 60 grass species and a large variety of bulbs and herbs. Each of these species has its own flowering time, meaning that veld flowers can be seen throughout the summer. The park also hasAfromontane forests andhigh-altitude Austro-Afro alpinegrassland, which is scarce in South Africa. The ouhout (Leucosidea sericea), anevergreen species, is the most common tree in the park. Ouhout is a favourite habitat ofbeetles and 117 species occur on these trees in the park. The Lombardipoplars and weepingwillows in the park areintroduced species, but are kept because of their cultural and historic connection with the eastern Free State. Other exotic species in the park, for examplewattle and bluegum, are systematically eradicated.[6]
Instead of reintroducing one of the"big five" into the park, thesungazer lizard and watermongoose were reintroduced. Twelve species of mice, 10 species of carnivores, and 10antelope species have been recorded in the park.[11] Thegrey rhebok and themountain reedbuck were present when the park was established.
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![Chacma baboon[12]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aChacma_baboon_(Papio_ursinus_griseipes)_male_head.jpg)
Over 210 bird species have been observed in the park,[13] including the rarebearded vulture and the endangeredCape vulture andbald ibis.
Seven snake species, including thepuff adder,mountain adder, andrinkhals, are found in the park.[6]
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The geology of the park provides very visual "textbook" examples ofSouthern Africa's geological history. The sandstoneformations in the park form the upper part of theKaroo Supergroup. These formations weredeposited during a period ofaeolian deposition towards the end of theTriassic Period.[4] At the time of deposition, theclimate of the area the park covers was becoming progressively drier until arid desert conditions set in, resulting in a land of dunes and sandy desert, with occasional scatteredoases. The deposition of the sandstones ended whenlava flowed out over the desert 190 million years ago.[6]
The following sequence of geological formations is visible in the park (starting from the bottom): the Molteno Formation, Elliott Formation, Clarens Formation, and Drakensberg Formation. The yellow-brown Golden Gate and Brandwag cliffs are made up of the Clarens formation. The layers in this formation are 140 to 160 m (460 to 520 ft) thick. The Drakensberg Formation comprises thebasaltic lava that flowed over the desert. It forms the mountain summits in the park. On Ribbokkop, it is 600 m (2,000 ft) thick.[6] The Elliot Formation is a redmudstone where many dinosaur fossils have been found.
The oldest dinosaurembryos ever discovered were found in the park in 1978.[14] The eggs were from theTriassic Period (220 to 195 million years ago) and had fossilised foetal skeletons ofMassospondylus, aprosauropod dinosaur. More examples of these eggs have since been found in the park. Other fossils found in the park include those of advancedcynodontia (canine toothed animals), smallthecodontia (animals with teeth set firmly in the jaw), and bird-like and crocodile-like dinosaurs.[6]
Accommodation in the park is available at Glen Reenen and Brandwag Rest camps. Caravan and campsites with all amenities are available at Glen Reenen camp. The hotel was formerly part of the Brandwag camp, but since its recent refurbishment, it is managed separately bySANParks as Golden Gate Hotel. The nearest town to Golden Gate Highlands National Park isClarens (17 km to the west), butPhuthaditjhaba is also easily reached by a good tar road, driving through the access gate to the east of the park.
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This park will be included in theMaloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area, Peace Park.
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