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The Lake Mackay Track runs from Balgo in the north, across the Great Sandy Desert to Lake Mackay, and then on to Kiwikurra in the south - just over 300km as the crow flies. It serves as an alternative to the CSR and the Tanami Rd for those who prefer a bit more adventure and a lot less traffic. On leaving Balgo the track runs along the cliff tops of the Balgo Hills before desending across the Great Sandy Desert. It runs to the deserted outstation of Yagga Yagga, and a few smaller deserted outstations and Point Moody.

There are plenty of sand dunes, remote mountain ranges, dry creek bed crossings and magnificent desert scenery. The track turns due east and runs parallel to the dunes for about 30 km, then south for 30 km, then east for another 30 km before it reaches Lake Mackay. Close to Lake Mackay there must be increased moisture as the swales contain a dense eucalypt forest. There is a bore with pure drinking water 30 km west of the Lake. The Lake is a stunning sight. its not much smaller than Lake Eyre. See if you can resist hiking out toward the centre for a photo shoot. After skirting the Lake shore for some distance the track swings south then west. If you want to head east along the Desert Rd towards Kintore there is a turnoff to the south. This track joins the Desert Rd just west of Mt Webb. The main track continues on to Kiwikurra.

Most of the track can be seen using Google Earth. There are several occasions where the beaten track follows a cleared line rather than the track on the NatMap 1:250,000 map. The track is severely washed out in places and would prevent conventional vehicles access. Similarly, there are a handful of dunes comparable in difficulty to the French Line. It gets quite hot in the desert - up to 43 in early October when we crossed- so you wouldn\'t want to be stuck here for long without plenty of water.