Due to the change of soil conditions, temperatures, humidity and access to water, the flora life on the routes of the park differs and changes continuously. On the cliff surface, which mainly consists of weathered quartzite and small quantities of soil, there is little nutrition to be offered to plants that grow there. Due to this fact, larger trees force their roots deep into the rocks beneath the quartzite, forcing rock features away from each other and hereby contributing to the gradual disintegration of the cliffs. The flora life on the cliffs enjoy a certain amount of protection from fire due to the large quantities of rock, but if it does catch fire in the kloofs and gullies, the heat generates an up draught that increases the destructiveness of the fires dramatically.

Crest

Due to the lack of sunlight, windy conditions and the low moisture contents, the crest of the mountain has limited plant cover. Although the rainfall is higher on the crest of the mountain than at the bottom, it runs off the rock surfaces and therefore most of these waters will end up in streams and springs lower down on the northern slopes.

Northern Slopes

The northern slopes can be seen as the flat quartzite surface sloping to the north at plus minus 20 to 30 degrees. On the upper parts of the northern slopes, days become hot and dry due to the direct impact of the sun. The lower part of the northern slopes gives life to many different types of flora because of its sandy permeable but rather deep soil conditions. Because of the water that runs off the higher mountain parts, streams are formed and in many cases these streams flow right through the year. The streams in the Hammerkop kloof and Rotsboom kloof are clear examples.

Kloofs

Because of the different factors that limit the extremes of weather and climatic conditions, a lovely microclimate is generated in the kloofs. In the summer months, the kloofs are cool because they are sheltered from direct sunlight. In the winter, the low surface radiation and the northern orientation of the kloofs prevent drastic reduction in temperatures. Winds in the kloofs are minimal and the banks are also not too steep to retain enough soil. These perfect conditions for flora life are home to dense forest communities creating the most delightful places for hikers careful exploration.

Climate

As mentioned before, the climatic conditions change continuously on the route of the park and trails. These records of information were recorded on the lower portions of the northern slopes of the Magaliesberg where the base camp of the Hiking Trails is situated but may change dramatically on the other portions of the mountain. Heavy lightning and thunderstorms occur in the rainy season. It is wise to return to the base camp to avoid being caught up in these storms.