March 05, 2020
8 mins Read
The award-winning Grand Canyon Track draws you down through impossible sandstone cliffs, amid a diverse array of habitats in the Blue Mountains. It includes more than 1200 thoughtfully laid-out sandstone blocks designed to complement the natural stone and leads you through a surprising tunnel that kids will love.
One of the most popular day walks in the Blue Mountains, it joins Neates Glen to Evans Lookout with its dramatic views across the Grose Valley.
Distance: 6.3 km loop
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Difficulty: Grade 3 = some bush-walking experience necessary
Terrain: Well-maintained track, slippery and uneven in parts. Stairs: remember what goes down must come up.
Tips: If you start the walk from Evans Lookout car park (which has a toilet) and walk in an anti-clockwise direction towards Neates Glen, you will be rewarded with expansive views from Evans Lookout at the end of your steep ascent.
Must-see sights: Take lunch or snacks and spend some time sitting on a stepping stone by the creek.
Grand views from The Grand Canyon
This track is an excellent choice for families wanting to connect young ones with nature, in a gentle, accessible trail guaranteed not to raise a sweat. Starting at the National Parks Visitors Centre, near Govetts Leap lookout, Blackheath, the wheelchair-friendly Fairfax Heritage Walking Track – which is also suitable for kids’ bikes – meanders through eucalypt and heath forest towards jaw-dropping views across the Grose Valley.
Distance: 1.8 km one way
Time: 30 to 45 minutes
Difficulty: Grade 1 = easy
Terrain: Well-formed and sealed track.
Tips: This walk can be enjoyed all-year round, however, you’re guaranteed to see waratahs erupting in flower during October.
Must-see sights: Drop into the National Park Heritage Centre for helpful advice and to see the permanent Outside In exhibition. Visitors can also experience Claustral Canyon without getting wet with the NPWS virtual reality experience.
Hidden away on the quiet side of Blackheath, the Porters Pass & Colliers Causeway track is popular with rock climbers and locals.
Starting at the Centennial Glen car park, just 1.2 km from Blackheath Station, you’ll descend hand-carved rock steps beside the waterfalls and cascades of Centennial Glen Creek. As the track swings away from the creek, the path leads underneath soaring sandstone cliffs, as views to the Kanimbla Valley open before you. Rainforest gullies, dripping with green life draw you upwards, ascending to the top once again, where well-formed walking tracks and magical views close the loop back to the car.
Distance: 6 km
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Difficulty: Grade 4 = suitable for experienced hikers
Terrain: Uneven and slippery surfaces, natural rock steps
Tips: Start at the end of Centennial Glen Road, where there are toilets.
Must-see sights: The views from Fort Rock across Kanimbla Valley
The best known of the Blue Mountains’ multi-day hikes, this classic journey starts in Katoomba, ending three days and 45 km later, at historic Jenolan Caves House. While some of the Six Foot Track was affected by the 2020 bushfires, day 1 and 2 sections are now open, with the National Parks and Wildlife Service working hard to open the hike’s final day 3 track by the end of February 2020.
Distance 45 km
Time 3 days
Difficulty Grade 4 = suitable for experienced hikers
Terrain Established single track and fire trail. Steep ascents and descents.
Tips Start early each day and avoid walking in summer.
Must-see sights Stay overnight at Jenolan Caves House (circa 1896) to shower and rest after your epic three-day journey. This place oozes old-world charm, while the ancient limestone caves it’s built upon draw you deep into the mysterious underground world. Take a guided tour in one of the show caves to top off your Jenolan experience.
Stay overnight at Jenolan Caves House (circa 1896)
Away from the tourist crowds of Echo Point and the Three Sisters, you can find one of the best views across the Jamison Valley by walking sections of the Prince Henry Cliff Walk. While the entire undulating 7 km of the track hugs the tops of the cliffs between Katoomba and Leura, the 500-metre section between Elysian Rock and Olympian Rock are a clear stand-out and reveal an astounding panorama of the entire valley, including Mount Solitary.
Distance: 500 metres
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Grade 3 = some bush-walking experience necessary
Terrain: Established single track, natural and landscaped steps
Tips: You can catch the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus and jump off (then on again) at stop No. 19
Must-see sights: Leuralla, the NSW Toy & Railway Museum for a nostalgic wander through a grand mountain home and museum.
Prince Henry Cliffs hug the tops of the cliffs between Katoomba and Leura
This short loop is perfect for people not wanting to step too far off-the-beaten-track, yet hungry for a sense of wonder amid towering tree ferns, babbling brooks and waterfalls. Starting at Gordon Falls Reserve, (where you’ll find picnic facilities, toilets and a kids’ playground), take the Lone Lyrebird Track towards Lyrebird Dell Picnic Area.
It follows a peaceful creek, passing waterfalls and a historic picnic cave, before leading you down beside the magical Pool of Siloam.
Distance: 1.7 km loop
Time: 45 minutes to 1.5 hrs
Difficulty: Grade 3 = some bush-walking experience necessary
Terrain: An established well-signposted single track that can be a little overgrown at times.
Tips: Take the short side trip down the stairs to the stepping stones of Pool of Siloam – a popular spot for keen photographers.
Must-see sights: The historic picnic cave (with tables) near the top waterfall provides a glimpse back to the 1930s when the Blue Mountains attracted honeymooners and weekenders to, ‘Take the Mountain Air’. It’s still a wonderful spot for a picnic today.
The magical Pool of Siloam
If you’ve got kids who are up for a mild physical challenge (with the promise of a milkshake at the end), the Nature Track Wentworth Falls circuit can include moments of cooling off in mountain creeks, views across enclosed gullies and glimpses into Empress Canyon.
Framed by constantly changing vegetation of mountain heath, lush fern-filled gullies and ironstone banded cliffs, this walk has a little bit of everything. Peer down over Lillians Bridge and spy canyoners in wetsuits below as you add another activity to your adventurous bucket list.
Distance: 3.3 km loop
Time: 1.5 to 2.5 hours
Difficulty: Grade 3 = some bush-walking experience necessary
Terrain: Established walking track, uneven steps
Tips: Start at the Conservation Hut in Wentworth Falls and finish with a rewarding coffee and cake at the end.
Must-see sights: The diversity of vegetation attracts myriad native birdlife. Take your time and allow moments of quiet to pause and listen for them.
Be rewarded with views of Wentworth Falls
Any landscape photographer worth their salt has heard about this multiple-falls walk in South Lawson Park, which dates back to the 1870s. Today, the 3 km track links five picturesque waterfalls on a well-formed track that is popular with locals as a dog-friendly bushwalk. Before heading down, grab lunch from the Lawson shops, where you’ll find a variety of good cafes and great coffee.
Distance: 3.5 km circuit
Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Grade 2 = easy to moderate
Terrain: Established track, can be wet or slippery in parts
Tips: Start at the trailhead near 95 Honour Avenue, Lawson
Must-see sights: Managed by Blue Mountains City Council, dogs (on leash) are welcome to enjoy this bushwalk with you.
The South Lawson circuit links five picturesque waterfalls
One of Lawson’s local secrets, you’ll find the Empire Pass Track trailhead hidden away beyond the town’s 50-metre outdoor swimming pool. Hugging a small cliff overhang, a short section of steps lead you down to the faerie feel of Dantes Glen, only 15 minutes from the car.
If you’re after a short adventure, you can return from here, or keep walking along the verdant trail to take in St Michaels Falls and Frederica Falls. The full circuit is about 5 km and follows a delightful creek through a deep oasis of ferns. A great walk with active kids to spark imaginations and dreams.
Time: 15 minutes to 2.5 hours for the full circuit
Difficulty: Grade 3 = some bush-walking experience necessary
Terrain: Established track, cross the creek on stepping stones, occasionally overgrown.
Tips: Stock up on snacks or grab lunch at one of the two great stores on the northside of Lawson: Lyttleton Stores and Eco Mountain Sustain Cafe.
Must-see sights: In the warmer months, take your swimmers and spend the afternoon cooling off in one of the region’s best outdoor swimming pools or enjoy the picnic facilities at North Lawson Park.
The easiest way to keep safe when hiking is to remember the acronym, TREK.
T = Take what you need
R = Register your intentions (tell someone where you’re going)
E = Emergency communications (mobile phones don’t always work in the gullies, so grab a Personal Locator Beacon if you’re heading somewhere remote)
K = Know your route and stick to it (grab a map and download the helpful NPWS App).
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