Blue Mountains is the most iconic national park in Sydney, NSW. It’s where the glowworms, Jenolan Caves, the Three Sisters, and the touristy scenic tram ride are. There are many hiking and non-hiking activities one can do. It’s a huge national park with 6 main areas covering 11,400 km².
Unfortunately, exploring the Blue Mountains has been quite challenging over the past 4 years, due to the fires, then the repeated floods, road closures, and damage done to the trails, etc, etc.
My favourite part about exploring the Blue Mountains is experiencing the clear transition from one world to the other. Somewhere along the hike, you suddenly realise that the temperature has dropped; there is a cool bite in the air, even during summer. You stop to put on your jacket and realise how all the colours in the forest have gotten richer, and how the trees are much taller, touching the clouds. That’s when you know that the nature walk is over; you have arrived at the depths of an ancient rainforest.
The Grand Canyon Walking Track
6.6km circuit, 310m total elevation, Grade 3 — we completed this hike in August 2022 and then regretted not coming back at night. Secret revealed; apparently, there are glowworms in the Grand Canyon at night! That would have been even more magical.
The hike is also beautiful during the day. It might be my favourite one. Hence, we took our sweet time stopping and admiring every 5-10 minutes, and completed the route in 2.5 hours.
I remember a continuous steep descent until we were fully buried in a rainforest. The temperature suddenly drops, so rug up. From a dry-looking landscape, we found ourselves among the rich shades of green very quickly. At the bottom of the canyon, when you look around, grey rocks reach to the sky and sparkle with drips of water running over their crinkly surface. What a sight!
We reached a shallow creek (or waterway) with stones to step over. Ferns behind us and mosses ahead, this place was quite inspiring. Surprisingly, the trail was not even busy. We saw 7 other people — two couples and a trio. I expected a busy day, given how much traffic the Blue Mountains gets most weekends.
On the way back up the canyon, we passed two wide overhanging rocks with waterways dripping down. I guess we could call them mini waterfalls. The water flowing down bounced off the ferns and rained on our heads.
Other than the glowworms, we later found out that there were side trails we could have taken, which would have led us to beautiful waterholes to swim in. Not sure we would have done that even if we knew at the time — Blue Mountains is pretty cold during September.
We also found out that the trail was meant to be much wetter (and even muddy in some sections). We must have been lucky to hike on relatively dry terrain.
The trail is very well-maintained with a defined pathway by wooden and stone steps and stairs. Highly recommend the experience!
More information - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/grand-canyon-track
Mount Hay Summit Walking Track
4.5km circuit, 175m elevation, Grade 5 — we completed this hike in August 2022. It was a short but surprisingly challenging hike (but I would still grade it 4). We spent almost 2 hours on the trail. I guess we weren’t very fit back then.
As the name of the trail suggests, it is a constant climb up to a peak, then a gradual descent back to the starting point. We anticipated the best views would be at the end, so we ‘saved’ our cameras, then realised that we could take better pictures on the way back. Views of the Grose Valley were very nice. Hiking this trail during sunrise or sunset would be fantastic.
Some of the terrain was small, crumbly rocks and dry soil, and the rest was stone stairs to climb on. Overall, the trail was well-maintained. There are enough signs to keep you on track as well. It was late September, and we could see some wildflowers starting to show — cute.
More information — https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/mount-hay-summit-walking-track
Perrys Lookdown to Acacia Flat Campground
4km return, 568m elevation, Grade 4 — we completed this hike in August 2022 as well. I guess we couldn’t get enough of the Grose Valley, as this is an alternative trail to the Mount Hay Summit. Expect to see beautiful panoramic views — in my opinion, this trail has better views.
Parking and toilets are available at Perry’s Lookdown. Note: this is actually a good place for having a picnic. The first half of the trail is a constant steep descent. It’s a well-maintained trail through a dense gum forest with signs to keep you on track.
There is a campground a bit further on the trail; it’s called the Acacia Flat Campground (as the name of the trail says). Going down is never too hard (unless you have bad knees); it’s the climb back up which was tiring.
More information — https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/perrys-lookdown-to-blue-gum-forest-walking-track
Wentworth Falls
1.5km return, Grade 3 — this is a rewarding trail that you can complete in 30 minutes.
You will go through Jamison’s Lookout, Wentworth Falls Lookout, Weeping Rock, and Fletcher’s Lookout, and have many opportunities to capture great pictures.
I remember a lot of stairs; this is a steep walk from the Wentworth Falls picnic area. I tried to find out how many stairs the trail involved, but couldn’t get an exact number. Based on research, it’s between 200-300 stairs, so having strong knees will ensure that you have a good experience on the trail.
There is a stone steps section in front of a large waterfall. My first hike in Australia was at age 10. Mum took a picture of me standing in front of that waterfall with arms wide open, a big smile, red glasses, and a bird feather stuck in my hair (my understanding of fashion back then was a little different). I remember feeling very adventurous and accomplished. Unfortunately, I lost that picture.
More information — https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/wentworth-falls-track
Not sure why I only photographed the sky. 🙄
While there are a lot of hikes in the Blue Mountains, my ideal trip would include a variety of activities. Here are a few things that we’ve done.
Stayed at a Bed & Breakfast Cottage
We spent 3 peaceful nights in a historical cottage with large farmland. There were fruit trees, horses, cows, possums, chickens and two cats around. At night, the stars covered the sky, despite being so close to the city.
Abseiling
Sounds like an activity for kids, but I find abseiling quite fun and not physically tiring. However, most abseiling tours in the Blue Mountains are not very adventurous, so don’t expect to have the thrill of your life. The best part about it was the picturesque location; we saw some unique rock formations while abseiling.
Horse Riding
This was the day I found out that I was not assertive enough to control a horse. I was also unlucky to get an overly hungry horse, as all it wanted to do was to graze, not walk.
The tour was really fun. I would have preferred it to be longer in duration, even though 2 hours of riding was enough to make my hamstrings and glutes sore. It was an expensive tour, but we didn't have a lot of options to choose from.
Bygone Beauty’s Tea Garden
I heard that the Bygone Beauty’s Teapot Museum is home to the world’s largest private collection of teawares (more than 5,500 teapots from all over the world), and that it has very delicious scones. Despite not being a tea fan (I prefer coffee) and never having had the interest to visit a tea garden, I thought, why not?
The atmosphere was very old-fashioned — I liked the vibe. Scones, cream and strawberry jam were soft, pillowy, warm, lightly sweet with floral tones, and delicious. Mini layered cakes were lovely too. Everything tasted in a very traditional way (so it was not mind-blowing), but there was a beauty in the simplicity. It was comforting.
Yes, there were teapots and very artsy, delicate tea collections everywhere. They sparkled! It was interesting, but I wouldn’t go back. I was surprised to see a lot of jewellery (that you can buy) on display. The place was super crowded, so some people definitely carry a strong tea culture (or passion) in their hearts.
Saw the 3 Sisters
It’s an iconic view with cultural significance — highly recommend.
The walk is 0.8km long, but it may take you 30 minutes, by the time you get around the tourist groups, appreciate the view and take a picture. There may also be a waiting line to walk down the Giant Stairway to Honeymoon Bridge, especially during summer weekends. You may want to wake up early; watching the sunrise with that view will warm your heart.
Saw the Glowworms
This was a very cool and magical experience. It was my first time seeing glowworms — felt like a fairytale. I remember being very cold, so rug up. The fact that I experienced this in a small group made it special. However, the groups behind us were quite large, and I am not sure if it ruins the magic.
Later on, I’ve been on more adventurous glowworm tours in New Zealand and Tasmania. Those were a better experience because the tunnels (or caves) were much bigger, so I spent a longer time admiring and exploring.
Hope the Blue Mountains recover from all the damage it had over the past few years. There is still plenty to do there, so hope I’ve given some inspiration.
Questions: as always, if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.
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