Top Things to do in Blue Mountains
Top Restaurants in Blue Mountains
Things to do in Blue Mountains, New South Wales: The Best Nature & Parks
The Blue Mountains are named for the delicate azure haze that lingers along the region, which is actually a fine cloud of oil emitted by eucalyptus trees. The mystical mountains are a labyrinth of plateaus, gorges and gum trees. Check out the Katoomba Scenic Railway (the steepest railway in the world), the Jenolan Caves and the Giant Staircase nature walk.
Restaurants in Blue Mountains
1. The National Pass
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 171 reviews
Reviewed By janegY5176OH - Armidale, Australia
We walked as a family of 2 adults and our kids age 16 and 14, setting off from the Wentworth Falls picnic area and completing the circular trail in a clockwise direction. The walk is challenging in places, so there is a level of fitness required in order to enjoy. 'Slack Stairs' wasn't as bad as it was made out to be I felt. The infrastructure was secure, though some of the paths along the bottom were a bit rough. We walked at a steady pace and thoroughly enjoyed the walk which took us 3 hours.
2. Kanangra-Boyd National Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 30 reviews
Reviewed By Reviewers17
There are 3 walks: Waterfall (30 mins max) Lookout (10 mins max from car park) Plateau Walk (30 mins max each way but you will want to spend some time admiring the incredible view). You can look at a cave enroute - it says 10 min return but it is only about 30 seconds along the path. It took us 30 mins to drive there from the entrance to the park in our 4wd. It can be done in a normal car but a little slower. There was a campground enroute and lots of other driving and walking tracks if you have time to explore more before getting to the Kanangra Walls. It then took us 20 minutes to get to the Jenolan Caves from here.
3. Grand Canyon track
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 110 reviews
Reviewed By MrButterfly2014 - Shrewsbury, United Kingdom
The Grand Canyon Loop is just over 6km long, This Grand Canyon Walk was a true bushwalking adventure, with wonderful views, vibrant rainforest, waterfalls, creek crossings, impressive sandstone walls and massive rock overhangs. Whilst it had some very steep sections both climbing down into the ravine and later climbing out, the track itself was very well maintained and had countless stunning views along the way. However the last forty minutes or so climb up the canyon wall to the top edge was very tough going but finally we got to Evans lookout which did not disappoint, wiith breathtaking views across the immense Grose Valley. After a further 30 minutes, we reached our cars for a well earned sit down. Well worth a visit..
4. Ruined Castle Walking Track
5. Pool of Siloam
6. Blue Mountains
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,911 reviews
Reviewed By BhaskarP620 - Bangalore District, India
This trek is memorable to me as I have done the whole plan on my own with help from TripAdvisor, different social media and maps.me ( this app works without internet with GPS ON). I started my journey on a sunny day from Mt. Victoria at 723 hrs and reached Katoomba at 925 hrs by train. I took a bus just outside the Katoomba station and reached Scenic World at 945 hrs, from here I set my trekking for Blue Mountain (Dardanelles Pass walking track). The altitude of the place is 3000 feet, indicated in my watch. I opened the map and started following Prince Henry Cliff Walk. On the way to eco-point, touched Katoomba cascades to see the beautiful Katoomba falls, Cliff viewpoint for siting blue mountain and valley waves, sky East station to see the giant stairway, Lady Darley’s lookout to see the amazing three sisters before reaching the echo point. The three sisters view from eco-point is gorgeous. Decided to take three sisters walking track to explore the three sisters. Descending through the Giant Stairway, way down over 900 stairs, enter a dense canopy of magnificent coachwood. From this point, the left side is the base point of the scenic world and the right side goes to Leura forest through Dardanelles Pass walking track . The altitude of this place is 2200 feet. The one thing is in my mind that again I need to climb up almost a thousand feet. It started approaching along the Dardanelles path through this beautiful Leura forest. I was searching some company, lucky to get some people from Korea, got confidence to go ahead through this path. Because of maps.me, I knew that I will not lost inside the forest. The path is slowly going up as usual, sometimes it is flat also. But after some point of time, the path is going up and up through this awesome Laura forest. After one hour 15 minutes walk, would reach the junction of Prince Henry cliff walk. As I have decided not to go back to the echo point, so I took an exit from there and reached the main road. I took the main road and reached Katoomba rail station.
7. Wentworth Falls Lookout
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,180 reviews
Reviewed By Subodhsj - Sydney, Australia
This place is full of beauty and amazing views, there are different walks to explore these points, you can try 30mins to 4hours walk. Park your car near Picnic area or get there by bus and walk through Jasmine lookout and walking track towards Wentworth fall, you may see small cascades depending on weather. Best time to visit is light rain, do not try this place in heavy rains. If you are trying more than 30mins walk have some food and water with you for quick energy. Keep watching sign boards to follow direction.
8. Bridal Veil Falls
9. The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 452 reviews
Blue Mountains Botanic Garden sits on 252 hectares of land with 28 hectares open to the public and is home to 21,000 plants and 900 species. The Garden is the only botanic garden in the world in a World Heritage Area and is focused on the conservation of cool climate plants. The Garden is a great place for you to relax, breathe in the clean mountain air and discover a world of cool climate plants at your leisure. The changing seasons create an entirely new and spectacular scene and you are invited to return again and again to witness the ever changing beauty. Complemented by an exciting calendar of events, exhibitions and festivals, The Garden will inspire and entertain you. The Garden and surrounds make the perfect setting for your gathering. Venues available include Garden sites, barbeque picnic areas, pavilions and education spaces with projector, kitchen and heating for your ceremony, get-together, conference, school camp or photo shoot. On-site accommodation is available
Reviewed By BruceM599 - Sydney, Australia
The Mount Tomah botanic gardens, whilst a little damaged by the Christmas 2019 bushfires in this part of the blue mountains, are still largely intact, like its counterpart in central Sydney, it's chock full of exotic mature trees and shrubs from Australia and other countries. It's a delightful place to while away a couple of hours wandering the paths that snake through the grounds. There is a nice cafe and small restuarant in the upper section of the gardens that have wonderful views out over this part of the Blue Mountains
10. The Giant Stairway
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 618 reviews
Reviewed By Boondoggler - Nairn, United Kingdom
Starting from Echo Point, the descent down the Giant Stairway is a little tricky with a combination of rocks, steps and staircases amounting to 900 steps with a stop at the first sister. I’d recommend walking an hour along the valley towards scenic world. You then have a choice of paying to use the scenic railway or using the the Furber steps to get back to the top. You then have an easy stroll back to Echo Point. You need a reasonable level of fitness to do the walk. We took 2.5 hours for the circuit at an easy pace. Take lots of water as there is none available in the valley.
