Grand Cliff Top Walk

The views from this walk are on a par with the great walks of New Zealand, and this most surely count now as one of the great walks of the world. Most keen walkers should be able to manage this in the suggested 2 days. However, we'd suggest taking three days to enjoy it, and do the side trips, and if you can arrange transport, starting the walk at Wentworth Falls Waterfall, and finishing at the Three Sisters, to give you the absolute highlights. The first section of the walk is about 2klms through unremarkable scenery to position you from Wentworth Falls Station to the start of the cliff top. Skip this if you can by staying in Wentworth Falls or getting a lift here. The best views of the Falls are just beyond them on the way to Leura from some of the lookouts but it's still worth making the brief detour down to the top of the falls, Beyond here it gets very steep as this track heads to the valley floor. After this the track constantly touches the edge of the cliffs giving endless amazing views over the Jamison Valley. Take the many detours down to the lookouts, most of which are quite short, though Empress Falls is a long way down a very steep and scary staircase - though again, it's worth it and you can even swim here if you wish. There are a lot of stairs and elevation on this track, as the entire way you're heading uphill to Katoomba. A few things to note - the only toilets on this trip are at Wentworth Falls, the Conservation Hut, Gordon Falls picnic area, Leura Cascades and the Three Sisters. There's a long stretch of road walking from the Fairmont, but the streets are nice and quiet. There's also not many places to stop and eat until Katoomba apart from the Conservation Hut, the Fairmont and a coffee van sometimes at Gordon Falls. It's best to take your own food as Conservation Hut is very busy and will delay your walk if you stop here. The coffee van at Gordon Falls Reserve was small but did decent coffee, and the toilets here are brand new and in very good condition. We started at Wentworth Falls and walked back from the Conservation Hut to our accommodation, then resumed the next day to Katoomba and easily found an Uber to get back to our accommodation. The track is mostly in good condition, but parts between Wentworth Falls and Conservation Hut were boggy, even without recent rain.

I hiked the Grand Cliff Top Walk over two days, from Wentworth Falls to Leura and then from Leura to Katoomba, and it was absolutely stunning. The scenery is incredible the entire way, with dramatic cliff views, waterfalls, and countless lookouts where you can stop to rest and take photos. The total elevation change can reach up to around 900 metres, as the track involves a lot of descending to waterfalls and climbing back up again. Some sections have very narrow, slippery steps and there are no barriers, so it can feel quite dangerous if you’re not careful. Having experience in hiking is recommended. I went in winter, and the temperature changes were noticeable when moving between the cool, shaded waterfalls and the exposed cliff tops. Despite the challenges, it’s a very rewarding hike and definitely worth doing. I’d imagine it’s especially enjoyable in summer, when you can cool off by swimming at the waterfalls along the way.

We did this walk over two days but if you are fit and keen, you could do it in one. However, you wouldn’t have time to stop and admire all the magnificent scenery or take any of the little sidetracks to the many points of interest. The track is beautifully maintained so it is relatively easy walking but there are LOTS of stairs (176 floors on day 1!) so you’re legs will get a workout! The train is the easy way to get back to where you started, with stations at Wentworth Falls, Leura and Katoomba all in walking distance or you can get a bus.

Absolutely fantastic!!! There's no wonder it's a world heritage site. I loved every bit of it. And would like to go again and again and again. Make sure you have good shoes and hydration. There was a detour on the Darwin's walk from the station due to construction.

This was an excellent excursion. I did the first day by lunch time, with multiple detours in place. Since it was poor weather I decided to save day 2 for another time. The track is amazing, but poorly signed in places. Take a photo of the sign board before you begin as a reference.