This was another new walk for me in the Upper Blue Mountains that exceeded expectations. It starts on the edge of town, and passes steeply through a narrow and deep canyon (actually a gap in the cliffs) called the Devils Hole. As you drop down you can take a short side trip to the left for views of the cliffs lining Narrow Neck Plateau. At the bottom of Devils Hole you turn left to view a scenic waterfall, and can then continue on along the bottom of cliffs used by rock climbers.
Track notes at the end. There’s a much longer loop that you can do, and I’ve included an online map reference in the track notes section.
Devils Hole Track: The Scenery
The photo below shows where you leave the Devils Hole for the above views…
A couple of crimson rosellas were hanging out at the end of the walk when we were stretching…
Track Notes
The track eventually peters out at a spot where I managed to get a clear photo of the Devils Hole and surrounding cliffs. Going this far is a moderate walk, and turning back at the waterfall makes it pretty easy, so long as you don’t mind steep and possibly slippery terrain. We used track notes in the guide book Blue Mountains Best Bushwalks.
It’s possible to continue further into Megalong Valley from the bottom of the cliffs to meet up with fire trails, returning through Six Foot Track Reserve to the tops near Bonnie Doon Reserve, and back to the start along streets (see this topo map) but we were happy enough to just see the ‘hole’.
You start opposite 261 Cliff Drive Katoomba…
Nearby Walks
There are heaps of really good walks in the Blue Mountains, and I’ve done a lot of them. You can read about my favourite Blue Mountains walks in a blog post I wrote, or browse through a list of all the walks I’ve done below.
Lincolns Rock: The Scenery
We’ve done the Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head walk many a time. Walking through attractive heath vegetation allows for open views for the most part from start to finish, taking in the shear sided cliffs of the impressive Grose Valley from the opposite side of the valley to walks near Blackheath (such as walking to Pulpit Rock). Definitely a good scenery to effort ratio. (more…)
This walk in the Lower Blue Mountains is more attractive than my photos suggest; basically it’s more atmospheric than photogenic. It passes through various forest types and takes in numerous pools and waterfalls. The steep side trip (and mini circuit) to Martins Lookout is worth it, and a good spot for lunch. (more…)
A short walk with lots of climbing, starting up high at Martins Lookout, dropping down steeply to Glenbrook Creek, and ending up high again at Bunya Lookout and later Lost World Lookout. The views are good if not mega, and there’s a few interesting rocks and plants along the way. A good option in the lower mountains for half a day’s walking with some decent climbing (about 500m of ascent/descent all up). (more…)
It took us a while to do this walk for the first time because the nearby Lockleys Pylon Track is so great that we kept doing that. Ascending Mt Hay is a really excellent walk though, and quite short. It’s a longer drive to the start than Lockleys Pylon, but visiting nearby Butterbox Point is another excellent short walk that can be done in the same outing. You can also continue past Mt Hay to visit the more remote Venus Tor. Views of cliffs and deep valleys on all of these walks. (more…)
