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.
When you’ve done the spectacular routes on the eastern side of Blackheath at the top of the Blue Mountains, try the network of tracks on the western side for an alternative mix of Upper Mountains scenery. The views are a bit less extensive, but you get up close and personal with sheer cliffs frequented by rock climbers, pass through rainforest, dry forest and heath vegetation, and can visit a small but atmospheric canyon along the way. (more…)
You can get good views of Wentworth Falls, in the Upper Blue Mountains, on three excellent circuit walks: via the National Pass, Wentworth Pass (no separate post for this), and via Hippocrene and Vera Falls. But if you want to see the falls in all their glory without much effort, then I can highly recommend the short walk down to Princes Rock Lookout from the Wentworth Falls picnic area. (more…)
This walk is conveniently located at the very bottom of the Blue Mountains near Glenbrook. Not all that spectacular, it’s nevertheless unique for the cave at the turnaround point, which contains excellently preserved indigenous hand stencils made with red ochre, hence the name Red Hands Cave. Walking from Glenbrook Causeway near the entrance to the national park, you’ll pass through a variety of forest types, from dry scrubby vegetation to rainforest, and the link track provides a bit of variety making a partial loop. (more…)
You can sample some of the best of the upper Blue Mountains on this harder than average circuit walk near Blackheath. You get the usual grand valley and cliff views, but also numerous waterfalls, rainforest, and creek scenery. And you can combine the Rodriguez Pass with the Grand Canyon Circuit (as we did) to make a full and varied day of it. (more…)
