Wentworth Falls via National Pass, Blue Mountains NP, NSW

Get up close and personal with cliffs and waterfalls on a spectacular walk to Wentworth Falls in the Upper Blue Mountains.

Wentworth Falls via National Pass

This walk to Wentworth Falls is one of my favourites in the Blue Mountains, with numerous cliffs and waterfalls up close and personal. The proximity of the scenery makes it quite spectacular, but rather hard to photograph. Nevertheless, you’ll hopefully get a reasonable impression from the photos that follow. One of the classics in the region.

There are in fact a few variations to the walk along the National Pass, including taking the lower Wentworth Pass, and adding on the Nature Track loop. You can also do a much longer circuit walk taking in Vera Falls and Hippocrene Falls in addition to Wentworth Falls, and my photos from this walk are nicer than the ones in this post, so have a lookTrack notes are at the end.

Wentworth Falls via National Pass: The Scenery

Photos from a few different occasions. My older cameras struggled with the lighting on this walk, so the quality is sometimes a bit iffy.

Wentworth Falls via National Pass
A canyoneer abseiling down Empress Falls.
Wentworth Falls via National Pass
Another canyoneer on Empress Falls, taken on another day.

Wentworth Falls via National Pass

Wentworth Falls via National Pass
Dropping down into rainforest.
Wentworth Falls via National Pass
The National Pass track runs half way up the cliffs.
Wentworth Falls via National Pass
Sophia standing in front of Wentworth Falls, in what I like to think of as a North Korean propaganda style photo. Compare this with the individualistic selfie, which is usually taken from above 🙂
On seeing this photo she said “I’m a giant!”; she’s actually quite short.
Wentworth Falls via National Pass
Wentworth Falls taken with my old point and shoot.
Wentworth Falls via National Pass
I think this is Wentworth Falls taken from down on the lesser travelled Wentworth Pass.
Views over the Jamieson Valley as you climb up to the top of Wentworth Falls.
Wentworth Falls via National Pass
Wentworth Falls. Not the best photo, but the only one I have of the whole falls.

Track Notes

You can start a number of walks at Conservation Hut (with a cafe and NPWS info centre) in the suburb of Wentworth Falls. There are maps at Conservation Hut so you don’t really need track notes, but the loop via the National Pass and back over the top of the cliffs is described in various books, including A Day in the Bush, and also online on Wildwalks. The National Pass is great but another worthwhile variation is the Wentworth Pass, which drops down below the cliff line; you can come back the same way as the National Pass loop. You can also do the shortish Nature Track loop, and then continue on to do either of the walks above. There’s also a circuit walk via Vera and Hippocrene Falls, which is excellent.

Author: Edward Hathway

I'm a clinical psychologist and keen hiker.

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