Blue Mountains Traverse

Today is an arrival day. You will be staying at the historic Carrington Hotel in the heart of Katoomba for the next 3 nights in a Colonial Room (king or twin). This landmark, art deco manor is in the heart of Katoomba with shops, cafes and restaurants at your doorstep. Enjoy a day at leisure to explore this beautiful town. Tonight enjoy dinner in the hotel’s restaurant served with wine.

TRAIL NOTES: 5.8km, 4 hours walking with breaks. Ascents 298m. Grade 3. Medium to Hard Grade.

TERRAIN: The trail from Evans Lookout runs gently uphill for about 1.5km before dropping steeply for about 0.9km with steps. It then undulates through the canyon for about 2.3km on dirt and rock paths interspersed with sandstone steps, rock ledges and overhangs, small bridges and stepping stone creek crossings before ascending steeply to the top of the plateau, with steps, for 1.1km.

WALK ITINERARY: This morning after a hearty breakfast meet your guides in the foyer of the Carrington Hotel at 9:15 am. Today we head to Blackheath for the beginning of our walking adventure of the Blue Mountain’s Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon as a narrow chasm approximately 180m deep formed into the sandstone by the cascading waters of Greaves Creek. Our walk starts on the top of the escarpment near Evans Lookout taking us to the head of the Grand Canyon Track. Here where we descend into a magical wonderland of fern gullies and rainforest, dotted with pretty creek crossings and cascading waterfalls. The walk culminates in a climb up a series of sandstone steps through lush forest and ferns to Evans Lookout where guests will be awed by the panoramic views across the immense Grose Valley, surrounded by huge, vertical sandstone cliffs and impressive waterfalls. Afterwards, we head to our accommodation at the iconic Carrington Hotel, one of Blue Mountain’s most historic and iconic hotels situated in the heart of Katoomba and close to shops and cafes. Tonight enjoy fine a la carte dining in a local restaurant accompanied by regional wines and great views

Trail Notes: 7.9kms. 5.5 hours walking with breaks. Walk Medium to Hard grade. Ascents 666m. 2.6km of this walk has gentle hills with occasional steps and another 1.2km is very steep. The remaining (210m) has short steep hills.

Itinerary: After a hearty breakfast, we set out for our day’s walking adventure. Today we have a unique way to get to the start of our walk. We head from our hotel to Katoomba. From here we take a shortcut to the valley floor on the Scenic Railway the world’s steepest railway. We traverse the Jamieson Valley, the track was once a historic mining route with ruins of miners’ cottages and worksites. We then head into a world of lush rainforests of giant sassafrass and coachwood trees. As we reach Ruined Castle we enjoy some rock hopping to take up to the peak of Ruined Castle, one of the most visible and remarkable landmarks of the Blue Mountains. The 360-degree views from the rocky outcrop are simply breathtaking. We return to our superb accommodation for an enjoyable dining experience in the superb Eucalypt Restaurant including local wine and recount the day’s adventures with newfound friends.

TRAIL NOTES: 6.2kms. 5 hours walking with breaks. Ascents: 489m. Medium Grade.

TERRAIN: The walk undulates easily along the top of the escarpment, over and under the cliffs for 2.5km to Wentworth Falls. From here there are a series of steep ascents and descents, for 1km, with steps, stairs and handrails before descending to the valley below the cliffs. The trail runs along the valley for 1.5km and is rough in sections but not difficult. It then climbs steeply for 1.1km to the Conservation Hut and includes short sections with steep rock steps and metal and wooden stairs with handrails.

WALK ITINERARY: After a relaxing breakfast, we head out on our day’s walking adventure, to one of the most beautiful hikes in the whole of the Blue Mountains. Descend into a valley of magnificent waterfalls through a stunning rainforest gorge. Explore ferny grottos, swimming holes and see a series of cascades including beautiful Empress Falls where water gushes from a narrow gorge. We’ll stop for a picnic lunch at the base of a waterfall where you can listen for the distinctive calls of the whip-birds and lyrebirds. Soak up the atmosphere as you jump across stepping stones to cross creeks and stand in awe taking in magnificent views of the falls and mountain scenery. Instead of just admiring the views from a lookout you’ll descend by steps down the cliffs into the wilderness to experience the true beauty of this region. We finish our walk early afternoon, for those returning to Sydney we offer complimentary transfers to the Sydney CDB, returning to the Sir Stamford Hotel.

FINISH TIME: At approximately 3.00 pm in the Blue Mountains.