OVERVIEW

Having spent four days exploring the bustling city streets of Sydney, we were desperate to escape to the mountains and find some epic Australian hiking. I had stumbled upon some incredible photos of the Grand Canyon Track, located in Blue Mountains National Park, and was immediately intrigued.

Despite having near perfect weather during our time in Sydney, unfortunately the rain clouds rolled in the moment we left, and the Blue Mountains were steeped in thick fog, constant rain showers, and we had little to no visibility at the park’s famous lookout points.

Little did we know that those weather conditions would add to the adventure, lead to even more stunning scenery through the canyon, and make the Grand Canyon Track one of our favorite hikes and experiences during our time in Australia.

The trail dives deep into the rainforest and follows Greaves Creek as it weaves through massive ferns, under the towering rainforest canopy, and along cascading waterfalls. If you plan to visit the Blue Mountains, make sure to devote a few hours to hiking the incredible Grand Canyon Track.

STATISTICS

Distance: 3.7-mile loop trail.

Elevation Gain: 948 feet.

Duration: 3-4 hours, largely dependent on the trail conditions.

Difficulty: Moderate. The trail is well maintained, not too long, and doesn’t feature an overwhelming amount of elevation gain. The difficulty is all about the weather, river crossings, and trail conditions at the steep sections in and out of the canyon. We hiked the trail after about two days of steady rainfall, making the river crossings very challenging.

Where to Stay: There are hotels, resort complexes, rental properties, and campsites in the numerous towns in and around Blue Mountains National Park. The towns of Blackheath and Katoomba are both within a 20 minute drive of the trailhead and are popular locations to stay.

WHERE TO STAY

Blue Mountains National Park is a popular travel destination in Australia, even as a day trip from Sydney which is only a 90-minute drive and 115 kilometers away. There are also a few small towns within the park, providing accommodations for a variety of budgets and lodging preferences.

The closest town to the Grand Canyon Track is Blackheath. The charming town has a number of hotels, motels, and campsites that can serve as a base to explore the Blue Mountains.

Katoomba, the slightly larger town 13 kilometers south of the Grand Canyon Track is considered the gateway to the Blue Mountains and offers more attractions, restaurants, and accommodation options. Some of the possibilities include the grand historic Carrington Hotel, the Blue Mountains YHA for budget-conscious travelers and backpackers, and the luxurious Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa.

The Hydro Majestic Hotel in the nearby village of Medlow Bath is a historic hotel established in 1904 and boasts Edwardian and Art Deco architecture, as well as several restaurants, a spa, and also hosts weddings.  

We stayed in the Fairmont Resort & Spa in Leura, the sister town to Katoomba. The resort has four onsite restaurants, a library, movie theater, indoor and outdoor pools, a garden maze, an arcade and playground for the kids, and spacious rooms. It provided convenient access to many of the attractions in the Blue Mountains and we really enjoyed our time there.

WHERE TO PARK

About a quarter of the Grand Canyon Track actually runs adjacent to Evans Lookout Road. There are three different parking lots along that road to choose from when hiking the trail. The total trail distance doesn’t change based on the parking lot that you choose, but there may be some reasons why you’d choose one lot over another.

Three Carparks

The first parking lot you’ll reach is Neates Glen, followed by Grand Canyon, and Evans Lookout at the end of the Evans Lookout Road. From Neates Glen to Evans Lookout the distance is 0.9 miles, and the Grand Canyon carpark is about midway between them.

As you may have suspected, the Evans Lookout carpark is located at next to Evans Lookout. You could park here, check out Evan’s Lookout before beginning the hike, hike counterclockwise, and finish the hike again at Evans Lookout. This would allow you to see this amazing viewpoint twice.

If visibility is limited when you start the hike, it may have cleared by the time you finish. You could also attempt to finish the hike at sunset and get some amazing photos of the Blue Mountains if you timed things properly.

Our Strategy

Given the wet conditions we experienced while hiking, I was concerned Oliver and Maddie would be wet, muddy, and completely exhausted by the time we finished the trail. Therefore, we parked at the Neates Glen lot and hiked counterclockwise. We hiked down into the gorge and back up the other side to Evans Lookout carpark.

I walked back to the car along the road myself and returned to Evans Lookout with the car to pick them up. This worked out well as they were soaked and tired after fording countless overflowed rivers on the canyon floor. It saved them from hiking an additional mile of monotonous and relatively unremarkable terrain along the roadside.

OUR EXPERIENCE HIKING THE GRAND CANYON TRACK

We were in the Blue Mountains for two days, staying at the Fairmont Hotel & Spa in Leura, near Katoomba. The weather during our time in the park was quite poor. We spent the morning visiting Scenic World, a popular tourist attraction in Katoomba that features a skyway, cableway, and steep mountain train

We had limited visibility with a constant drizzle of rain that morning. This was especially disappointing given the normally spectacular views from the skyway and cableway. We had originally planned to drive the scenic Cliff Drive, stopping at the numerous viewpoints along the road. Given the dense fog, we wouldn’t have been able to see anything.

I pulled up the weather forecast and a radar map. Based on the map, it appeared as though the clouds and rain would persist southwest of the mountains but lighten up a bit on the other side of them.

We pivoted and decided a hike through the rainforest on the east side of the mountain range would be our best option. Although we wouldn’t see the impressive vistas that our original plan offered, we thought an immersive experience hiking through a deep rainforest canyon could be a unique adventure.

The description that follows is a step-by-step account of our experience on the Grand Canyon Track. I would anticipate a much different experience in the event of different weather and better trail conditions.

Trailhead

After our morning at Scenic World and eating lunch at its café, we hopped in the car and drove 20 minutes to Evan’s Lookout Road. We decided to park at the Neates Glen carpark, the first parking lot that we came across. There was only one other car in the lot.

The weather had marginally improved and the rain had abated, at least temporarily. We swapped out our hiking boots for galoshes, put on some insect repellant, and packed up our raincoats with a few snacks. We ventured into the rainforest to start the hike, not quite sure what to expect.

Descent into Canyon

Almost immediately the trail began to descend, but initially this was only gradual. We had good lighting in the relatively sparse tree growth of the upper canyon. The trail started to steepen as we approached a series of switchbacks. Some strategically placed moss-covered stone steps and railings provided support along the descent.

We abruptly passed through a transition point on the trail, where the daylight dimmed to almost nonexistent, the once sparse trees were now dense vegetation, and rain had poured down from the rainforest canopy thus saturating the path.

The scenery for the next few miles was stunning. The canyon walls were layered in moss while vines and colossal ferns formed a shelter above us. We passed by a small waterfall that poured into Greaves Creek. The creek accompanied us for much of the remaining hike.

Canyon Floor

The scenic canyon floor was our favorite part of the Grand Canyon Track. It also posed an unexpected challenge, but exhilarating adventure.

The path wound from side to side as it simultaneously sloped up and down. It passed along the vertical sandstone canyon walls, the only thing free of plant growth. One memorable part of the trail actually passed behind a waterfall.

We could hear the rapids of Greaves Creek raging on our left side. The significant rainfall from the past few days had accumulated and we would find out very soon how this would impact our river crossings. We continued to work our way through the thick ferns and vines and even passed through a short tunnel carved into the rock.

River Crossings

We soon approached some simple river crossings. Flat and circular stones had been placed into the shallow water crossings. We effortlessly hopped from one to the next and continued on our way.

Not far after we reached a much deeper and far more challenging river crossing. We tested the water depth, and it would have easily exceeded the height of our galoshes. We took off our footwear and crossed barefoot.

After the successful crossing we put our socks and boots back on and resumed the hike, only to reach another deep river crossing a few minutes later. We repeated the strategy with our boots. I finally began carrying the kids across the river, as removing and replacing socks and galoshes was becoming very time consuming.

This pattern repeated itself countless more times until we finally met our match. Toward the end of the canyon floor, we encountered a series of three much deeper river crossings with far more stronger currents.

Shirlee successfully crossed first. I helped Maddie also get across the river unscathed. My next crossing with Oliver didn’t have the same outcome. I took a misstep on an underwater boulder and fell, landing on my backside. From the waist down I was completely soaked, but fortunately not injured.

At that point we all stopped taking our galoshes off as it was taking too much time, we were mostly wet from the knees down anyway, and they provided us with better traction on the slippery rocks.

Ascent out of the Canyon

After countless river crossings, the moss-covered stone steps reappeared and began the ascent out of the gorge. It was a constant slog for about 1,000 feet back out of the cool, dark canyon. We gradually rose above the sandstone canyon walls, then the ferns, and finally entered back into the sparser areas of tree growth.

The trail through this last section was not nearly as scenic as the incredible areas we had just passed through deeper in the gorge. The weather was clearing, and we even intermittently saw the sun. We were serenaded by cockatoos and the more melodic golden whistler as we neared the end of the trail.

Evans Lookout

The trail mostly leveled out right as it reached Evans Lookout. There’s a large multi-level viewpoint here with tremendous 180-degree panoramas of the Blue Mountains. There were eucalyptus, red cedars, and other rainforest trees for as far as the eye could see.

To the north was a hard-to-see waterfall in the distance. Clouds continued to roll in and out of the mountains, putting on a beautiful show as we stayed at the viewpoint until almost sunset.

By now the kids were exhausted, soaking wet, and starting to get cold. The remainder of the Grand Canyon Track ran adjacent to the road, so I didn’t feel like they’d miss much by skipping it. I quickly walked the nearly one mile back to the car alone and drove the car back to the Evans Point carpark to pick them up.

FINAL IMPRESSION

The breathtaking scenery of Blue Mountains National Park is a must-see sight when visiting Sydney, and there’s no better immersive experience than hiking its Grand Canyon Track.

During dry conditions, this would be an easy to moderate hike of only about 4 miles and 1,000 feet of elevation gain. But if you happen to visit during recent rainstorms, expect the trail to be wet and muddy while the river crossings will be deep and very challenging.

But the scenery throughout the canyon is spectacular. Enormous ferns and eucalyptus trees line the trail as it meanders over moss covered rocks and across Greaves Creek. Our favorite part of the trail was the two mile stretch on the canyon floor as the vegetation was lush and the river crossings were difficult but also exhilarating.

If you plan to visit Sydney, try to dedicate a day or two toward visiting Blue Mountain National Park. No matter the weather conditions, you’ll see amazing landscapes and have a thrilling adventure when hiking the Grand Canyon Track.