Blue Mountains EPIC Cliff Top Trail

Located amongst the hue of the Blue Mountains is the Grand Cliff Top Walk, an epic 19km track skirting the escarpment above the stunning Jamison Valley, stretching from Wentworth Falls to Katoomba. Breathing in Darug and Gundungurra Country, its sights, sounds and vista views make for a spectacular day out in nature catering for every type of traveller. Join WEST as we experience the track from Leura to Echo Point. 

Exiting at the Leura train station, you begin in the midst of the town centre. With the original Leura Station built in 1891, buildings lining Leura’s Main Street date from this era, take in the historic architecture around you and spend time exploring a town where in the early 1900s, the elite of Sydney often visited to escape the city heat.  

Leura Main Street

Welcome to Leura

Historic buildings, Leura

Leura is full of great cafes to enjoy, including Café Sana Leura, Cafe Leura, The Wayzgoose Diner and Leura Gourmet, a deli cafe offering gourmet foods, homemade meals as well as an array of locally made goodies such as chutneys, jams, chocolates and more - all loved by local foodies. WEST sat by Leura Gourmet’s toasty fire, soaking up every minute with coffee, a hearty hot breakfast and floor to ceiling views over the neighbourhood.  

Cafe Sana Leura, Leura

Leura Gourmet, Leura

Leura Gourmet, Leura

Leura Gourmet, Leura

Leura Gourmet, Leura

The Wayzgoose Diner, Leura

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Afterwards, pick up a baked treat for your hike from the old school cool Chelsea Cake Shop (the Beesting is a winner). With street signage reminiscent of the 60s, WEST loves the retained heritage. Select some beautifully handmade Josophan’s Fine Chocolates for an indulgent energy lift later, and pick up a freshly baked pie or pastry from Bakehouse on Wentworth for a tasty mid-hike snack while enjoying one of the many scenic lookouts to come.  Loaded up and ready to go. 

The Chelsea Cake Shop, Leura

Josophan's Fine Chocolates, Leura

Bakehouse on Wentworth, Leura

Make your way down Leura Mall, past heritage Federation homes, to Gordon Falls Reserve. Here you’ll find BBQs, picnic tables, a playground, water station and facilities before the hike begins. Our first stop is Gordon Falls Lookout, with THE most spectacular view over the Jamison Valley and Mount Solitary. Breathe in the crisp fresh air, listen for the drop of the 200m cascading falls and hear the wildlife echo across the valley.  

Gordon Falls Reserve, Leura

Gordon Falls Lookout, Leura

Gordon Falls Lookout, Leura

From here, follow the ‘wayfinder’ yellow-tailed black cockatoo signs along the Prince Henry Cliff Walk to Scenic World. The ‘Wumbarrung’ as it’s known in Gundungurra language, is the wayfinding icon for this track, and its signs can be found the entire way along making navigating easy. 

There are so many stunning moments along the cliff top walk, where every gap in the tree is like looking at a landscape painting. Lookout views from Elysian Rock and Olympian Rock are breathtaking, and the blue haze of the mountains becomes evident.  Known as ‘Rayleigh Scattering’, the hue is caused by scattered rays of light coming in contact with fine dust particles and droplets of oil dispersed from the eucalyptus trees in the valleys. The blue is everywhere to be seen and such a highlight of the day, stop to enjoy with some of your baked goods stashed from before. 

You’ll find the trail changes from paved pathways to stone, timber and forest floor. Listed as a Grade 3 walk, there are plenty of stairs so some level of fitness is advised, but the beauty of the hike is you can choose to make it long or short, hard or easy, with a variety of places to start, sidestep and finish over its 19km trail. The choice is yours. 

Wayfinder Signs, Grand Cliff Top Walk

Lookout, Grand Cliff Top Walk

Grand Cliff Top Walk

Grand Cliff Top Walk

Grand Cliff Top Walk

Lookout, Grand Cliff Top Walk

If you prefer to have the walk to yourself, a weekday visit is ideal, with weekends for the more social walker. Arriving into the Echo Point part of the track, take the Three Sisters path for a short walk to the Giant Stairway and views over the Sisters. It’s incredible to be so close to structures formed in the Triassic period over 200 million years ago, as well as a sacred place part of local Aboriginal history.  

Take the 998 steps down the Giant Stairway into the valley below, or continue around to the Echo Point lookout for more stunning views over the Blue Mountains. 

Blue Mountains National Park

Three Sisters, Blue Mountains

Three Sisters Walk, Blue Mountains

Three Sisters Walk, Blue Mountains

Giant Stairway, Blue Mountains

Three Sisters, Echo Point Lookout, Blue Mountains

For a well-deserved post-hike reward, unwind with a drink, meal or snack on the terrace at The Lookout Echo Point, a dining and drink destination with views over the Blue Mountains. From here it’s a short walk or bus ride back into Katoomba town centre for a leisurely train ride home.  

The Lookout Echo Point

Terrace with a view at The Lookout Echo Point

Bar NSW at The Lookout Echo Point

From nature, to wildlife, to spectacular views, a day walking the tracks of the Grand Cliff Top Walk is an experience that will fill you with a love of the mountain air and where nature beckons you to quickly visit once more. WEST invites you to take on this little journey and see for yourself. Time to travel with West!