Part of Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, Kanangra-Boyd National Park is just 180km from Sydney. Sarah at Kanangra Walls looking towards Mt Cloudmaker Thurat Spires View from Mt Stormbreaker Our route from the Kowmung, was via Roots Range to Gingra Range and then to Kanangra Walls where we had lunch in a sheltered cave on the eastern end of the main plateau. Russells Needle; Grant's Head; Nattai - Grant Head Spur, Emmetts Flat, October 2004. Wombats frequent these roads, so please be careful while driving. The hike should take around 3-4 days to complete. In quick succession we passed the Take the afternoon off and have a swim in the river, and for those interested, learn some navigation skills similar to those taught on my. Creek valley. My aim is not to simply take you on a bushwalk or to perpetuate your dependency on having a guide. If you have a large group you may be able to avoid the car shuffle by splitting in two, and doing the walk in opposite directions. Stop at the top of the steps and peer out over Kanangra Deep to Kanangra Walls, and in the distance, Mount Cloudmaker, which is often circled by mist. We regrouped up on the ridge. Top of Katoomba street, at entrance to Katoomba station. A lovely overnight walk in a beautiful national park, and great company from the welcoming groupof SBW walkers. Transport by chartered minibus from Kanangra Walls back to Katoomba at the end of the walk. It's a site filled with tips and advice to help you get out in nature and return safely. we'd already walked. It climbs steadily to the fire tower at Bushwalkers Hill and then descends to the narrow point of the Neck. Find out more about hiking gear, read the latest blog posts, trip reports and gear reviews, and download my helpful PDF hiking guides. Its fringing fault scarp Kanangra Walls comprises Permian sedimentaries of the Capertee Group which rests unconformably on a Devonian Lambie Group Basement. Just 180km from the outskirts of Sydney, Kanangra-Boyd National Park, part of the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Property, feels like youve crossed an ocean to get there. Suggest an edit here. The plateau is traversed by the Kanangra Walls Road and can be accessed either from Oberon or Jenolan Caves. Points to remember: dirt road out to Kanangra had lots of pot holes and muddy areas that we would find challenging if we werent in a 4x4, lots of Roos on the road too! shelter only for the storm to blow itself out before it reached us. Kanangra Walls lookout gave spectacular views of the walls and the rest of the hike along the top - Kilpatrick Causeway, Craft's Walls, Mount Berry, Gabes Gap, Mount High and Mighty, Mount Stormbreaker, Rip, Rack Roar and Rumble knolls and Mount Cloudbreaker the highest point in the distance. A short walk upstream is our campsite in a lovely peaceful river flat among casuarina trees. By this time the rain was pretty steady and the track was a series of deep puddles. The If anyone ever tells you that going downhill is easy, then this is a Notable features of the national park include the Thurat Spires, Kanangra Walls, Mount Colong, and three waterfall systems the Kalang, the 225-metre (738ft) twotiered drop Kanangara and the Morong falls. Great trail with incredible views from the plateau. It was extremely stressful as I had mostly beginners with me and they were relying on me to get them into camp in the dark I wasnt sure I was up to the challenge! You'll cross bridges and also see waterfalls on the way. An experienced second guide to give a minimum guide to client ratio of 1:4. Most saddles between Mt Berry and Mt Strongleg offer a flat grassy area. Length: 47km Duration: 3-4 days Grade: 5 Style: One way Start: Locked gate Kanangra-Boyd National Park End: Katoomba Station Location: Kanangra-Boyd National Park Closest town: Katoomba There is no public transport to or from Kananga Walls so private transport needs to be arranged for pickup from or dropoff at Kanangra Walls. Once on the trail the route was easy all the way to the Mount Carlon's Farm. Another challenge of this walk is the descent of Tarros Ladders, which is a cliff face with metal spikes in them which you use as handholds and footholds to descend. The first day is the longest in distance of the entire walk. The view here is excellent, but is unfortunately marred by the electricity line that runs across Little Cedar Gap. The 13km walk to Mt Cloudmaker is varied and rugged, and takes longer than you might expect, with lots of ups (900m) and downs (1000m). Considering our late start we opted for lunch here while we could Kanangra Walls to Mt Cloudmaker - YouTube Kanangra Walls to Mt Cloudmaker 1,011 views Jun 28, 2008 Hike to Mt Cloudmaker from Kanangra Walls (NSW, Australia) and return - 27/28 June. It is also done by some groups in one day as a challenge - "K to K in a Day" is one of the well known "hard" walks in the Blue Mountains, along with the significantly tougher Three Peaks. Shot on Fuji Velvia ISO 50 using a Nikon F801 and an AF 24mm f2.8 lens. Theres nothing glamorous about bushwalking, caving or canyoning, but it sure is fun! The track took us up and over Mt Cloudmaker, along the knife-edge line of Rip, Rack Roar and Rumble, Mt Stormbreaker, Mt Berry and eventually back up to Kanangra Walls. By allowing this amount of time you can enjoy the spectacular scenery, make side trips to points of interest such as Splendour Rock, and enjoy a couple of nights camping away from it all. However, you will need to make sure you can meet in the middle to exchange keys. One of the most popular leads out onto the tops and provides magnificent views of Kanangra Falls and the head of the gorge. Expansive mountain gorges, magnificent lookouts and a series of wild and scenic rivers give a special edge to Kanagra-Boyd's wilderness. He ended up with 11 other people that wanted to do the walk, many of whom were first time walkers. Kurrajong trees are found in abundance where limestone outcrops occur, and in sheltered gullies rainforest species (including red cedar) and blue gum are found. Or continue on down a short set of steps to the lookout platform for an even better view. We camp among the trees a little way back from the exposed rock itself. A classic trail deep in the Blue Mountains, the K2K offers some of the best scenery in the region. biggest descent of the day, down to Gabes Gap, and from there it was all About 60Km South of Jenolan on dirt road. Next, you'll make your way to see the breathtaking Kanangra-Boyd lookout, which gives you sweeping views of the Kanangra Walls and Mount Cloudmaker. Despite possessing one of the most awesome views in the Blue Mountains, few make it out here on account of the long road trip, including 30km of unsealed road. the packs. The 68,660-hectare (169,700-acre) national park is situated approximately 180 kilometres (110mi) south-west of Sydney and is contiguous with the Blue Mountains National Park and the Nattai National Park. were about eight tents in five separate groups set up. In conclusion, you need to consider the following when assessing in your own mind the level of difficulty of the walk: Please check the photos of the route and the detailed distance and elevation charts provided to you in your information pack when deciding if this trip is suitable for you. Your food while on the hike - you need to bring your own food for the 4 day hike. Just 180km from the outskirts of Sydney, Kanangra-Boyd National Park, part of Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, feels like youve crossed an ocean to get there. happens to be freezing cold. The campground provides easy access to the Kanangra-Boyd Lookout walk, which is wheelchair friendly and takes only 10 minutes to complete. The 2019-2020 bushfires significantly affected the area and since the fires much of the track has become overgrown, and the path is indistinct and difficult to follow. The total distance of the walk is 52km, with 3044m of ascent and 2991m of descent over the course of the 3-4 days. I was able to download it straight into a gps app I downloaded the other day! 6 km beyond the campsite is the Kanangra Walls carpark from whence the short, easy, wheelchair-friendly Lookout Walk departs. Katoomba to Kanangra hikes are currently scheduled for: One of the rewards of running trips like the K2K is the people you meet on the way. Then the rain started, and that changed everything, we were now all getting chilled because of the slow pace. Was a very wet and misty day so views not their best, but a pretty good walk only medium difficulty. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Just 180km from the outskirts of Sydney, Kanangra-Boyd National Park, part of the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Property, feels like you've crossed an ocean to get there. Crossing two national parks, it takes in some of the best scenery of both, including excellent views from the high plateaux of Narrow Neck and Kanangra Walls. Take a welcome break here, it is the one and only river encountered on the route. Keep to the right of the cliff until you can walk up a gully on to the tops. Plateau itself. Steep, tight rockclimbing/bouldering section which seems dangerous & impossible when viewed from the top. I didn't have any the first peers over the Kanangra Creek Gorge with Mt Cloudmaker . Nearby Kanangra Gorge is cut 600900 metres (2,0003,000ft) deep in rocks of the Lambie Group, and is one of Australia's deepest gorges. We hadnt walked far when out of the gloom appeared Shane who thought hed mosey on back to meet up with us; Ive never been so pleased to see someone (I think I gave him the biggest hug!). Saturday morning saw us drive down to the parking lot at what we Accommodation on the night before the trip start date or on the night that the trip ends. However, in the middle of June it also Descend from Splendour Rock and continue along the Wild Dog Mountains walking track to reach Mt Yellow Dog. ", "The K2K guided walk was fantastic! and everyone retired to their tents pretty early. Kanangra Walls - Mt Cloudmaker Hike . Understand [ edit] Created in 1969, Kanangra-Boyd National Park covers 66,681 ha. A chartered minibus will be waiting for us at Kanangra and will take us back to Katoomba. In 1984 I walked the section from the Coxs River . various parts of the hill. searching we found a passable but somewhat tricky route climbing down a We reached Roots Ridge just after lunch and we knew that the end was in sight, only another couple of hours to go. inventively named Mt High and Mighty, Mt Stormbreaker, Rip, Rack, Roar and Avoid a turn off to the right to Dance Floor Cave and ascend a short climb on to the plateau proper. Kowmung River via Cambage Spire; Kanangra Walls to Mt. There The last 4km - 400m vertical down to Breakfast Creek and then 300m up As this is a hobby and not a business, I don't have the the financial backing that some companies do, so any support you can offer is really appreciated. Your trip intentions will be emailed to your emergency contact. The hike should take around 3-4 days to complete. Early in the morning (around 6:30am) you will be picked up from your accommodation in Katoomba and driven to the start of the Narrow Neck plateau from where the walk will commence. The descent to Gabes Gap, the low point of the day, follows. The trip overall was not overly formal, pretty low key and provides an experience that allows you to challenge yourself whilst feeling safe. The walking trail is rough and faint in places. the bottom of Yellow Dog Ridge. Jonathan on a peak somewhere. The hike incorporates the summit of Mt Cloudmaker, one of the famous Blue Mountains Three Peaks, and most walkers passing over this summit would sign the logbook there. After a bit of However, our nice track soon disappeared in a casuarina forest, under a layer of she-oak needles. I on the right ridge, but backtracking because they thought they had the After a further kilometre, the track climbs briefly to the bottom of Crafts Wall, and traverses along steep slopes along its north west side. From Craft's Wall, we headed down into the small saddle and up the We spent a restless night regularly decanting the billies into water bottles, and were relieved to have collect six litres over night which was just sufficient to get our party home. We got to the top and walked about 2km when we came across pink markers, little did we realised they go to cottage rock. These are in fact a set of climbing spikes fixed into the rock. It's located in New South Wales, Australia. Keep this in mind when planning walks in these areas. This makes the last day a long and difficult day despite the distance being only 13.2km. If it is not practicable for you to do training bushwalks prior to this trip then any form of long walk with as much hill climbing and descending as you can practicably manage would place you in good stead for this trip. Getting on to the track heading north out of Dex Creek the next You need to be careful to avoid slipping or straining an ankle on this uneven rough path. The movie Jedda was filmed in the Kanangra Walls area in 1954. Mount Cloudmaker (from Kanangra Walls) | Kanangra-Boyd National Park | BeyondTracks BeyondTracks BeyondTracks ExploreListMap Mount Cloudmaker (from Kanangra Walls) Kanangra-Boyd National Park 21km Distance 8hr 43min Duration 1,637m Ascent 1,637m Descent Return car Sidetracks Dance Floor Cave- Sidetrack Return| 67m - The top of Mt Cloudmaker is covered with trees and there are no views. Drop down into Little Cedar Gap, and climb on the fire trail, and then on another track, to the bottom of Narrow Neck Peninsula. Day 1: Kanangra Walls to Mt Cloudmaker to Dex Creek (13km, 400m ascent), Day 2: Dex Creek to Mt Strongleg to Mobbs Swamp (16km, 650m ascent), Day 3: Mobbs Swamp to Medlow Gap to Katoomba (16km, 300m ascent), For detailed trip notes, visit Bushwalking NSW. The plateau trail is very wet and muddy but generally easy to follow despite the lack of any markers. Take in the magnificent scenery the sheer sandstone cliff faces of Kanangra Walls or mist-wreathed Mount Cloudmaker before walking down forest-lined trails to . Took us an hour per 750m between those two locations, so definitely make sure to add time at the moment! At a large clearing about 1km on to the tops, the trail divides, and becomes narrower. "First of all a big shout out to our guide Ashley, although 'guide' is an understatement as he fulfilled so many additional roles: chef (wow that home baked banana cake ), tea maker, sherpa, chauffeur, motivator, teacher, water finder, photographer, someone who made us feel safe and made sure I didn't fall off the bottom of Tarro's Ladder . A short steep scramble is needed down the gully, and follow the track around and up on to Kilpatrick Causeway. the side of the ridge. Time:3 days Distance:27 km Fitness:M Skill:MH Ascent:870 m. An excellent walk showing off the great variety of scenery in Kanangra-Boyd NP. Grid Reference: 395 403. The hike from Kanangra to Katoomba is one of the classic longer walks of the Southern Blue Mountains, along with the Six Foot Track and Mittagong to Katoomba. The delay other side to Mt Berry. Nicole at a lookout on the climb up to Cloudmaker. The highest point on the walk is Mt Cloudmaker at 1155m, and the lowest point is the Coxs River at just 150m. The national park forms part of the Great Dividing Range. which was clear on the map. eastern end of the wall we missed our trail heading off to the left, and For the fishing enthusiasts, trout can be caught along Kowmung River and, for the adventurous, canyoning is popular during the warmer months. Generally considered a challenging route. Protected area in New South Wales, Australia, "Kanangra-Boyd National Park: Park management", "Kanangra-Boyd National Park: Facilities and activities", Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum, Greater Blue Mountains Area (World Heritage Site), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kanangra-Boyd_National_Park&oldid=1118480657, Parks and reserves of the Blue Mountains (New South Wales), All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Lookout Walk the easiest and wheelchair accessible, this ten-minute route along well-formed tracks leads to the first lookout which overlooks the gorges of, Waterfall Walk accessible from the Lookout Walk, this route leads down into a gully where the Kalang Falls splash into a pool; and. Nontrivial #4 - Kanangra to Katoomba (GC3K0DW) was created by jonnosan on 5/9/2012. It contours for a further 2.5km until you hit a fire trail, at White Dog Ridge. Don't walk it in summer! Len S had put this three day walk on the BWOC calendar mainly because Id convinced him it was a good walk, neither of us had been to 100 Man Cave before, and he loves Kanangra. RM2B9028G - 'English: Mount Cloudmaker, Kanangra Boyd National Park, NSW, Australia. On the first day at Kanangra . 54km: 12 hours: 24 hours: K2K Leaderboard: K2K2K (K2). Katoomba to . They were waiting when we From Kanangra to Katoomba it's 45-50km depending on who you ask (and how lost you get). Looking forward to more! I chose day 1 as my favourite day, however I really didn't have a favourite day, I enjoyed each day for what it was and what it gave me. The second lookout overlooks rugged ravines at the head of the gorges and Kanangra Falls. Still it was nice to finally see the car park at All in all, fantastic day and well worth the drive. The trail continues along the east side of Yellow Dog Ridge to the flats below Mt Dingo. From the Walls we followed the well-defined track across the plateau and down the pass which took us to Kilpatrick Causeway and past Craft Walls. Beautiful walk on the plateau with amazing 360 degree views. . weather following. adding layer after layer of clothing as we cooled down, the wind picked Click the button below to review the gear list for this trip. Im planning a trip to hundred man cave during the June long weekend with 5 friends. K2K in a day: Kanangra Walls - Mt Cloudmaker - Mt Strongleg - Coxs River - Yellow Pup Ridge - Medlow Gap - Narrowneck: Rachel Grindlay, Alex Allchin [L], Vivien de Remy de Courcelles, Adrian Doyle, Naveen [SBW] My photos : Blue Mountains NP, Kanangra-Boyd NP: Bushwalking: 27/08/2017: 1: Pierces Pass - Grose River - Blue Gum Forest - return From Dex Creek it is about 45 minutes' walk on a gently rising trail to reach the summit of Mt Cloudmaker, one of the, 3 day trip (only if all clients and the leader agree to 3 day option)*. Alex is pointing to Mount Cloudmaker, which at 1164m is the highest point visible. flat or very short downhill section. The hike incorporates the summit of Mt Cloudmaker, one of the famous Blue Mountains Three Peaks, and most walkers passing over this summit would sign the logbook there. 2WD accessible. The trip itinerary allows 4 days, though this makes Days 2 and 3 rather short and in theory these could be combined. My toes were absolutely aching by the bottom. Gabes Gap is the low point on the walk, the path through the gap is steep in both directions. The leader deems that the 3 day trip is within the capabilities of all participants and and would not disadvantage any participant. Creation of a "trail-side museum" at Kanangra Walls, op the lines of similar attractions in U.S.A., is planned as . From here it is a long descent to the Coxs River. I aim to pass on my skills and knowledge using a practical and inclusive teaching style. The other car you will need to get to Kanangra Walls. We were forced to place billies under drips from the cave roof to collect water. All prospective clients agree to combine Days 2 and 3 into one, making it a 3 day trip. from the camp site to the trail proper. good walk for them. My expeditions are always held in a spirit of friendship and respect between all participants. The distances below assume a car at the locked gate. [5], The Blue Mountains National Park contains 46 species of mammals, including 27 marsupials and two monotremes. Tom Brennan : website@ozultimate.com : updated 1999-06-14, OZultimate.com - Canyoning Near Sydney - Bushwalking NSW - Tom Brennan. The best place to soak in this splendour is the Kanangra-Boyd Lookout; a viewpoint that is easy to access. Kanangra-Boyd National Park. Cloudmaker; Nattai National Park. Near the top of Mt Strongleg the trail An easy day trip from the Blue Mountains, Kanangra-Boyd also has quiet campsites among the snow gums at Boyd River if you want to get away from it all. There are several well known landmarks in the park, such as Mount Cloudmaker, Kanangra Walls and the Thurat Spires. Altitude: 1164 metres Class: Care needed! Kanangra Walls Set within world heritage Kanangra Boyd National Park, the spectacular Kanangra Walls can be found approx 1 hours drive from Oberon. There are a number of small campsites on both sides of the creek. As we turned Your email address will not be published. On the last day the knolls past Mt Cloudmaker (Rip, Rack, Roar and Rumble) are steep and stony and care must be taken on the trail there. The last day was only a short walk. Eucalypt forest with western plain species, such as yellow box and white box, are found in areas of rainshadow. The track out along the plateau crosses a number of rocky clearings, but is fairly wide, obvious and well-maintained. It is up there with the Overland Track in Tasmania and the Milford Track in New Zealand for beauty but more isolated and much harder. The trail heads steeply north down the obvious ridge, finishing at Kanangra Creek where you can fill up with water. Good navigation and prior knowledge of the route is therefore essential.