We broke for lunch at the top, 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 one of the parks waterfalls. 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 . We got to the top and walked about 2km when we came across pink markers, little did we realised they go to cottage rock. This bit of the ridge is open but steepapart from the last 50m or so to the Coxs River. wrong one! The Kanangra-Boyd Wilderness - the second largest wilderness in NSW, next to Wollemi - was finally declared in 1997, and covers 111,000 hectares of Kanangra-Boyd and Blue Mountains national parks. unfortunately was making visibility poor and when we finally broke out The highest point on the walk is Mt Cloudmaker at 1155m, and the lowest point is the Coxs River at just 150m. There in any case. thermals, so that was one of the first purchases from the outdoor stores Looking back to Kanangra Walls High and Mighty Resting on Rack Knoll Bushwalking is a bloody business Ti Willa Top and Byrne's Gap Yerranderie Peak (left distance) and Mt Colong (right) On top of Cloudmaker (Brett took the photo and later edited himself into the picture using Photoshop) Jennifer leading group in Tai-Chi More Tai-Chi More Tai . Continuing along the track from Mt Cloudmaker for about 1km brought Well, plans should always be fluid and ours didnt quite go as expected. 1000m altitude difference between highest and lowest point. It climbs steadily to the fire tower at Bushwalkers Hill and then descends to the narrow point of the Neck. Victoria pub, where a well-deserved hot dinner was in order as the snow Started at kanangra walls but unable to get through terrain after Dexs creek. [5], About 1,000 flowering plant species occur in the Blue Mountains, in some 40 plant communities. You now walk through sub-alpine scrub, heath and forest to finally reach Dex Creek, the high headwaters of a small creek fed by a pristine hanging swamp. After a break, continue on to Mt Stormbreaker. [4] The Abercrombie River National Park is situated a short distance, further southwest. Drop down into Little Cedar Gap, and climb on the fire trail, and then on another track, to the bottom of Narrow Neck Peninsula. Here we refill water bottles and after some more trail walking, we climb up steeply to finally reach Splendour Rock, our first camp site. Keep to the right of the cliff until you can walk up a gully on to the tops. However, *The trip will be done over 4 days as per the itinerary unless: When I receive your application, I will review it and then contact you. No other people in sight! Time:5 hrs Distance:16 km Fitness:M Skill:H Ascent:500 m, A challenging walk visiting two of the climbing passes of Narrow Neck, Time:2 days Distance:36 km Fitness:MH Skill:EM Ascent:890 m, A long but fairly straightforward walk out to the junction of the wild Kowmung River with Gingra Creek, Time:6 hrs Distance:10 km Fitness:EM Skill:MH Ascent:490 m, An excellent walk along two of the shale ledge passes of Narrow Neck, with great views on a clear day, Time:2 days Distance:24 km Fitness:EM Skill:M Ascent:640 m, A walk with lots of variety, visiting a famous lookout and home of the Bushwalkers War Memorial, Time:8 hrs Distance:16 km Fitness:MH Skill:M Ascent:1080 m, An excellent walk visiting two spectacular lookouts in the Wild Dog Mountains, Time:6 hrs Distance:15 km Fitness:M Skill:EM Ascent:640 m, A solid walk to the highest of the peaks in the Wild Dogs, with great views, Time:2 days Distance:24 km Fitness:MH Skill:MH Ascent:840 m, A challenging walk to this excellent campsite on the picturesque Kowmung River, Time:4 hrs Distance:7 km Fitness:EM Skill:E Ascent:290 m, One of the best and most popular walks in the Blue Mountains, with a great variety of scenery and spectacular views, Time:2 days Distance:22 km Fitness:EM Skill:EM Ascent:850 m, The shortest walk from Kanangra Walls to the scenic Kowmung River, with an excellent campsite below the towering Orange Bluff, Time:2 days Distance:30 km Fitness:MH Skill:M Ascent:850 m. A harder walk in the upper reaches of the beautiful lower Kowmung River. We reached Mobbs Swamp in the late afternoon, and surprisingly enough The group was a bit larger thanwhat Id recommend for walking in Kanangra, but Len was sure everything would be fine. Kanangra Walls > Mt Cloudmaker > TiWilla Plateau > 100 Man Cave > Campagnoni Pass > Willa Butress > Kowmung > Orange Bluff > Brumby Spur > Gingra Track > Kanangra Walls. Rather, by offering trips like the Katoomba to Kanangra walk, I hope to provide you the security of knowing you are safely led by an experienced guide, whilst at the same time passing on to you the skills that will enable you to gain the confidence to become independent and self reliant in the future. Strongleg. The plateau is traversed by the Kanangra Walls Road and can be accessed either from Oberon or Jenolan Caves. a small stream, which we filtered. suppose a good pair of hiking boots may just come in handy at a point 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. The K2K is a "classic" Blue Mountains walk that goes from the spectacular sandstone walls of Kanangra to the Narrowneck peninsula of Katoomba. The last 4km - 400m vertical down to Breakfast Creek and then 300m up Click on thumbnails for large images - Fullscreen ( Fullscreen Requires JavaScript) Click the button below to review the gear list for this trip. The plateau slopes gently down from west to east from a height of around 1100m (3610 ft) near Mt. Information submitted on this form, including any personal details, will be a matter of public record and will be stored in the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) records system. The road leads to Kanangra Walls. It is recommended that clients book accommodation in Katoomba for the night prior and night after the trip, though if you live in Sydney it is possible to drive up very early on the day the walk starts and drive home late on the last day. It was this desperate 'rushing' through the dense foliage, coupled with my chaotically negligent state of mind which caused me to lose my GPS. Stormbreaker, which had some nice views of the surrounding area. trails, the relevant topographic maps should be carried on most walks. From there we had the longest climb of the walk - about 600m up - along Remember to look up too; if you adjust your gaze skywards you may see some soaring wedge-tail eagles. Also on the last day the traverse around the base of Crafts Wall is rough, slow and hard on the ankles. . Let's do it in a day. The distances below assume a car at the locked gate. Understand[ edit] The K2K, or the "Katoomba to Kanangra" walk is a ~ 60 km trail (from the Katoomba train station to the Kanangra Walls Car park), which takes the bushwalker on a scenic traverse through the Blue Mountains National Park and the Kanangra-Boyd National park via the Coxs River. . 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. biggest descent of the day, down to Gabes Gap, and from there it was all 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. One of the most popular leads out onto the tops and provides magnificent views of Kanangra Falls and the head of the gorge. Tom patching blisters. Poles are a good idea if you have questionable knees or ankles. You can find out more about how DPE handles the personal information it collects online by reading our privacy policy. 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. We started out from the Kanangra Walls car park at 8am and were quickly on our way, we knew that Saturday was to be our best day and it started out with blue skies and warm sunshine which was slowly melting the ice on top of the puddles along the way. onto Jenolan Caves Rd from the Great Western Highway, the snow started Kanangra Tops at the south-eastern end of the Plateau is one of the Permian outliers. We walk out along the Narrow Neck plateau along a fire trail, a distance of 10km. I got picked up by a very generous friend at 3:45am, reached Kanangra in time to see the walls at dawn, climbed up Mt Cloudmaker, signed the last page of the logbook there about 10:00am then carried on to Katoomba. 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. At the end of the plateau you descend Tarros Ladders, a series of metal spikes down the cliff face! Unfortunately it started to drizzle Presumably this was to try to reduce erosion on the Report of a Katoomba to Kanangra trip - and back! Please note: Uploading photos does not transfer ownership of copyright away from you. In 1984 I walked the section from the Coxs River to Kanangra Walls and by 1985 I had completed the remaining section between Katoomba and the Coxs River. You need to be careful to avoid slipping or straining an ankle on this uneven rough path. 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! I aim to pass on my skills and knowledge using a practical and inclusive teaching style. Several species listed on Schedules 1 and 2 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW) are found in the Wilderness Area including: The powerful owl (Ninox strenua), squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis), yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus volans), tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), and brush-tailed rock wallaby (Petrogale penicillata). Gabes Gap is the low point on the walk, the path through the gap is steep in both directions. Would you like to do this hike with an experienced guide? If it is more than waist deep then it is dangerous to cross, and you may need to wait or return to Kanangra Walls. River flats on the Coxs River. Closed Christmas Day. [5], The complex geology, climate, fire regime, and topography has enabled a wide variety of ecosystems to develop. The road leads to Kanangra Walls. like this. Take a welcome break here, it is the one and only river encountered on the route. arriving in the wee hours of the morning. The views in this section are excellent, with the spectacular Kanangra Falls and Kalang Falls in full glory after rain, and the magnificent Thurat Spires glowing red in the morning light. If its offered as 3 days next year, I hope I can do it again. A challenging bushwalk in the Kanangra Boyd region. The walk is best done in the cooler months, as there are plenty of ups and downs, and limited water options along the way. Gabes Gap is the low point on the walk, the path through the gap is steep in both directions. Web page created 28 Apr 2018, last updated 21 Dec 2021. It is possible to walk continuously from this walk to Katoomba and Narrow Neck. Or continue on down a short set of steps to the lookout platform for an even better view. .gb-container-d6e79c73{margin-top:20px;}.gb-container-d6e79c73 > .gb-inside-container{max-width:1390px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;}.gb-grid-wrapper > .gb-grid-column-d6e79c73 > .gb-container{display:flex;flex-direction:column;height:100%;}. We will add a further half day at the . 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!). Stay safe by planning your trip for all conditions and telling someone about it. This elevation chart below gives you a good idea of the amount of climbing and descending day by day on this walk. Alex is pointing to Mount Cloudmaker, which at 1164m is the highest point visible. Expansive mountain gorges, magnificent lookouts and a series of wild and scenic rivers give a special edge to Kanagra-Boyd's wilderness. 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 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. 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. points along the way, for the most part it followed the ridge line, Mount Cloudmaker (Ian Brown) Mount Cloudmaker emerging from dawn mist As part of the Great Escarpment this is big country, with the greatest relief in the whole Blue Mountains: nearly 1200 metres from the Coxs River to the summit of Mount Guouogang on the Krungle Bungle Range. I teach the empowering skill of bush navigation through my regular navigation training weekends and am happy to provide follow up training on my guided bushwalks including the Katoomba to Kanangra hike. At times the track was difficult to follow, particularly when it crossed rocky sections; we lost the track when sidling Mt Berry and blundered around on a rocky, fern covered slope, but then found the track again (thankfully) when we headed up to the ridge. After breakfast we continue the walk. Kanangra Boyd National Park [1] is in the Australian state of New South Wales some 180 km west of Sydney and adjacent (south and east) to Jenolan Caves. If anyone ever tells you that going downhill is easy, then this is a Two of the features most spoken of in the Kanangra-Boyd National park are the Kanangra Falls and Kanangra Walls. Much of the walk is through wilderness, for which there are no signs, and tracks in places are vague. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. 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. We car-camped at Boyd River campsite the night before, and were up early for a 7:30am start. A short walk upstream is our campsite in a lovely peaceful river flat among casuarina trees. All content copyright Ashley Burke 2018. I didn't have any 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. Kanangra Walls > Mt Cloudmaker > TiWilla Plateau > 100 Man Cave > Campagnoni Pass > Willa Butress > Kowmung > Orange Bluff > Brumby Spur > Gingra Track > Kanangra Walls. Kanangra Wall cliff top walk - one of the most dramatic cliff-top walks in the Blue Mountains, but, due to the unfenced 70 metre drop, unsuitable for children. Pause - Seymour Top Further east, in the Coxs River area, is the large Kanimbla granite batholith, implaced during the Carboniferous period. More Blue Mountains Heritage Centre and Blackheath office 02 4787 8877 Contact hours: 9am to 4.30pm daily. A lovely overnight walk in a beautiful national park, and great company from the welcoming groupof SBW walkers. My expeditions are always held in a spirit of friendship and respect between all participants. Follow the fire road along Narrow Neck. After a Mount Solitary; Grand Canyon, Bluegum Forest & Perrys Lookdown; The Six Foot Track; Kanangra Boyd National Park. In 1984 I walked the section from the Coxs River . For details on how to get to Kanangra Walls, see the information in the Kanangra Walls region, to the right. Kanangra-Boyd National Park is composed of two land units the elevated, gently undulating Boyd Plateau and the area of creeks, rivers, gorges and ridges into which the plateau falls away. Traverse around the west side of the cliff for about 20m to find Tarro's Ladders. I will send you an invoice, you can make a deposit, and then your place on the trip is confirmed. However, on an Aprilweekend trip a year later, thecreek was bone dry as far as we were able to follow it. The Kanangra-Boyd National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Southern Highlands and Macarthur regions, in New South Wales, in eastern Australia. Wombats frequent these roads, so please be careful while driving. If you are lost or require help and have phone reception, call 000 and ask for police. The key difficulties of this walk are in the distance to be covered each day, and the large amount of elevation change. Cloudmaker and Guouogang are eroded remnants of Ordovician quartzite. Im pretty sure that they werent having fun as we blundered along the side of Mt Berry! Join one of my informally yet professionally led and well organised expeditions in one of the most spectacular wilderness areas in New South Wales.