Grand Canyon Track
GPX route · Rock & steps
What to expect
A historic loop that drops off the Blackheath rim into a slot canyon and climbs back out. From the car park you descend through ferns and rainforest on stone steps and switchbacks, following Greaves Creek down into sandstone walls that drip with moss, crossing the water on stepping stones and passing under deep overhangs. This is a walk, not a run, all steps, rock and creek crossings, too technical to move through with any flow, so we took it at a walking pace and were glad we did. The climb out is a long staircase back to the rim, finishing at Evans Lookout over the Grose Valley. A flat bush-and-road section of about 1.4 km links the car parks and closes the loop. Note this is the walking track, not the technical Grand Canyon, which needs abseiling and swimming.
Getting there
Start from the Grand Canyon car park on Evans Lookout Road, Blackheath, roughly two and a half hours from Newcastle in the heart of the Blue Mountains. It is a large sealed car park with toilets, and the parks service asks you not to use the small Neates Glen car park nearby, which overflows. Without a car, Blackheath station is about a 4 km walk, or the loop bus runs from Katoomba to Evans Lookout Road. The loop runs either way, but finishing at Evans Lookout saves the Grose Valley view for the end.
Conditions
Never enter the canyon before, during or after heavy rain, since it floods fast and the parks service closes it. Check the weather and park alerts before you go, as the Blackheath area also closes for fire danger. The rock and steps are slippery when wet, and the canyon floor stays cool and damp even in summer, which makes it a good hot-weather escape but brings leeches in warm, wet spells. The crux is the climb out, several hundred steps to the rim, so save something for it. Carry water, there is none to drink on the loop, and expect patchy phone reception. We walked it on a clear 25 degree morning with a light south-westerly, and the canyon was a cool relief from the heat up top.
From the trail
