The Prince Henry Cliff Walk is one of the Blue Mountains’ classic trails, tracing the high rim of the Jamison Valley between Katoomba and Leura. Hugging the sandstone cliff edge for around seven kilometres, this point-to-point route links together a succession of iconic lookouts, tumbling waterfalls, and grand valley vistas—delivering maximum scenic payoff without requiring an all-day epic.
The Prince Henry Cliff Walk
📍 LOCATION HERE
Distance8.2 km
Duration03:25 hrs
Elev Gain+357 m
Elev Lost-366 m
Date
19 October 2019
Starting Point
Scenic World
Difficulty
Moderate
Pace / Gear
2.4 km/h — Light day pack
Highlights
Scenic World, Echo Point, Honeymoon Bridge, Bridal Veil Falls
🗺️ Interactive Route MapPinch or use wheel to zoom
Ever since we decided to move to Sydney, the Blue Mountains have been near the top of my hit list. Sitting just 90 kilometres west of the city, I had high hopes the region would quickly become a regular stomping ground. Despite the elevated peaks—many pushing past 1,000 metres—the Blue Mountains are actually a vast, deeply carved sandstone plateau rather than a traditional mountain range, meaning many of the best trails start right on the clifftops and drop straight down into the canyons below.
The primary hub of the national park is Katoomba, home to many of the region’s most iconic trails—and its busiest tourist viewpoints. Perched high on a sandstone plateau overlooking the Jamison and Kedumba valleys, most hikes here either skirt the dramatic cliff edges or plunge straight into the valley floor via elaborately carved stairways. Thanks to the main railway line linking the ridgetop towns, setting up point-to-point walks is remarkably straightforward, with the standout route undoubtedly being the Prince Henry Cliff Walk.
Completed in 1936 and named after the third son of King George V and Queen Mary, the Prince Henry Cliff Walk is an exciting but reasonably easy trail between Katoomba and Gordon Falls in Leura. It is one of the few walks in the mountains that doesn't involve climbing in and out of the valley. The walk has some of the best views in the Blue Mountains and numerous lookout points, including Olympian Rock, Elysian Rock and Gordon Falls. It also passes by some of the most iconic areas such as Echo Point and the Three Sisters.
We parked in Leura at the end of the route and walked uphill to the nearby station before hopping on a train to Katoomba. Once in Katoomba, we walked the mile or so through the town to the beginning of the Prince Henry Walk at Scenic World (alternatively, you can catch a bus from Katoomba station to Scenic World).
A greeting from one of the locals
Located just southwest of the town centre, Scenic World is a unique hybrid of tourist hub and outdoor park. It’s home to the Scenic Skyway cable car and the iconic Scenic Railway—officially the world’s steepest passenger railway, plunging down a 52-degree incline into the Jamison Valley. The Prince Henry Cliff Walk begins right alongside the main visitor building, with clear signposting pointing the way along the cliff edge.
Scenic World
The path curves down a flight of concrete steps behind the Scenic World building before settling into a dirt track through the timbered hillside. Reaching the first cluster of lookouts at Reids Plateau, we got our first true glimpse of the breathtaking Jamison and Kedumba Valleys stretching out far below—along with a fantastic angle on Katoomba Falls tumbling over the sandstone cliff face.
The start of the Prince Henry Cliff Walk
The Scenic Skyway over the Kedumba Valley
The Scenic Skyway cable car
The eastern cliffs - Kedumba Walls
Katoomba Falls
Leaving Reids Plateau behind, we followed Katoomba Falls Creek northward through the shade of the forest until we reached Katoomba Cascades—a series of gentle, stepping rock pools where the water weaves over moss-covered sandstone before making its dramatic leap off the cliff edge.
Kedumba River
The cascades are a popular pit stop—a picturesque series of stepping waterfalls on Katoomba Falls Creek, sitting just below the road and parkland above. You can cross the creek via a set of flat stepping stones, or take the small footbridge built for times when heavy rain turns the stream into a torrent.
Katoomba Cascades
Katoomba Cascades
Katoomba Cascades
The Prince Henry Cliff Walk loops beneath the cascades before climbing up toward the East Skyway Station—the eastern terminal for Scenic World's cable car. From here, the track tracks eastward along the high rim of the Jamison Valley. It passes a succession of lookouts, each framing dramatic views across to Mount Solitary and the Kedumba Valley beyond. While Echo Point was our next major target, Lady Darley Lookout proved to be a real highlight along this stretch, offering a quieter perch away from the main tourist crowds.
One of the many Cockatoos that roam the area
Kedumba Valley from Cliff View
The western cliffs from the eastern Skyway station
The view of the Jamison Valley from Little Milou Lookout
Heading along the Prince Henry path
The Three Sisters from Allamble Lookout
Mount Solitary
Blue Gum trees line the path
Blue Gum trees are common in the area
Lady Darley Lookout
Echo Point is undoubtedly the Blue Mountains’ most iconic destination, offering unmatched vistas of the Three Sisters—the famous trio of weathered sandstone pillars standing guard over the Jamison Valley. The main upper viewing platform is officially known as Queen Elizabeth Lookout, named in honour of the monarch’s visit during her 1954 tour of Australia.
The Three Sisters and Mount Solitary
The Three Sisters
Echo Point is perpetually buzzing with activity. Almost every day tour out of Sydney makes a mandatory stop here, disgorging hundreds of visitors at a time. Around two million people visit this single viewpoint each year—yet the vast majority simply stroll to the edge, snap a quick selfie, and head straight back to their tour buses. As a result, the moment you step back onto the Prince Henry Cliff Walk and put a couple hundred metres between yourself and Echo Point, the crowds vanish completely.
Echo Point
Queen Elizabeth Lookout
Mount Solitary
Narrow Neck Plateau
The visitor centre at Echo Point
Leaving Echo Point, the clifftop trail follows the Three Sisters Track to the top of the Giant Stairway—one of the region's famous engineering feats linking the cliff rim to the rainforest floor below. For the adventurous, a short but hair-raisingly steep descent leads down a steel staircase to Honeymoon Bridge, which spans a narrow chasm right into a rock chamber carved into the first Sister (Meehni). Climbing beyond this point onto the rock towers is strictly prohibited out of respect for their deep cultural significance to the Traditional Owners, the Gundungurra and Darug peoples.
Leaving Echo Point
More Blue Gums along the route
Stop of the Giant Stairway
Meehni – at 922m, the highest of the Three Sisters
The Giant Stairway
Honeymoon Bridge
The Kedumba Valley
The legend most commonly told to tourists is a dramatic tale of love and conflict. As the story goes, three sisters—Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo—lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. They fell in love with three brothers from the neighbouring Nepean tribe, but tribal law forbade their marriage. Unwilling to accept the decision, the brothers attempted to capture the sisters, sparking a fierce battle. To protect the women, a tribal elder turned them into stone, intending to reverse the spell after the fighting ceased. Tragically, the elder was killed in the conflict, leaving the three sisters frozen as sandstone monoliths for eternity.
While this tale is famously repeated across tour buses, it was actually invented in the 1930s by a local Katoomba resident to bolster depression-era tourism! The authentic Traditional Custodians of the land are the Gundungurra and Darug peoples, whose true cultural connections to the landscape run far deeper.
After a steep climb back up the Giant Stairway, we picked up the clifftop track to start the second half of our walk toward Gordon Falls. This stretch is a stark contrast to the first—much quieter, more heavily forested, and with fewer lookouts along the way. However, the quieter atmosphere and shaded trails make it every bit as enjoyable as the headliner vistas earlier in the day.
The Giant Stairway
We strode along the shaded forest track, pausing at a handful of quieter vantage points peering into the valley before reaching Bridal Veil Lookout. The perch delivers an unbeatable view of Bridal Veil Falls tumbling down the cliff face. We timed our arrival perfectly—the low afternoon sun caught the falling mist at just the right angle, painting a vivid, shimmering rainbow across the spray.
Lady Carrington Lookout
Leura Forest
Banksia Streamlet
Copelands Lookout
Bridal Veil Falls
Rainbows form in the spray
The cliffs east of Bridal Veil Falls
Ducking back into the trees, we set off toward Leura Cascades Walking Track—a series of delicate, fern-framed waterfalls tumbling down a shaded gully. With a section of the official Prince Henry Cliff Walk closed for track maintenance, we took a slight detour onto the Round Walk, which eventually picked up the Cascades Walking Track to climb alongside the cascading creek.
Descending towards the Leura Cascades
Leura Forest from the Amphitheatre Track
Leura Cascades
Below Cliff Drive
Mount Solitary
Rejoining the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, the trail heads toward the fringes of Leura. The track leads to a lookout before crossing the hair-raising Buttenshaw Bridge—a narrow footbridge spanning a dramatic chasm—and climbing a set of stone steps to Elysian Rock Lookout. Even without the Three Sisters in frame, the view from Elysian Rock easily rivals Echo Point for its sheer scale and sweeping panoramas across the Jamison Valley.
Elysian Rock
Buttenshaw Bridge
Showers form over the lower Blue Mountains
Mount Solitary
Shower over Mount Solitary
Sublime Point juts out into the valley
With only a short distance remaining, our final detour was a brief out-and-back to Gordon Falls Lookout. Unlike the earlier cascades along the trail, the waterfall was completely dry on our visit, so we turned back and followed the track out to the main road. From there, it was a peaceful, pleasant stroll through the leafy, quiet streets of Leura to finish off a fantastic day on the cliffs.
Mount Solitary
Ruined Castle and Narrowneck Plateau
For a relatively short hike, the Prince Henry Cliff Walk truly punches above its weight. You get sweeping vistas, sheer sandstone cliffs, and a genuine feel for what makes the Blue Mountains so extraordinary—all without committing to an all-day epic or a punishing climb. It’s a route that immediately showcases the very best of the region, making it the perfect introduction to the mountains.
Well done, Dave - great pictures as usual.
ReplyDeleteIt's all a bit of a contrast to Kinder!
great pictures! And they indeed reminded me of my experience there. Will archive this for myself! Thanks.
ReplyDelete