Woodford Lake & Horseshoe Falls Reserve - Blue Mountains National Park

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Route: Winbourne Road, Winbourne Powerline Trail, L5 Trail, Woodford Lake, L6 Trail, Hazelbrook Creek, Oaklands Road, Horseshoe Falls Reserve, Horseshoe Falls, Oakland Falls, Burgess Falls, Burgess Falls Walking Track, Winbourne Road

Date: 18/06/2022
From: Hazelbrook

Parking: Winbourne Road
Start Point: Winbourne Road
Finish Point: Winbourne Road
Region: Blue Mountains

Route length: 12.3km
Time taken: 02:45
Average speed: 4.5km
Ascent: 536m
Descent: 527m

Points of Interest: Woodford Lake, Horseshoe Falls, Burgess Falls

I made my way up to Hazelbrookthis weekend, one of the many villages that line the Great Western Highway as it winds up to the Blue Mountains. It's probably not somewhere I would typically choose to go, but recent track closures have meant I've been casting a wider net in search of hiking trails. The aim for the day was a hike along Lake Woodford before exploring the small waterfalls in Horseshoe Falls Reserve.

After parking the car on Winbourne Road, I followed it as it headed northwards towards the lake, changing from a tarmac road to a gravel track. Before long it intersects a powerline where another path leads downhill, away from the road. The Powerline Trail looks to be popular with mountain bikers and includes a couple of narrow, wooden bridges used to cross the creeks.

Descending into the woods along the Winbourne Powerline Trail

Some of the small creek crossings along the trail

Woodford Creek valley

The trail makes its way down to the L5 Trail, one of several maintenance tracks that make inroads into the Blue Mountains. This one serves the dam at the far end of Woodford Lake. It is easy to follow for a few kilometres until it reaches the dam itself. The dam was built in the early 1900s to supply water to the towns and villages along the spine of the Great Western Highway though it is no longer used for such purposes today.

The L5 Trail

Woodford Creek

Woodford Lake

Woodford Lake

Woodford Lake

The L5 Trail meets the L6 Trail at the dam wall, which then proceeds to make a steep, 100m climb out of the valley and then back along a broad ridge towards Winbourne Road. Before almost reaching where I had parked the car another, smaller path branches away downhill again, leading into Horsehoe Falls Reserve. The overgrown route emerges at Hazelbrook Creek.

The dam wall at Woodford Lake

The L6 Trail

L6 Trail

Descending through the bush to Hazelbrook Creek (there is a path amongst the trees and shrubs)

Hazelbrook Creek

The path from the creek is narrow and steep for a short distance until it reaches a turning area at the end of a fire trail. Fire trails crisscross Australia and provide firefighters access to the bush to tackle blazes. The trail leads away from the creeks to the top of the reserve, saving several small waterfalls for the end of the hike.

Climbing out from the creek

The climb away from Hazelbrook Creek

The first is Horseshoe Falls which gives its name to the reserve. The falls are named for obvious reasons and it is possible to get behind the curtain of water that sheets off the rocks.

Approaching Horseshoe Falls

Horseshoe Falls

Horseshoe Falls

Horseshoe Falls

Following Horseshoe Falls are Fairy Falls and then Lyrebird Falls, both pretty waterfalls that offer ample opportunity to snap some photos.

Oaklands Falls

Oaklands Falls

Hazelbrook Creek

The final waterfall on this hike is Burgess Falls, located on the arm of a different creek. I spent a good while snapping a few photos with a small tripod, which allows those long exposure shots you can see below.

Burgess Falls

Burgess Falls

Burgess Falls

After Burgess Falls, it's only a short climb out of the valley to Winbourne Road where I had left the car in the morning. I must admit, I would not rush to hike to L5 Trail again - it's little more than an access track for the dam with ok views of Woodford Lake. On the other hand, Horseshoe Falls Reserve is well worth a visit and could be combined with other hikes in the area, such as the Transit of Venus, to really get your waterfall fix.