Popes Glen & Govetts Leap Lookout - Blue Mountains National Park

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Route: Park Avenue, Beersheba Parade, Blackheath Pool, Wills Street, Popes Glen Reserve, Popes Glen Track, Boyds Beach, Taylor Fall, Cripps Lookout, Pulpit Rock Track, Two Falls Lookout, Laws Lookout, Loops Track, Breakfast Rock Lookout, Govetts Leap Lookout, Cliff Top Track, Govetts Leap Brook, Barrow Lookout, Braeside Walk, Braeside Road, Boreas Street, Pascoe Lane, Park Avenue

Date: 12/06/2023
From: Blackheath

Parking: Park Avenue
Start Point: Blackheath Memorial Park
Finish Point: Govetts Leap Road
Region: Blue Mountains National Park

Route length: 9.2km
Time taken: 03:02
Average speed: 4.4km/h
Ascent: 375m
Descent: 350m

Points of Interest: Popes Glen, Cripps Lookout, Govetts Leap Lookout

A circuit through Popes Glen to Govetts Leap is one of the best hikes in the Blackheath area, if not the entire Blue Mountains. It's a personal favourite of mine as it has some of the best views in the national park for only a modest amount of effort.

Having parked on the streets of Blackheath, our first port of call would be Blackheath Memorial Park and the entrance to Popes Glen Reserve, located off Wills Street. The reserve is home to the Popes Glen track which was repaired and upgraded after being severely damaged by the 19/20 summer bushfires. The reserve is named after the Pope family, who were the owners of a substantial property in the late 1800s,

Popes Glen

The track follows Popes Glen Creek downstream, eventually arriving at a bridge and continuing on the opposite side. It leads through a beautiful area of the valley to Boyds Beach (or what is left of it after some serious flooding). The sandy patch resides on a bend in the creek but I would not say it was substantial enough to be called a beach at the moment. A short distance beyond the beach, the track passes Taylor Falls, a pretty little multi-tiered waterfall. From here, things get even more interesting.

Popes Glen Creek

Popes Glen Creek

Boyds Beach

Popes Glen

Taylor Fall

A small bonus on this hike was a side trip to the recently reopened Cripps Lookout which sits above the precipitous cliffs of the Grose Valley. It has a commanding view of the two waterfalls - Horseshoe Falls and the more distant Govetts Leap waterfall. Here's hoping the local council complete the rebuilding of the Pulpit Rock Track, which continues from Cripps Lookout.

Popes Glen

Govetts Leap from Cripps Lookout

Govetts Leap

Horseshoe Falls

Cripps Lookout

Popes Glen Creek meets its end at Horseshoe Falls, a tall waterfall that flows over the main Govetts Gorge cliffs. The track climbs away from the falls, passing a series of lookouts that provide an ever-evolving view of the waterfall, the cliffs opposite and the valley beyond. This section of the track has recently been rebuilt after the 19/20 bushfires.

The beautiful Grose Valley

The track follows the clifftop to Laws Lookout and then Govetts Leap lookout where there is a large car park and a spectacular view of the adjacent waterfall.  

Panorama from Laws Lookout

Govetts Leap Lookout

Govetts Leap Lookout

Govetts Leap falls some 180m over Griffith Taylor Wall, an immense stretch of sandstone that starts from Evans Lookout and ends many kilometres away at Docker Head and Perry's Lookdown. The falls themselves are named after Willam Romaine Govett, the government surveyor who first documented the falls in 1831 (it is unlikely he was the first to 'discover' the area). The word 'Leap' translates to waterfall in the old Scottish dialect, though Govett himself was from Devon.

Govetts Leap

The bottom of the waterfall

The Cliff Top Track leaves from the southern end of the car park at Govetts Leap, heading towards the waterfall itself. It descends into the valley of Govetts Leap Brook, crossing the creek almost immediately before it is thrown over the cliff edge. Once across, the track climbs briefly to the sensational Barrow Lookout.

The magnificent Grose Valley

Pulpit Rock, Grose Valley and Mount Hay

Govetts Leap Creek

The rock platform that marks the lookout is named after Isaac Le Pipre Barrow who was a draughtsman and surveyor with the Department of Lands. He was responsible for many of the hand-drawn tourist maps of the area. 

Barrow Lookout

The lookout is located just above Govetts Leap, and while the vegetation shields the full height of the waterfall, it is a sensational lookout. It is situated on the very precipice of the Griffith Taylor Wall and has a stunning view of the mossy hanging gardens which cling to the sandstone face of the cliff. It's one of the few lookouts where you are actually below the main cliffs, rather than on top of them.

Horseshoe Falls

Grose Valley

The top of Govetts Leap

The view from Barrow Lookout

After spending some time at Barrow Lookout, we returned to the creek where the eastern end of the Braeside Trail joins the Cliff Top Track. The recently upgraded trail follows Govetts Leap Brook upstream for around 1.5km until it reaches a small picnic area, complemented by a bench, barbeque and a pool created by a low concrete weir. Here, the track joins Braeside Road, a fire trail that provides an easy return to the streets of Blackheath and the car.

Govetts Leap Brook

Braeside Walk