Looking for a Blue Mountains hike that delivers maximum drama? This 10-kilometre circuit combines the iconic opening leg of the historic Six Foot Track with a thrilling, off-the-beaten-path climb through Devil's Hole. Dropping from Katoomba into the lush depths of the Megalong Valley before scrambling up a near-vertical sandstone cleft—guarded by a colossal wedged chockstone—this route serves up sweeping valley vistas, quiet rainforest gullies, and a solid dose of adventure.
Six Foot Track & The Devil's Hole
📍 BLUE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Distance11.8 km
Duration03:51 hrs
Elev Gain+699 m
Elev Lost-705 m
Date
12 November 2023
Starting Point
Cahill's Lookout
Difficulty
Difficult
Pace / Gear
4.2 km/h — Full day pack
Highlights
Cahill's Lookout, Norths Lookout, Six Foot Track, Devil's Hole
🗺️ Interactive Route MapPinch or use wheel to zoom
Several long-distance routes crisscross the Blue Mountains, with the historic Six Foot Track standing out as one of the region’s finest. Engineered in 1884 as a bridle trail, the route was commissioned to create a direct shortcut from Katoomba to the spectacular limestone caverns of Jenolan Caves—bypassing the long, circuitous carriage road via Mount Victoria. The name itself comes from its original design specification: a minimum width of six feet to allow two laden horses to pass each other comfortably. Today, the full 44-kilometre trail is a classic three-day trek, taking hikers through heritage bushland, across the Coxs River via the Bowtells Suspension Bridge, and over the rugged range.
While I wasn't tackling the entire distance today, I’d be following its dramatic opening leg. Leaving the buzz of Katoomba behind, the trail plunges down the infamous Nellie's Glen—a steep, humid gully framed by towering rainforest and heritage stone steps carved into the cliffside. My goal was to drop straight into the lush floor of the Megalong Valley, where I’d branch off toward the base of Devil's Hole: an imposing, near-vertical cleft in the sheer sandstone cliffs where a massive fallen boulder remains wedged high between the canyon walls.
The ideal starting point for this circuit lies near Cahill's Lookout, avoiding the newly installed parking meters on Cliff Drive. The lookout honours former NSW Premier John Joseph Cahill, who approved the construction of the Sydney Opera House in the 1950s. It’s easily one of the best vantage points in the park, yet far less crowded than hotspots like Echo Point or Lincoln's Rock. Looking out over Boar's Head Rock and the Megalong Valley, its western orientation makes it an incredible spot to catch the sunset.
Sunset at Cahills Lookout
The sun sets over the Megalong Valley
Cahills Lookout
Cahills Lookout
The Boars Head rock formation
Boars Head and Narrowneck Plateau
The first leg of the hike heads toward the start of the Six Foot Track, passing the quiet vantage of Peckmans Plateau Lookout before connecting via a short stretch of suburban streets to the Cliff Walk. The track makes a quick traverse through dense heath and coachwood bushland at the headwaters of Megalong Creek, crossing the small stream before arriving at Norths Lookout. Named after JB North—the pioneer who mined coal and shale in the valley far below—the lookout offers a cracking view right down the throat of Nellie's Glen, watching the cliffside line where the Six Foot Track plunges into the rainforest canyon.
Part of the track to Peckmans Plateau
Peckmans Plateau Lookout
The lookout has a view across Nellies Glen to the cliffs beyond
On Cliff Walk
Therabulat Lookout
Therabulat Lookout
Megalong Creek
Cliff Walk
Norths Lookout
Norths Lookout has a perilous view of the gorge below
The official start of the Six Foot Track lies just beyond Norths Lookout. It begins innocently enough as a wide, gentle fire trail, though a series of ominous warning signs quickly make it clear that the easy gradient won't last long. The track soon passes through a wooden chicane—a barrier clearly designed to keep large vehicles off the path. Given the near-vertical flight of wet, mossy wooden steps waiting just beyond it as the trail drops into the throat of Nellie's Glen, you have to wonder what kind of vehicle would ever dare attempt it anyway.
Six Foot Track close to Norths Lookout
Six Foot Track
Steps on the Six Foot Track
Six Foot Track
Six Foot Track at the bottom of the steps
Dropping roughly 200 metres through the cool, damp rainforest of Nellie's Glen, the steps of the Six Foot Track closely trace the infant Megalong Creek. It’s an atmospheric plunge through towering tree ferns and coachwoods, but once you cross the creek and break free from the dark sandstone canyon walls, the landscape changes dramatically. The enclosed gully suddenly gives way to towering eucalypts, open farmland, and sweeping, sunlit views across the floor of the Megalong Valley.
The cliffs tower above the track but are often hard to spot through the trees
Much of the Six Foot Track from here is along a fire trail
From here, the Six Foot Track continues downhill along a wide fire trail. While much of the dramatic escarpment is screened by dense eucalypt forest, the trees part every so often to reward you with cracking views back up at the soaring sandstone cliffs. After a steady stretch of descending, the track meets the old Water Board Road—a grassy maintenance track that branches off toward the base of Devil's Hole.
Six Foot Track
Blue Gums in the valley
The Water Board Road was constructed in the 1960s as part of the ambitious Fish River Water Supply Scheme, designed to transfer water across the Great Dividing Range to supply the Wallerawang Power Station near Lithgow. The project saw a high-pressure pipeline routed right over the Narrow Neck Plateau, plummeting down into the Megalong Valley through a sheer cleft in the sandstone wall. A series of precarious steel ladders was installed alongside the pipe, which quickly became a legendary, if terrifying, shortcut for intrepid bushwalkers scaling the escarpment. Though the ladders have long since been decommissioned and partially removed, unofficial ropes now hang from the remaining rungs near the bottom. It means the route is technically negotiable, but strictly at your own peril.
The turnoff for Devil’s Hole Track appears partway along the Water Board Road, quietly marked by a low, mossy cairn that’s easy to miss if you aren't looking out for it. Once you leave the road behind, the singletrack becomes surprisingly clear, winding a gentle course through the tall gum trees down to the rocky bed of Devil's Hole Creek.
The beginning of the Devil's Hole Track
After crossing Devil's Hole Creek, the trail immediately starts to climb. The gradient is fairly forgiving at first, but it quickly ramps up, turning into a relentless grind as it pushes toward the base of the cliffs—though the soaring rock face remains completely hidden behind a thick canopy of eucalypts and undergrowth. It's an efficient way to work up a sweat and a section best avoided in the sweltering heat of summer. Just when it feels like the incline can't possibly get any steeper, the trees part and you arrive right at the towering mouth of Devil's Hole.
The Devil's Hole Track is less manicured than the Six Foot Track
The track climbs through the trees
Things get a little more rugged
Approaching the bottom of Devil's Hole – notice how the path has disappeared
You will know you are in the right place if you happen across this sign
The base of the Devil's Hole
Devil's Hole is a dramatic, near-vertical rift carved into the sheer sandstone cliffs, choked with massive fallen boulders and lush, rain-dripping ferns. There is no official line to take up the canyon; it’s a steep, choose-your-own-adventure semi-scramble over slick rock and damp earth. The unquestioned highlight of the climb is passing beneath the iconic chockstone—a colossal boulder wedged precariously between the sheer canyon walls high above your head. Once you scramble past it, the gradient finally eases, and the dark canyon walls open back out into dry eucalypt bushland.
Devil's Hole
The trapped boulder is a key feature of the chasm
Devil's Hole
The wedged boulder
Devil's Hole
Devil's Hole
After a gentler climb away from the canyon, the path emerges onto Cliff Drive just a short stroll from Cahill's Lookout, bringing a fitting end to a superb circuit.
Existing the top of the canyon
The dense bush atop the Blue Mountains cliffs
The top of the track at Cliff Drive is marked by a sign
What an excellent day out in the Blue Mountains. Combining a historic descent into the Megalong Valley with the rugged, off-the-beaten-track climb up Devil's Hole makes for a remarkably varied loop—delivering everything from quiet rainforest gullies and sweeping valley vistas to a bit of hands-on scrambling. If you're looking for an alternative Blue Mountains circuit that dodges the tourist crowds while still delivering maximum drama, this little-frequented corner below Katoomba is hard to beat.
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