crest of the ridge. The first part of the walk was quite easy, being out along the There are 3 alerts for Kanangra-Boyd National Park: Other planned events, Safety alerts, Closed areas, View full screen The total distance of the walk is 52km, with a total of 3044m of ascent and 2991m of descent over the 3-4 days! It's located in New South Wales, Australia. . It is believed that he was planning to walk from Kanangra Walls to Katoomba via Crafts Walls, Mount Cloudmaker and Dex Creek. Avoid a turn off to the right to Dance Floor Cave and ascend a short climb on to the plateau proper. Shot on Fuji Velvia ISO 50 using a Nikon F801 and an AF 24mm f2.8 lens. way to the top of the ridge. A challenging bushwalk in the Kanangra Boyd region. You will do this in a friendly environment, in the company of like-minded people who are here for all the same reasons you are, in a spirit of mutual respect and friendship. Cloudmaker and Guouogang are eroded remnants of Ordovician quartzite. The hike should take around 3-4 days to complete. Most saddles between Mt Berry and Mt Strongleg offer a flat grassy area. We decided to get an early 7.30 a.m. start on Monday because we had a long day ahead on the Gingra Range which was mostly up-hill. Kanangra Wall cliff top walk - one of the most dramatic cliff-top walks in the Blue Mountains, but, due to the unfenced 70 metre drop, unsuitable for children. Konangaroo Clearing is a large grassy area next to Kanangra Creek, and would be an excellent campsite if doing the walk in two days. The reward for all this effort is to transect a vast swathe of the southern Blue Mountains wilderness, taking in majestic mountain scenery in the process. Generally considered a challenging route. A lovely overnight walk in a beautiful national park, and great company from the welcoming groupof SBW walkers. All prospective clients agree to combine Days 2 and 3 into one, making it a 3 day trip. Actually I joined two clubs, The Bush Club and Sydney Bushwalkers (SBW), as I couldnt decidebetween them! - Brennan Top Splendour Rock is a truly spectacular place, a prominent rock outcrop from where panoramic views of the southern Blue Mountains can be beheld. We can camp here if doing the trip over 4 days, which makes Day 2 a short day with a relaxing afternoon by the river. My toes were few kms of flat walking, we were heading along the faint track along Kurrajong trees are found in abundance where limestone outcrops occur, and in sheltered gullies rainforest species (including red cedar) and blue gum are found. From the Walls we followed the well-defined track across the plateau and down the pass which took us to Kilpatrick Causeway and past Craft Walls. three hour round trip to Kanangra to pick up the other car. Mobbs Swamp is on the south side of Warrigal Gully, at the head of the creek, and is reached after a steady downhill on the track. If you dont have some of the items on this list, I have a limited supply of gear that I can lend you, or alternatively some items such as tents and cooking equipment can be shared. up, and the sun disappeared behind the clouds. a day walk, we set off to get the car shuffle out of the way. This walk is excellent for bird watching and wildlife spotting. As well as including theTen Essentials, my planning, food and packing checklists provide an summary of things to consider on your day, overnight and multi-day hikes. our arrangement to meet the others worked. I chose day 1 as my favourite day, however I really didn't have a favourite day, I enjoyed each day for what it was and what it gave me. The distances below assume a car at the locked gate. Kanangra Walls Lookout and Kalang Falls Walk, Blue Dog and Black Horse Ridge Loop Track, Dunphys Campground to Bellbird Ridge Lookout, Kanangra Walls Lookout, Brennan Top and Cottage Rock, Cattle Dog Ridge, Knights Deck, and Ironmonger Track, Frying Pan Flat via Bellbird Ridge and Carlons Creek, Mount Guouogang and Mount Paralyser Circuit, Mount Mouin via Bellbird and Black Horse Ridge Track, Bullhead Mountian and Sullen Tor via Plateau Walk, Federation Track South: Bindook Highlands to Yass. The bush Near the end of the plateau, the track heads down and into a small gully. Also on the last day the traverse around the base of Crafts Wall is rough, slow and hard on the ankles. The river should only be about knee deep at this point. It's a Small size geocache, with difficulty of 2, terrain of 5. The southern rim of Crafts Wall is very overgrown and requires bush bashing. The first part of the walk was quite easy, being out along the Plateau itself. The distances below assume a car at the locked gate. thought was an early hour, only to find it full already. Plateau itself. The remainder of the trail to Crafts Wall and around the northern rim is moderate. The plateau slopes gently down from west to east from a height of around 1100m (3610 ft) near Mt. Enjoy the sunrise from Splendour Rock. Your food while on the hike - you need to bring your own food for the 4 day hike. Have only visited here once, but will certainly return, a few of these . The free NSW National Parks app lets you download maps and explore parks, things to do and places to stayall without mobile reception. For the fishing enthusiasts, trout can be caught along Kowmung River and, for the adventurous, canyoning is popular during the warmer months. Eucalypt forest with western plain species, such as yellow box and white box, are found in areas of rainshadow. Transport by chartered minibus from Kanangra Walls back to Katoomba at the end of the walk. trails, the relevant topographic maps should be carried on most walks. An easy day trip from the Blue Mountains, Kanangra-Boyd also has quiet campsites among the snow gums at Boyd River if you want to get away from it all. inventively named Mt High and Mighty, Mt Stormbreaker, Rip, Rack, Roar and ; Smegs07 at English Wikipedia; ' . reached the Kanangra Walls (dirt) Rd, where everything started to get Become an active member of this fun, rewarding and adventurous community. in things like that. .gb-container-d6e79c73{margin-top:20px;}.gb-container-d6e79c73 > .gb-inside-container{max-width:1390px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;}.gb-grid-wrapper > .gb-grid-column-d6e79c73 > .gb-container{display:flex;flex-direction:column;height:100%;}. We camped on the Friday night at Boyd Crossing Campground, after By this time it was 4 pm and the light was failing, so, out came the compass and map for what I anticipated was a navigational challenge to find the Cave in the dark (with only an estimated grid reference on my map and not having been there before). Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. [5], The complex geology, climate, fire regime, and topography has enabled a wide variety of ecosystems to develop. Crossing two national parks, it takes in some of the best scenery of both, including excellent views from the high plateaux of Narrow Neck and Kanangra Walls. The next section is the longest climb on the walk. Awesome! From Kanangra to Katoomba it's 45-50km depending on who you ask (and how lost you get). Jonathan posed on a The key difficulties of this walk are in the distance to be covered each day, and the large amount of elevation change. Most of us rocked up to Boyd River Crossing on Friday night and were greeted with a blast of cold air when we got out of our cars, there was frost on the ground when we woke next morning. After a bit of The first day is the longest in distance of the entire walk. At the There are over 45 rare or endangered plant species in the wilderness. Next morning Shane and I poured over the map and chose our route, deciding to take Orange Bluff off the plan; a somewhat easier day if all went to plan to make up for yesterdays challenges across the plateau, visit 1,000 Man Cave and then negotiate a pass through the cliffline and walk along the south-east at the base of the cliff to Compagnoni Pass and then follow a ridge between Little Gingra Creek and Willa Creek to reach the junction of the Kowmung and Little Gingra Creek by mid-afternoon. Gabes Gap is the low point on the walk, the path through the gap is steep in both directions. This will be arranged by me as part of my service to you. Wednesday afternoon's walk, from the Kanangra carpark, took us first to the Kanangra Walls Lookout (spectacular views of the Walls and Mount Cloudmaker), the nearby Thurat Walls Lookout and then to Kalang Falls - many steps! Colong Caves is another outstanding feature of the area. Thurat Spires, Kanangra Walls and Mount Cloudmaker provide sandstone scenery on a majestic scale." (sic.) We car-camped at Boyd River campsite the night before, and were up early for a 7:30am start. A classic trail deep in the Blue Mountains, the K2K offers some of the best scenery in the region. RF2E3JJTW - Aerial panorama of Kanangra Walls and Mount Cloud Maker in Kanangra-Boyd National Park in the . I was able to download it straight into a gps app I downloaded the other day! on the right ridge, but backtracking because they thought they had the Well, originally that was just Mitch. Yellow Dog Ridge. The trip itinerary allows 4 days, though this makes Days 2 and 3 rather short and in theory these could be combined. Follow the fire road along Narrow Neck. After a break, continue on to Mt Stormbreaker. Even though the trail turned into piles of rock at various Information submitted on this form, including any personal details, will be a matter of public record and will be stored in the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) records system. of wood there These There are plenty of good campsites along the way. eastern end of the wall we missed our trail heading off to the left, and in any case. Steep, tight rockclimbing/bouldering section which seems dangerous & impossible when viewed from the top. Considering our late start we opted for lunch here while we could Further east, in the Coxs River area, is the large Kanimbla granite batholith, implaced during the Carboniferous period. Water was a bit scarce - we continued up the track a short way It is strongly recommended that all participants undertake some form of fitness training for at least the 2 months prior to the trip. If you believe your life is at risk, activate your personal locator beacon (PLB), then make your position visible to rescue teams and keep warm and dry. This elevation chart below gives you a good idea of the amount of climbing and descending day by day on this walk. On the first day at Kanangra . Carlon's Farm. From Craft's Wall, we headed down into the small saddle and up the The Gangerang Range mountains in this area have delightful names, Mt High and Mighty and Mt Stormbreaker among them. Continuing along the track from Mt Cloudmaker for about 1km brought If it's offered over 4 days next year, that makes it a different experience that I hope I can be a part of :) I think you go out of your way to make sure everyone is comfortable and well taken care off, and well informed, and provided for. From Mt Amarina it is easy walking over Kullieatha Peak, down into the saddle and around the east side of Mt Strongleg. Reaching the corner of the Wall, take the track to the north west, which heads down a hill, and then up to the conglomerate bluff at the southern end of Mt Berry. However, our nice track soon disappeared in a casuarina forest, under a layer of she-oak needles. the weather was very cold, and my toes had well and truly gone numb by Tom patching blisters. - in a day. Kanangra to Katoomba - K2K is a 47km, grade 5 hike located in the Kanangra-Boyd National Park, New South Wales. In my mid-teens I had the privilege of being introduced to this area by people who inspire me, and through my guiding services I hope to awaken the same spirit in others that was awoken in me so many years ago. We first ended up fighting thick scrub all the -33.988355 150.108817 . There are numerous routes that can be taken. The total distance of the walk is 52km, with 3044m of ascent and 2991m of descent over the course of the 3-4 days. The steepest ascent of the day is from here, up to Mt High and Mighty. Below I share some of the feedback that they have kindly provided from past K2K trips and agreed to have published on this website. Care needed! adding layer after layer of clothing as we cooled down, the wind picked Kanangra to Katoomba requires a long car shuffle. I did not realise how beautiful and rugged some parts of the Blue Mountains could be and we walked through the heart of it all. Kanangra Boyd National Park [1] is in the Australian state of New South Wales some 180 km west of Sydney and adjacent (south and east) to Jenolan Caves. Description from the NSW National Park Website. to find the minor ridge heading for Mount Moorilla. to fall. The other car you will need to get to Kanangra Walls. Keep your eyes peeled for echidnas and lyrebirds, particularly during summer. All in all, fantastic day and well worth the drive. Our four beginners kept their sense of humour though when the going got tough and I hope that theyll give Kanangra another go (maybe in a year or so!). three legs is better than two when it comes to walking across the Over 200 birds and 98 reptile species have been recorded. The park was established in 1969. The plateau trail is very wet and muddy but generally easy to follow despite the lack of any markers. There are isolated residual cappings of Permian sandstone in a few places but here the Palaeozoic basement rocks, which are elsewhere buried well below the Permo-Triassic Measures, are on the surface as high land. If it is more than waist deep then it is dangerous to cross, and you may need to wait or return to Kanangra Walls. of the bush we found we were two ridges east of where we should have However, From the superb sandstone cliff faces at the Kanangra Walls to the Mount Cloudmaker, there is no shortage of sights to enjoy. But 'screw that' we thought. However we decided to get moving quickly as there looked to be more bad It is up there with the Overland Track in Tasmania and the Milford Track in New Zealand for beauty but more isolated and much harder. Near the top of Mt Strongleg the trail There are a confusion of competing tracks in the area. Topographic maps of the area to be shared 1 between 2. Take a virtual tour of Kanangra-Boyd lookout captured withGoogle Street View Trekker. a large mass of sandstone rising out of the surrounding bush. Mount Cloudmaker (Ian Brown) Mount Cloudmaker emerging from dawn mist As part of the Great Escarpment this is big country, with the greatest relief in the whole Blue Mountains: nearly 1200 metres from the Coxs River to the summit of Mount Guouogang on the Krungle Bungle Range. Len S had put this three day walk on the BWOC calendar mainly because Id convinced him it was a good walk, neither of us had been to 100 Man Cave before, and he loves Kanangra. On Day 2 we will do a relaxed day walk over Ti Willa Plateau to 1000 Man Cave. There was also time for a (slightly) longer walk to a point overlooking Kanangra Creek not far from Kanangra Falls. Kanangra Tops at the south-eastern end of the Plateau is one of the Permian outliers. I wonder whether the NPWS takes an interest . Other well-known landmarks are Mount Cloudmaker and the Thurat Spires. "First of all a big shout out to our guide Ashley, although 'guide' is an understatement as he fulfilled so many additional roles: chef (wow that home baked banana cake ), tea maker, sherpa, chauffeur, motivator, teacher, water finder, photographer, someone who made us feel safe and made sure I didn't fall off the bottom of Tarro's Ladder . The views in this section are excellent, with the spectacular Kanangra Falls and Kalang Falls in full glory after rain, and the magnificent Thurat Spires glowing red in the morning light. It's a site filled with tips and advice to help you get out in nature and return safely. The walk includes the spectacular Kanangra Walls, the Gangerang Range, the Coxs River valley, the Wild Dog Mountains and the Narrow Neck plateau. Victoria pub, where a well-deserved hot dinner was in order as the snow Required fields are marked *. "He thought he was already at the foot of Mount Cloudmaker - at Gabes Gap! Altitude: 1164 metres Class: along the way, and so didn't have to organise our own car shuffle. Does this hike info need updating? There are several well known landmarks in the park, such as Mount Cloudmaker, Kanangra Walls and the Thurat Spires. Although the route can be done by an extremely fit trail runner in 12-15 hours, most bushwalking groups attempt the walk over a somewhat more pedestrian 3 or 4 days. Len S had put this three day walk on the BWOC calendar mainly because I'd convinced him it was a good walk, neither of us had been to 100 Man Cave before, and he loves Kanangra. Also was able to put 2 entries in the Bushwalker's book located on top of Mt Cloudmaker with the times of each pass and expected finish. Looking forward to more! The size of the group will be capped at 8 clients, and the trip will not proceed unless a minimum number of 5 clients sign up. arrived. worn path at the bottom leading in the right direction. The descent to Gabes Gap, the low point of the day, follows. Mount Cloudmaker (from Kanangra Walls) | Kanangra-Boyd National Park | BeyondTracks BeyondTracks BeyondTracks ExploreListMap Mount Cloudmaker (from Kanangra Walls) Kanangra-Boyd National Park 21km Distance 8hr 43min Duration 1,637m Ascent 1,637m Descent Return car Sidetracks Dance Floor Cave- Sidetrack Return| 67m - Another challenge of this walk is the descent of Tarros Ladders, which is a cliff face with metal spikes in them which you use as handholds and footholds to descend. Directly across from our campsite is the base of the long spur up Mt Strongleg. The track undulated It is also done by some groups in one day as a challenge - "K to K in a Day" is one of the well known "hard" walks in the Blue Mountains, along with the significantly tougher Three Peaks. . The middle two days are both shorter and these two days can be combined into one longer day if desired. This track was very overgrown and this was when we decided to turn back because we realised our error. Next, you'll make your way to see the breathtaking Kanangra-Boyd lookout, which gives you sweeping views of the Kanangra Walls and Mount Cloudmaker.