Baltzer Lookout

From the gate, the trail follows the ridge through heathland and open forest to a turning circle. A short bush track from there reaches the lookout. The long approach can feel repetitive if you are walking it, while a bike makes the fire trail go by faster. In spring, red waratahs and grass trees with cream-coloured flower spikes brighten the heath.

The reward is the projecting sandstone face of Hanging Rock set against the forested Grose Valley and its steep cliffs. This is a place to stop and take in the scale of the valley, not just tick off a viewpoint. For a photo, frame the rock with the valley and opposite escarpments behind it; stay well back from the unfenced edge, especially while looking through a camera.

The Grose Valley's deep canyons and sandstone escarpments were carved over roughly 15 million years through uplift and erosion. That is the broader landscape story behind the view; a site-specific account of how the detached Hanging Rock formed was not established.

The viewpoint honours William Julius Baltzer, a Blackheath conservationist. In 1933 he joined a group advocating for a Blue Mountains National Park, and the lookout later commemorated his work for the Grose Valley. The names are easy to mix up: Baltzer Lookout is the viewpoint; Hanging Rock is the formation you see from it.

The trailhead is at the locked gate on Ridgewell Road, about 1 km west of Blackheath; parking there is limited and can be busy on weekends. Bring drinking water, sun protection and navigation, and consider a personal locator beacon: mobile reception is limited. Walking and cycling groups in Grose Wilderness are limited to eight. Pack a picnic lunch, and use the listed toilets at Memorial Park in Blackheath before setting out. Pets are not allowed except certified assistance animals.