Parking
Start at Du Faurs Rocks lookout, at the Du Faurs Rocks Road turning circle. Parking there is very limited; no confirmed overflow area was found.
Overview
About Chinamans Hat and Pheasants Cave Loop
Why go
- A short loop combines open cliff-top views with a sheltered cave gully.
Heads up
- Steep, rocky steps and a small creek crossing make wet footing tricky.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Mountains map
Full mapElevation899–971 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Blue Mountains alerts
- ClosureRoads and tracks closed across Blue Mountains National ParkMany roads, fire trails and walking tracks across Blue Mountains National Park are closed; do not enter closed areas.Official details
- CautionPark-wide solid-fuel fire banA park fire ban is active across Blue Mountains National Park: campfires and solid-fuel barbecues and stoves are prohibited. - Gas and electric cookers are permitted, subject to safety rules.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Blue Mountains Tour Guide
Your drive to Chinamans Hat and Pheasants Cave Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Blue Mountains National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Blue Mountains audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Du Faurs Rocks Lookout and the Cave Walk0:00 / 0:28
“You're coming up on Du Faurs Rocks lookout, a quick Mount Wilson stop for a broad view across the forested valley.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Wollangambe River from Mount Wilson
- The Railway the Valley Never Got
- The Falcon’s Falling Strike
- Mount Wilson’s Gift to Landscape Art
- 188 audio storiesacross Blue Mountains’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grey Kangaroo, Wombat, Red-necked Wallaby, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 110 trails, 84 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Chinamans Hat and Pheasants Cave Loop
A short loop with a real descentFrom Du Faurs Rocks lookout, this 1.1-mile (1.
From Du Faurs Rocks lookout, this 1.1-mile (1.8-km) circuit links the cliff-top Chinamans Hat track with the Pheasants Cave spur, which you walk out and back. Allow about an hour. The sandy upper path passes big overhangs and open valley views, then drops on rocky steps into a shaded gully. It's a good pick if you want more than the lookout; the cave detour adds the steepest, roughest part.
Take the cave branchAt the lower junction, the right branch returns to the access and misses the cave.
At the lower junction, the right branch returns to the access and misses the cave. Continue straight for Pheasants Cave, then retrace the rocky descent and follow the remaining loop back toward Du Faurs Rocks. Small arrows mark parts of the way, but the junction is easy to mistake.
What's at the endPheasants Cave is a broad rock overhang beside boulders in a cool, wooded gully, not a cave to…
Pheasants Cave is a broad rock overhang beside boulders in a cool, wooded gully, not a cave to walk into. A tiny creek crosses the path just before it. There's also a small waterfall whose flow changes with rainfall, so treat it as a bonus rather than a guaranteed feature.
Access and footingThe start is at the Du Faurs Rocks Road turning circle beside the lookout, where parking is…
The start is at the Du Faurs Rocks Road turning circle beside the lookout, where parking is very limited. The lower descent is steep and uneven, with rock-cut steps and a handrail; the rocks and creek can be slippery when wet. This walk is in Blue Mountains National Park, so pets aren't allowed apart from assistance animals.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Blue Mountains
58 sightingsGrey KangarooMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
43 sightingsWombatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
18 sightingsRed-necked WallabyMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
53 sightingsSwamp WallabyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
23 sightingsBrushtail PossumMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
30 sightingsRing-tailed PossumMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Blue Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
