Parking
Use the Govetts Leap lookout car park. Weekend parking can be limited; Blue Mountains Heritage Centre is an alternative, about 500 m from the lookout on foot.
Overview
About Cliff Top walking track
Why go
- Cliff-edge views over the Grose Valley, with Govetts Leap Falls from Barrow lookout.
- Spring heath, banksias and birdlife add variety between the lookouts.
Heads up
- Many steps and short steep hills make the 6 km more demanding than it looks.
- The return retraces the same track.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Mountains map
Full mapElevation889–995 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 Cliff Top walking track, 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
Govetts Leap and Bridal Veil Falls0:00 / 0:31
“Govetts Leap lookout is coming up, with sandstone walls enclosing the Grose Valley and Bridal Veil Falls dropping about a hundred and eighty metres down the cliff.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Blue Mountains Heritage Centre
- How Rain Sends Up a Scent
- The Approach to Pulpit Rock Lookout
- Walls Cave and the Creek Gorge
- 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 Cliff Top walking track
The walkCliff Top walking track is a 3.
Cliff Top walking track is a 3.7-mile (6 km) out-and-back from Govetts Leap lookout to Evans lookout and back. The formed, clearly signposted path follows the edge of the Grose Valley and takes about 3 to 3½ hours. It has many steps and short steep hills, so plan for a steady, moderately demanding walk; leave time to pause at the lookouts and turn around at Evans.
Along the rimThe track leaves Govetts Leap lookout and winds through windswept heath above the valley.
The track leaves Govetts Leap lookout and winds through windswept heath above the valley. Expect repeated climbs and descents on formed tread, with earthen sections and flights of stone or timber-edged steps. Views of sandstone walls and forest open between the trees. This is more work than the modest distance suggests, especially on the return.
Barrow and the brookThe route crosses Govetts Leap Brook and passes the Braeside walking track junction before…
The route crosses Govetts Leap Brook and passes the Braeside walking track junction before reaching Evans. At Barrow lookout, turn back toward Govetts Leap for a view of the falls dropping over the escarpment. It is the walk's signature view and a good reason to pause before continuing.
Heath and birdsThe exposed ridge carries she-oaks, banksias and stunted mallee.
The exposed ridge carries she-oaks, banksias and stunted mallee. Spring brings wildflowers through the heath, with nectar-feeding white-naped honeyeaters among the birds to watch for. Yellow-tailed black cockatoos and king parrots are also seen in this area.
At Evans lookoutEvans is the far end of the walk and the place to rest before retracing the same route.
Evans is the far end of the walk and the place to rest before retracing the same route. Both lookouts have toilets and picnic facilities; bring water and, if you want lunch at the turnaround, pack it before leaving. Ordinary pets are prohibited in the national park; certified assistance animals are the exception.
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.
