Parking
Use North Lawson Park at the end of St Bernards Drive. Lawson train station is about a 20-minute walk away.
Overview
About Empire Pass loop
Why go
- Four named waterfalls on one circuit
- Rainforest gully and sandstone creek scenery
Heads up
- Steep stairs and fire-trail climbing
- One easy-to-miss turn can skip Fairy Falls
The Empire Pass loop is a 5.5 km (3.4 mi) circuit from North Lawson Park through Dantes Glen and bushland to four waterfalls: Dantes Glen, St Michael’s, Frederica and Fairy Falls. Allow about two and a half hours. It is a moderate walk with steep stairs and fire-trail climbing, plus a rocky creek crossing; expect uneven bush track rather than a smooth park stroll.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the walk for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Mountains map
Full mapElevation591–725 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 Empire Pass 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 area
The Gum Flower Takes Its Cap Off0:00 / 0:29
“A gum flower opens by losing its hat. In a eucalyptus bud, the petals are joined into a little cap that covers the developing flower.”
Plays on the road 1.1 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Bird Working Up the Trunk
- A Mushroom Making Its Own Light
- The Log's Two Kinds of Rot
- The Insect's Sugary Shield
- 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 Empire Pass loop
Follow the falls in orderFrom North Lawson Park, descend the stairways into the rainforest gully.
From North Lawson Park, descend the stairways into the rainforest gully. Pass the early right-hand path to Fairy Falls for now and continue to Dantes Glen. Follow the creek, cross on rocks and take the signed short spur to St Michael’s Falls. At the next junction, keep straight onto the Empire Pass extension instead of climbing back up the Dantes Glen stairs. This creekside stretch narrows and can be overgrown before it reaches Frederica Falls.
The turn that completes the circuitFrederica Falls sits beside the North Lawson Fire Trail.
Frederica Falls sits beside the North Lawson Fire Trail. Climb the steep track; after the gate, watch for the bush turn toward Echo Bluff. Going straight back toward the park bypasses Fairy Falls. Later, follow the Empire Pass and Lawson Park signs to Fairy Falls, then climb the short path back to the start.
Let the rain set your expectationsWater volume changes with rainfall, and the falls can be slight in dry spells.
Water volume changes with rainfall, and the falls can be slight in dry spells. Frederica is the smallest cascade. Fairy Falls spreads over a low rock ledge onto a rocky apron; frame the ledge and foreground rocks to show how the water drops into the gully.
Access and dogsStart at North Lawson Park at the end of St Bernards Drive; Lawson station is about a 20-minute…
Start at North Lawson Park at the end of St Bernards Drive; Lawson station is about a 20-minute walk away. Dogs are allowed on lead on the Dantes Glen section, but not on the national-park extension, so they cannot accompany you around the full loop.
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.
