Parking
Govetts Leap lookout car park is at the trailhead and can be busy with limited spaces on weekends. Blue Mountains Heritage Centre is an alternative car park about 500 m away.
Overview
About Govetts Leap descent
Why go
- A close look at the falls from the cliff and valley floor.
- Short route with a memorable waterfall and hanging-swamp setting.
Heads up
- Steep stair sections make the return climb hard.
- The continuing valley track makes it easy to overshoot the short turnaround.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Mountains map
Full mapElevation863–997 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 Govetts Leap descent, 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 Govetts Leap descent
Down to the falls, then back upGovetts Leap descent is a 1.
Govetts Leap descent is a 1.8 km out-and-back from Govetts Leap lookout, down steep steps into Grose Valley to the base of Govetts Leap Falls, then back up. Allow one to two hours; it is a hard Grade 4 walk. The short distance hides a serious climb, so take your time on the way down and save energy for the return. If you only want the waterfall view without the descent, stay at the lookout. Bring a map: the track continues past the falls into much longer valley walks.
Cliffs, steps and the waterfallThe path drops through sandstone cliff country, with stair sections and uneven ground.
The path drops through sandstone cliff country, with stair sections and uneven ground. Barrow Lookout gives a clear view of Bridal Veil Falls and the cliff face below the Leap; farther down, the route reaches the base of the falls, where the rocks make a natural place to stop. The route continues beyond this point, so turn back here unless you have planned a longer walk. For a photo, include some of the cliff wall beside the waterfall to show how far it drops.
Moss, swamps and a Scottish wordMoss clings to the damp cliff walls, and droplets can fall from it as you pass.
Moss clings to the damp cliff walls, and droplets can fall from it as you pass. Hanging swamps line the cliffs, where the endangered Isopogon fletcheri, known as drumsticks, grows. “Leap” is a Scottish word for waterfall, which suits the view below the lookout.
Parking and what to bringStart at Govetts Leap lookout.
Start at Govetts Leap lookout. Its car park can be busy and limited on weekends; Blue Mountains Heritage Centre is another parking option about 500 m away. Toilets are at both places, and picnic tables are at the lookout. Carry your own drinking water because no creek or river in the park is guaranteed clean. Pets are not allowed except certified assistance animals. Pets are not allowed, except certified 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.
