Parking
Informal roadside pull-off on Hat Hill Road near the trail entry, with space for several cars; there is no dedicated car park. Park fully off the road and cross to the sandy track.
Overview
About Hat Hill to Bald Head
This unmarked out-and-back starts at a roadside pull-off on Hat Hill Road and follows the ridge to the Bald Head outcrop, with a short spur to the mapped Bald Head point. Allow about 6.8 km (4.2 mi) return and 2–3 hours. Expect roughly 325–340 m of cumulative climbing; estimates vary with the exact lookout turnaround. Moderate is a fair rating: the ridge undulates, while the final approach is steep and rough.
Why go
- A distinctive pagoda window and a sequence of sandstone viewpoints
- Broad Grose Valley views from the exposed ridge
- No technical scrambling described on the documented route
Heads up
- Unmarked tread can be hard to see across rock slabs
- Wind-exposed ridge and a loose, slippery final slope
- No toilets or drinking water found at the trailhead or along the walk
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Mountains map
Full mapElevation900–1,024 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 Hat Hill to Bald Head, 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
Hat Hill to Bald Head0:00 / 0:29
“The Hat Hill to Bald Head walk starts up ahead, from an informal roadside pull-off on Hat Hill Road.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Approach to Pulpit Rock Lookout
- Anvil Rock and Wind Eroded Cave
- Perrys Lookdown and Blue Gum Forest
- How Rain Sends Up a Scent
- 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 Hat Hill to Bald Head
Route and footingCross Hat Hill Road to the sandy path, then climb over Hat Hill on rocky slabs.
Cross Hat Hill Road to the sandy path, then climb over Hat Hill on rocky slabs. The route alternates between open heath and bush, with a few short overgrown patches. Near 2.45 km, rocky ledges open onto the Grose Valley. The final stretch is rougher, with uneven sandstone, loose soil and a short slippery patch before the exposed ridge. The tread is unmarked and can disappear across bare rock, so follow the path carefully and note the return line.
Ridge viewsA window in a sandstone pagoda near the start frames the distant ranges.
A window in a sandstone pagoda near the start frames the distant ranges. Farther on, the ledges look into the Grose Valley. The more open rocky outcrop is a little before the mapped Bald Head point; a short spur reaches that point, where grass partly screens the foreground. Retrace the same ridge route to return.
Before you goThe entry is an informal Hat Hill Road pull-off rather than a dedicated car park; park fully…
The entry is an informal Hat Hill Road pull-off rather than a dedicated car park; park fully off the road and cross to the track. No toilets or drinking water were found along the route, so bring water. The ridge is highly exposed to wind, and the unmarked rocky tread is harder to follow in low light. Dogs and other pets are not allowed in NSW national parks; trained assistance animals are allowed in public areas. Check current park alerts and leave enough daylight for the return.
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.
