Carrington Park to Leura Forest

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Safer Bushwalks Tips on staying safe on track
Before you start any bushwalk ensure you;
• Tell someone you trust where you are going and what to do if you are overdue
• Have adequate equipment, supplies, skills & knowledge for the whole journey
• Consider the impact of weather forecasts, park/track closures & fire dangers
• Can respond to emergencies & call for help at any point
• Are healthy and fit enough for this journey
If not, change plans and stay safe. It is okay to delay and ask people for help.

Getting There Transport options and directions

Start	From the Cliff Drive (-33.7203399,150.3174495)
Mode	Bus Car (There is free parking available.)
Directions	From Turn on to Bathurst Road, BMD then drive for 165 m At roundabout, take exit 1 onto Gang Gang Street, BMD and drive for another 105 m Turn right onto Lurline Street, BMD and drive for another 800 m Turn left onto Merriwa Street and drive for another 530 m Turn sharp right onto Cliff Drive, BMD and drive for another 25 m

Track Notes Turn by turn instructions & maps

Getting started
From Carrington Park, the walk crosses Cliff Drive and goes down the stairs and past the sign for 'Blue Mountains National Park'. The walk continues down the stairs until reaching an intersection signposted with the way to 'Echo Point' or 'Leura Cascades'.....

Turn map	Directions & comments
	From the Cliff Drive Start (a walking track). There is a picnic table (about 25 m back from the start). There is a seat (about 20 m back from the start). Carrington Park (about 7 m back from the start). Carrington Park Carrington Park is a medium-sized park on a traffic island, at the junction of Cliff Road and Merriwa St, Katoomba. The park is partially fenced and has a picnic shelter, picnic tables, garbage bins and children's play equipment.
	After another 40 m (from the Prince Henry Cliff Walk) turn sharp left, to head along Prince Henry Cliff Walk. After another 50 m pass a seat (on your right).
	After another 125 m (from the Prince Henry Cliff Walk) turn right.
	The starting point of an optional sidetrip. An optional side trip to Jamieson Lookout. To start this optional side trip turn left here. On returning from this side trip veer left when you get back to this intersection. Details below. After another 30 m (from the Federal Pass) turn right, to head along Federal Pass. After another 30 m pass the "Federal Pass" (on your right). After another 60 m pass a seat (on your left). After another 85 m come to the "Fern Bower". Fern Bower Fern Bower is an especially pleasant part of the Blue Mountains National Park, protected from heat and providing a great environment for fern trees, bracken ferns and moss to thrive. Fern Bower is a signposted area along the Federal Pass walking track, just below Jamieson Lookout and next to Linda Creek. This is a nice place to stop, rest and enjoy the bird noises. After another 115 m pass a seat (on your left).
	After another 85 m (at the intersection of Amphitheatre Track & Federal Pass) turn right, to head along Federal Pass. After another 240 m find the "Lila Falls" (15 m on your right). Lila Falls Lila Falls is a thin waterfall on Linda Creek. The Federal Pass crosses the creek (on a bridge) in front of these falls, just below the intersection with the amphitheatre. The waterfall is not the most spectacular one in this valley, but it is a nice cool spot to catch your breath.
	At the intersection of Federal Pass & Track to Leura Falls continue straight, to head along Federal Pass. After another 50 m pass a seat (6 m on your left). After another 85 m find the "Marguerite Cascades" (15 m on your left). Marguerite Cascades Marguerite Cascades are a series of small cascades finishing with a taller waterfall of a few metres height, dropping into a shallow sandy pool. The cascades are on Linda Creek and a small bridge crosses the creek at the base of the falls as part of the Federal Pass walking track. The cascades are a nice place to sit and listen to the water running and the local birds in this cool shady area.
	After another 60 m (from the Federal Pass) veer left, to head along Federal Pass.
	After another 160 m (at the intersection of Federal Pass & Dardanelles Pass) turn left, to head along Federal Pass. After another 15 m come to a shelter.
	Turn around here and retrace the main route for 1.2 km to get back to the start. About 55 m past the end is "Leura Forest". Leura Forest Leura Forest is a great picnic area in the Jamison Valley at the junction of the Federal Pass and Dardenelles Tracks. This place was home to a popular tea house (also known as 'Lady Carrington Dining Hall') from the late 1800's. Today walkers can still enjoy the historic rotunda and the foundations of the original tea house. The picnic area provides a great rest spot under the shade of the lilli pilli and coachwood forest.

An optional side trip to Jamieson Lookout.

Turn map	Directions & comments
	From the Federal Pass Start (a walking track). About 25 m past the end is a seat.
	Continue another 0 m to find Jamieson Lookout at the end. "Jamieson Lookout". Jamieson Lookout Jamieson Lookout is a fenced lookout at the east end of the Federal Pass track, and just off Prince Henry Cliff Walk. The lookout has a bench seat and provides great views up the Jamison Valley, along Kings Tableland escarpment and past Mount Solitary. The lookout is perched up on a large rock buttress, giving views unobscured by trees. Turn around and retrace your steps back the 20 m to the main route.

Turn map

Directions & comments

From the Federal Pass Start (a walking track).

About 25 m past the end is a seat.

Continue another 0 m to find Jamieson Lookout at the end.

"Jamieson Lookout".

Jamieson Lookout

Jamieson Lookout is a fenced lookout at the east end of the Federal Pass track, and just off Prince Henry Cliff Walk. The lookout has a bench seat and provides great views up the Jamison Valley, along Kings Tableland escarpment and past Mount Solitary. The lookout is perched up on a large rock buttress, giving views unobscured by trees.

Turn around and retrace your steps back the 20 m to the main route.

Terrain Know the Hills, grading & facilities

Carrington Park to Leura Forest

Grading

	Class 4/6 Hard track
Length	2.5 km
Time	1 h 30 min to 3 h

Quality of track	Rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely (4/6)
Gradient	Very steep (4/6)
Signage	Directional signs along the way (3/6)
Infrastructure	Limited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6)
Experience Required	No experience required (1/6)
Weather	Weather generally has little impact on safety (1/6)

Some facilities on route

Shelter: There is one 1.3 km from the start.

Seat: There are 5 on route, on average they are 410 m apart with the largest gap of 1.6 km.

Order of key facilities on route

Item	From Start	Name & link to notes
Seat	-5 m	[seat]
Seat	105 m	[seat]
Seat	345 m	[seat]
Seat	550 m	[seat]
Seat	910 m	[seat]
Shelter	1.3 km	[shelter]

Articles Discover more details to thrive on track

Carrington Park
Carrington Park is a medium-sized park on a traffic island, at the junction of Cliff Road and Merriwa St, Katoomba. The park is partially fenced and has a picnic shelter, picnic tables, garbage bins and children's play equipment.

Jamieson Lookout
Jamieson Lookout is a fenced lookout at the east end of the Federal Pass track, and just off Prince Henry Cliff Walk. The lookout has a bench seat and provides great views up the Jamison Valley, along Kings Tableland escarpment and past Mount Solitary. The lookout is perched up on a large rock buttress, giving views unobscured by trees.

Fern Bower
Fern Bower is an especially pleasant part of the Blue Mountains National Park, protected from heat and providing a great environment for fern trees, bracken ferns and moss to thrive. Fern Bower is a signposted area along the Federal Pass walking track, just below Jamieson Lookout and next to Linda Creek. This is a nice place to stop, rest and enjoy the bird noises.

Lila Falls
Lila Falls is a thin waterfall on Linda Creek. The Federal Pass crosses the creek (on a bridge) in front of these falls, just below the intersection with the amphitheatre. The waterfall is not the most spectacular one in this valley, but it is a nice cool spot to catch your breath.

Marguerite Cascades
Marguerite Cascades are a series of small cascades finishing with a taller waterfall of a few metres height, dropping into a shallow sandy pool. The cascades are on Linda Creek and a small bridge crosses the creek at the base of the falls as part of the Federal Pass walking track. The cascades are a nice place to sit and listen to the water running and the local birds in this cool shady area.

Leura Forest
Leura Forest is a great picnic area in the Jamison Valley at the junction of the Federal Pass and Dardenelles Tracks. This place was home to a popular tea house (also known as 'Lady Carrington Dining Hall') from the late 1800's. Today walkers can still enjoy the historic rotunda and the foundations of the original tea house. The picnic area provides a great rest spot under the shade of the lilli pilli and coachwood forest.

Get more information
Wildwalks

Weather & Alerts Check forecasts & closures
Weather Forecast
- Katoomba Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
  
  Saturday 26 April
  
  18°C
  Showers.
  90% chance of rain
  
  Cloudy. High chance of rain, most likely from the late morning. The chance of a thunderstorm, with possible heavy falls in the north. Light winds. Daytime maximum temperatures between 18 and 23.
  
  UV Alert: Sun protection 9:30am to 2:20pm, UV Index predicted to reach 5 [Moderate]
  
  Sunday 27 April
  
  11°C → 14°C
  Rain.
  90% chance of rain
  4 → 25mm
  
  Cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon. The chance of a thunderstorm. Light winds becoming west to southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h in the morning then tending southeast to southwesterly in the evening. Overnight temperatures falling to between 10 and 14 with daytime temperatures reaching between 15 and 20.
  
  Monday 28 April
  
  10°C → 17°C
  Possible shower.
  40% chance of rain
  0 → 1mm
  
  Partly cloudy. The chance of morning fog in the north. Slight chance of a shower. Winds south to southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h becoming light during the afternoon. Overnight temperatures falling to between 8 and 12 with daytime temperatures reaching between 18 and 23.
  
  Tuesday 29 April
  
  9°C → 19°C
  Shower or two.
  60% chance of rain
  0 → 4mm
  
  Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Light winds becoming west to southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day then becoming light during the evening. Overnight temperatures falling to between 7 and 11 with daytime temperatures reaching between 17 and 23.
  
  Wednesday 30 April
  
  7°C → 13°C
  Shower or two.
  50% chance of rain
  0 → 4mm
  
  Shower or two.
  
  Thursday 1 May
  
  5°C → 14°C
  Shower or two.
  50% chance of rain
  0 → 4mm
  
  Shower or two.
  
  Friday 2 May
  
  5°C → 16°C
  Partly cloudy.
  30% chance of rain
  0 → 1mm
  
  Partly cloudy.
  
  Forecast data thanks to © Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Alerts
- Blue Mountains National Park alerts
  Closed areas: Katoomba area track closures
  The following walking tracks are closed for a helicopter operation Monday 28 April 2025:
  
  Giant Stairway beyond Oreades lookout
  
  Dardanelles Pass
  
  Federal Pass between Golden Stairs and Scenic World
  
  Federal Pass between base of Furber Steps and Leura Forest
  
  Closed areas: Parts of Blue Mountains National Park closed
  Many roads, fire trails and walking tracks in Blue Mountains National Park are closed due to infrastructure upgrades or damage caused by wet weather including subsidence, rockfalls, landslides and fallen trees.
  The following tracks are closed:
  Katoomba and Leura
  
  Honeymoon Bridge is closed due to rockfall risk.
  
  Prince Henry Cliff walk (part of Grand Cliff Top walk) is closed between Gordon Falls picnic area and Elysian Rock lookout, due to a landslide. Visit the Blue Mountains City Council website for information. Detours will also be in place via Olympian Parade.
  
  Gordon Falls picnic area is closed due to upgrades. Detours for walking tracks are in place. Visit the Blue Mountains City Council website for information.
  
  Fern Bower track between Prince Henry Cliff walk and Amphitheatre track is closed due to landslides. Access to Leura Forest and Jamison Valley is via Amphitheatre track.
  
  Golden Stairs walking track is closed due to landslides and rock fall. There is no access from Glenraphael Drive to Ruined Castle, Federal Pass or Scenic World. Ruined Castle and Mt Solitary can be accessed from Federal Pass (via Furber Steps) or Kedumba Pass.
  
  Lone Lyrebird track is closed between Gordon Road and the War Memorial, due to subsidence. Detour is in place.
  
  Part of Lindeman Pass is closed due to a major landslide below Gladstone lookout. Roberts Pass is closed due to rockfall and landslide hazards.
  
  Six Foot track is affected by closures at Jenolan Caves.
  
  Wentworth Falls and Woodford
  
  Charles Darwin walk (part of Grand Cliff Top walk) is closed between Fletcher Street and Weeping Rock. Detours are in place to provide directions to Wentworth Falls picnic area. Visit the Blue Mountains City Council website for information.
  
  Part of National Pass (west of Wentworth Falls middle crossing) is closed due to a major landslide and ongoing risks.
  
  Wentworth Pass and Slack Stairs are closed due to multiple landslides. No access to Roberts Pass and Vera Falls. Valley of the Waters track is closed below Sylvia Falls.
  
  Blackheath, Mount Victoria, Megalong Valley and Bells Line of Road
  
  Pulpit Rock Reserve, lookouts and walking track are closed. For more information visit the Blue Mountains City Council website. Pulpit Rock walking track from Popes Glen is open as far as the NPWS boundary (as shown on Google maps).
  
  Govetts descent and Rodriguez Pass are closed due to rockfalls and landslides. The Grose Valley can be accessed from Blackheath via Perrys Lookdown or the Horse track.
  
  Pierces Pass road and picnic area will be closed for road maintenance from May 5th to 9th, 2025. Parking will be available at Walls Lookout carpark and all walking tracks remain open using a short access track from the Walls Lookout carpark.
  
  Adventure recreation, canyons, abseiling and rock climbing
  
  Some adventure recreation areas and routes may be closed where the access or exit road/track is mentioned above.
  
  Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information, please contact the Blue Mountains Heritage Centre.
  
  Closed areas: Red Hands Cave & Walking Tracks temporarily closed
  The following areas and walking tracks are closed from 1 April 2025 until further notice:
  
  Red Hands Cave
  
  Red Hands Cave walking track
  
  Campfire Creek walking track
  
  the Link walking track
  
  This is to allow for works on the elevated platform at Red Hands Cave. For your safety, please follow all signs and instructions of NPWS staff.
  Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information, contact the local NPWS office (02) 4720 6200.
  
  Other planned events: Notice of ongoing 1080 baiting program
  NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is conducting an ongoing ground baiting program from Thursday 2 May 2024 to Monday 5 May 2025 in the following areas:
  
  Abercrombie River National Park
  
  Abercrombie River State Conservation Area
  
  Kanangra-Boyd National Park
  
  Blue Mountains National Park (southern section)
  
  Wollemi National Park (Wolga)
  
  Gardens of Stone National Park
  
  Jenolan Karst Conservation Area
  
  Turon National Park
  
  Marrangaroo National Park
  
  The operation will use 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) poison for the control of wild dogs and foxes.
  The program is designed to minimise predator impacts on wildlife, especially threatened species, and to minimise impact of wild dogs on neighbouring stock.
  Signs will be placed at the entry to the baiting location. Domestic pets are not permitted in NSW National Parks managed lands. Pets and working dogs may be affected (1080 is lethal to cats and dogs). Pets and working dogs must be restrained or muzzled in the vicinity and must not enter the baiting location. In the event of accidental poisoning seek immediate veterinary assistance.
  For more information, contact the NPWS Kanangra area office at Oberon on 02 6336 6200.
  
  Closed areas: Fern Bower walking track closed
  Fern Bower walking track in Blue Mountains National Park is closed until further notice due to multiple landslides. There's no access to Leura Forest and Leura Cascades via Fern Bower. Alternative access is via Amphitheatre track.
  For more information, call the NPWS Blue Mountains Heritage Centre on 02 4787 8877.
  
  Closed areas: Euroka walking track closed for repairs
  Euroka walking track in Blue Mountains National Park is closed for track repairs from Monday 1 February to Monday 30 June 2025.
  Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information, contact the local NPWS office.
  
  Safety alerts: Remote walking track conditions
  Remote routes within the Kanangra Wilderness Area including Kanangra to Katoomba (K2K) trail have been impacted by heavy fire regrowth and flood damage.
  In some places, tracks are no longer visible and are not easy to navigate, taking longer to traverse than expected. Limited to zero water sources are currently available along routes.
  If you plan to walk in the area, please ensure you have an appropriate level of experience, navigation skills and equipment including Personal Locator Beacon (PLB).
  Mobile reception is limited so alternative communication methods are strongly recommended.
  For more information, contact the NPWS Blue Mountains Heritage Centre on 02 4787 8877.
  
  Closed areas: Waratah Native Gardens picnic area closed
  Waratah Native Gardens picnic area is closed until further notice. This includes Gorge walking track. No access to the area is permitted.
  Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information, please contact the NPWS Hawkesbury-Nattai area office on 02 4720 6200.
  
  Alert kindly provided by © NSW Nataional Parks and Wildlife Service

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