At this point I’ve lost count of how many places I’ve been wild swimming in the Blue Mountains, so you can trust me when I say, Edenderry Falls is something special. The pool is the most stunning shade of emerald green and the mountains surrounding it are breathtakingly dramatic. Yes that same description could be used for a number of pools in the mountains, but believe me, there’s just something about Edenderry - especially when the water glistens on a sunny day.
So what’s the trade off? This exceptional spot requires a big climb in and out of the Grose Valley, as well as some time spent bushbashing off track. Is it worth it? Absolutely. But it is a remote walk which requires care.
Here’s how to find Edenderry Falls.
The walk to Edenderry Falls
The stats
Distance: 11.2km return
Elevation gain: 610m
Difficulty: Moderate - hard
Summary: The first 3.2km of the walk are on a maintained track, though the majority of this distance is downhill, so there’s a debt to pay on the way back up. The final 2.4km of the walk to the falls is off track. There are a couple of creek crossings to make, as well as some rock hopping and bushbashing on an overgrown trail.
There is no signage, so you’ll need to be comfortable using the coordinates (you’ll need to have downloaded an offline map) we include in the notes below and have some experience in off track hiking. There is no phone signal at the bottom of the valley, so we recommend carrying a PLB in case of emergency.
Starting the trail: descending on the Horse Track
The walk begins at Evans Lookout and initially follows the Grand Canyon Track. At the 720m mark (470m from the lookout) you’ll come to a junction.
The Grand Canyon Track continues right and is signposted. The Horse Track is straight on. After 40m you’ll come to a chain across the path and a signpost with several warnings, stating that it is a remote track for experienced bushwalkers only.
Just under 200m later you’ll see a little path heading uphill on the right, this leads to a fantastic lookout over the valley, but is probably best visited on the way back as you want to give yourself maximum time to find and enjoy Edenderry Falls.
I am not going to go into massive detail about the Horse Track here, as I have already written a whole guide on it, but essentially you are descending into the valley for just over 2.4km from when you turned off the Grand Canyon Track.
The National Parks Service is still fixing up the bottom of the path, but generally it’s in good shape with a mix of dirt track and new stones steps.
You’ll reach the bottom of the track at the signposted junction 3.2km after leaving the car park. Heading left here would take you to the small swimming holes of Junction Rock (as described in the post linked above). Right will take you to Edenderry Falls.
The off track section begins - rock hopping along the creek
From the junction, the route to Edenderry Falls is off-track. You used to be able to get a decent way towards the falls on the Rodriguez Pass Track, but that is unstable and has been closed for many years, so now it’s all off track from here.
The junction is right beside the creek and you need to begin heading right (south), picking your way upstream along the rocks. This is not difficult, but as it’s rock hopping, it’s a bit tedious.
The rocks turn to boulders a couple of hundred metres later, but you can still get by. Sometimes you can walk a little behind the rocks, which is easier, but there is a fair amount of rock hopping you have to do.
Roughly 450m later (probably less as tracking is not great on this kind of terrain) you’ll see the remains of an old campsite in a little clearing on the right, this is a good indicator you are on the right track.
Look for the worn path close to the river going upstream. There is a bit of debris around, but nothing challenging to get past.
Roughly 100m beyond the campsite there are some much larger boulders to climb up and over, which is grippy and easy enough when dry, and you’ll see a giant cliff wall ahead of you.
Roughly another 100m beyond this is a good point at which you can cross the creek.
You can see the spot in the photo below, or use these coordinates: -33.6435244, 150.3373388. There are some rocks to use as stepping stones and they were not slippery when dry.
During times of normal flow the creek is low, so you could also remove your boots and cross without using the stones, the water was ankle deep on our visit.
Crossing the creek
Once you’ve crossed the creek continue heading right, upstream. You’re now in a shady forest and though there are some tree roots to watch for, it’s quite easy going.
You’re going to need to cross the creek again, but where you do it is up to you.
We actually crossed in two different places and both worked out fine. The first time we walked to the point at which you naturally feel like the bush is pushing you to walk beside the creek again, but there’s nowhere to really walk outside the water.
We crossed here and this is definitely a boots off job as the water was above knee height, by complete fluke we crossed at a point at which a trail led uphill on the other side of the riverbank, though you can’t see it before you’re on top of it. The coordinates for this crossing are -33.6448943, 150.3387371.
Alternatively, you could also cross without walking very much through the bush at all. After making the first creek crossing keep quite close to the water (you’re still in the bush) and look for the shallow stony crossing to the opposite riverbank, this was probably only a minute or two from the first crossing.
This is a wider part of the creek to cross, but shallow and easy, though would involve wet boots if you don’t remove them. Using this route you will almost immediately come to the bend on Greaves Creek.
You need to cross the creek for a third time at this bend. For us this was a dry crossing with exposed rocks to use as stepping stones, the coordinates for this crossing are -33.6444273, 150.3379594.
I would say the second option is the best as none of the creek crossings are as deep and rocky as the first option. The second option brings you onto the same worn path as the first option, but slightly further back.
The bush bash
Now whilst you will be on a ‘path’ from this point, it’s overgrown and scratchy. Assuming you used the second option and are now at the bend where Greaves Creek meets Govetts Creek, you have 1.1km to go to reach Edenderry Falls. You’ll be a little further ahead if using the first option.
From the bend, the long grass begins almost immediately and lasts for around 180m.
It gets a bit better for the next 70m and then you’ll come to a landslip. Luckily the slip is slightly off the path and you don’t have to cross directly through it, so it’s not a scary one (though watch for any changed conditions which can happen after rain).
Keep following the worn dirt path for the next 200m and you will arrive at a huge cliff wall, known as Blackwall Glen. This is an impressive sight in its own right and you can walk down off the path and onto the stony river bank for a closer look.
There are some large rocks in the shallow creek where you can stop and take it all in. Roughly 60m from the path is what we thought of as a little stony beach and it’s well worth diverting to take a look.
Once you’ve had a look at the ‘beach’ it’s easier to walk back up onto the track than continue in the creek bed. Once you can no longer see the big wall anymore you’re about 30m from some significant treefall and debris.
You’re best sticking close to the creek (still above it) here to avoid it. The next thing to look for is the stairs that lead through a large boulder, it’s around 40m from the treefall.
You must take these stairs as deep water and large boulders make sticking to the creek much more difficult. The boulder stairs are just 15m from a great little swimming hole, it’s not Edenderry, but it’s well worth a quick dip.
You need to climb down from the main track on a very short but steep little section of dirt track, you can already see the pool, so you’ll know where to do this.
The double cascade pool
Co-ordinates: -33.6461103, 150.3443649
The small pool is backed by giant boulders and you can just see the tip of the mountain behind a sea of trees. It’s a really pretty spot.
The pool does have a few rocks inside it, but you can still have a bit of a swim. The water is crystal clear and quite cool if you’re not used to swimming in the mountains!
Accessing the water involves climbing over a few rocks both to get into the pool and once inside the water to reach the unobstructed area.
The giant boulders make for a good spot to relax in the sunshine and warm up after your dip.
Reaching Edenderry Falls
From the double cascade pool you are just 280m from Edenderry Falls and you can get there via two different routes. The first is the route I took as I was already swimming. This involves climbing up beside the cascade and then climbing over the rocks and boulders into the next pool.
You then have some more rocks to get through before it’s easiest to exit the water and walk very briefly (I’d say less than a minute from memory) back in the bush before you can hear a waterfall to your left. This is Edenderry Falls.
You now need to rock hop, first on dry rocks and then around the right side of the water to reach the little stony beach beside the base of Edenderry Falls.
If you’re already swimming this route is fine, but if you’re still dry at this point you don’t want to use this route! Ditto if you don’t like boulder scrambling.
The alternate route is to go back onto the worn path in the bush where you climbed down to the double cascade pool.
Continue through the bush for 100m, most of this is easy enough, but there are a couple of very short sections of narrow eroded track where if you slipped you’d take a small tumble - not from any great height, but just mentioning it incase this makes the boulder scramble route more appealing!
I do think the forest route is easiest overall though and it’s definitely quicker. After the forested section you’ll see the rocks and boulders and hear Edenderry Falls and you’ll take the same route as mentioned above, rock hopping first over the dry rocks and then around the right side of the water, which has one or two deep spots if you’re not careful, so you may want to remove your boots before heading round.
Edenderry Falls
Co-ordinates: -33.6470983, 150.3451965
There’s nowhere quite like Edenderry Falls, it really is a magical spot. The huge pool shimmers a deep emerald in the sunshine and the steep mountain wall adds a very dramatic backdrop.
The waterfall itself is dainty and completes the scene perfectly. But really, there’s also something about the feel of this place, it’s incredibly special.
Accessing the water is very easy, you can just walk off the stony beach over a few more stones in the water and then its deep enough to swim off.
I didn’t encounter any submerged rocks or debris in the water (though this could change over time) which made for such a serene swim.
The water is on the colder side, but that makes it all the more invigorating. In short, it’s a dream wild swimming destination, please keep it that way by leaving no trace.
Heading back
It’s best to follow the same route back as much as possible, it’s a little easier on the way back as you know roughly where you’re going. Once you get back to the base of the Horse Track you do have quite a big climb ahead, but it’t not as steep as say Perrys Lookdown.
It’s worth popping to that unofficial lookout I mentioned just at the end of the rockfall zone near the top of the Horse Track if you have the time, it’s a great view to end a truly spectacular Blue Mountains adventure.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the national park, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Parking for Edenderry Falls
The closest car park to the trail is at Evans Lookout. The car park is small and hugely popular, but most people come to the lookout and then leave, so spaces pop up regularly. If you can’t park here, the next closest car park is the Grand Canyon car park.
There are long drop toilets at the Evans Lookout car park, but nowhere along the trail.
The car park is currently free without a time limit, let’s hope it stays that way!
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