Picture this: you are standing in the middle of a canyon, surrounded by so many twinkling blue lights, it’s hard to work out where the glow worms stop and the sky begins. It’s magical. And better yet, you aren’t sharing this truly breathtaking experience with anyone else.
I’m going to come right out and say it, my ideal Saturday night involves watching the sunset and then going to spend some time in the mystical world of the glow worms! There’s nothing like it.
And whilst everyone has heard of the Glow Worm Tunnel outside of Lithgow, few people realise that the Blue Mountains is home to countless secret glow worm colonies.
As there are next to no resources online about them, finding the glow worms was trial and error. It took a long time (and many 1am finishes), but today, we’re going to share some of those spots with you, because everyone needs a little more magic in their lives right now.
Here are 11 spots you can find glow worms in the Blue Mountains.
Do no harm: taking care of the glow worms
Before we delve into where to find them, I wanted to write a note on caring for the glow worms. I did think long and hard about writing this post because of what happened to the glow worms at the Helensburgh Tunnel (in case you didn’t the whole colony was almost wiped out by photographers setting off flares, and the area is now closed to the public).
We know that 99% of people would never dream of causing damage to the glow worms, so, as we promised to always share our best experiences and secret spots here with you on this blog, that’s what we are going to do. However, this comes with the pledge that if we hear of damage or people disrespecting these locations, we will remove this article!
If you haven’t spent any time at a glow worm colony before, please read the next few lines on etiquette so you don’t inadvertently harm them.
Please don’t shine light on the glow worms, they don’t like it and will turn their lights out. To find a spot to sit and relax in you can use a torch shone directly at the ground, and then turn it out.
You’ll see so much less if you keep a light on. Bringing a torch with red light is even better, although still don’t shine it on the glow worms directly.
Also if you’re keen on getting a photo, bring a tripod which will allow you to capture the glow worms without shining a light on them. If you need any tips, please feel free to ask! You don’t need light to photograph them if you have a tripod and the right settings.
Where to find glow worms in the Blue Mountains
1. Burralow Creek, Bilpin - the one with the flattest path
I am going to start with the easiest to access location first, which also happens to be one of my favourites. The walk to get to this one is just 1.3km each way, and it’s completely flat. Whilst you’ll start to see glow worms before the end of the track, the most mesmerising spot, and where the majority of them are located, is beside the waterfall, Bulcamatta Falls.
When you reach the falls you’ll be standing in the middle of a huge colony of thousands of glow worms, which are even reflected in the pools at the base of the waterfall, adding even more magic to the whole scene. We spent over an hour just sat on the rocks staring in wonder at this incredible sight.
The only downside is that, whilst I wouldn’t call Burralow Creek well known, it is by a campground and therefore a harder spot to get to yourself. When we first arrived a little after sunset, there were a few other people there, we waited them out and did get an hour alone, which was fabulous.
My advice would be to go as late as you feel comfortable, in a bid to get this wonder all to yourself.
You can read all about the trail to get there, and more tips for this spot in our dedicated post.
2. Horseshoe Falls, Hazelbrook - the one with the spectacular waterfall
Horseshoe Falls was the first place we saw glow worms in the lower Blue Mountains and it didn’t disappoint. It’s just a 700m walk each way to reach the waterfall, though the track is uneven in parts and does involve a little up and downhill.
Once you get there, you are greeted with a spectacular waterfall which is one of the prettiest in all the Blue Mountains.
The water flows over an overhang which is home to hundreds of glow worms.
They are pretty much all congregated together, so whilst there may be some colonies on this list that have more glow worms, they are so densely packed together in this spot that it feels like there are huge numbers.
You can also stand directly beneath the overhang, the glow worms are then just centimetres above your head and it feels like you are standing underneath the most exquisite night sky.
This is still one of my favourites of all the glow worm locations.
Here’s our full guide, including pictures of the trail.
3. Birdwood Gully, Springwood - the one that’s closest to Sydney
Yep, the gorgeous Birdwood Gully is only a little over an hour’s drive from Sydney, making this one an easy win if you’re not planning on staying over.
Birdwood Gully is a lovely little rainforest area, which is home to a couple of colonies, plus a smattering of glow worms scattered along the trail.
The second and largest colony is 750m into the walk and a really wonderful spot to sit and relax, surrounded by glow worms on either side of the mossy cliffs.
There are a lot of glow worms here, but they are scattered across fairly long cliff walls so there isn’t as huge a cluster in one group.
Having said that, it’s still so much more than many other places we’ve been, including the famous Melba Gully on the Great Ocean Road.
It’s highly unlikely you’ll share this spot with anyone else too.
For exactly where both colonies are, and tips for the walk, here’s our detailed Birdwood Gully post.
4. Waterfall Reserve, Mount Wilson - the one that’s well off the beaten track
The Waterfall Reserve is one of those spots that isn’t even visited much during the day, we visited on a glow worm hunch, and it paid off. I really like this spot, and you’ll start to see glow worms from around five minutes in to the walk.
There are a couple of main spots to see them, but the biggest colony requires walking through the creek a little to get a good view. If you don’t, you’ll still see quite a few, but nowhere near the number that you will by walking a few minutes through the water.
Of all the glow worm spots on this list, Waterfall Reserve has the most scattered population, so if you want to see a huge cluster then I would pick one of the others. If you want to visit a well off the beaten track spot, where you won’t see another soul, this is a great option. I liked the vibe of the forest too, I know that’s a strange thing to say, but I felt very at home there.
Here’s exactly where the glow worms are, as well as pictures of the walk during the day, which is just gorgeous.
5. The Grand Canyon, Blackheath - the one that’s a real adventure
If you’re someone who craves adventure and doesn’t mind a fairly hefty climb out of the canyon after you’ve seen the glow worms, this is the wildest spot of them all. It might be a popular walk by day, but by night it’s a whole different story.
You’ll descend further and further into the canyon, with huge towering walls on either side of you. Those walls are packed with little twinkling blue lights, in the biggest numbers we’ve seen yet.
From roughly 700m in, they are on both sides of the canyon and continue for a full kilometre. It really is walking in a glow worm wonderland. It was an extraordinary experience.
However, the canyon at night can be a slightly eerie place. The running water echoed around the canyon walls and it often sounded like voices. I love night walks, and have never experienced this before. It’s the first time I felt slightly unnerved at points. It was probably the ‘voices’ mixed with the fact that we’d descended all the way to the canyon floor, which involves quite a climb back out.
That’s not to say I didn’t love it, I still found it mesmerising, and it took on an almost otherworldly quality. An
experience I won’t forget in a hurry!
I have written a detailed guide to this experience, including where the best colony is for photography, and for viewing - because they are different!
6. Sassafras Gully, Springwood - the one that’s great for spotlighting
Our love of glow worms, combined with our love of sunset spots has led us to do a lot of night hiking this year and it’s fair to say that Sassafras Gully is one of the liveliest forests we’ve walked in.
From literally 30 seconds into the trail we stumbled upon our first possum, and it was pretty much a possum party all the way along. If you’ve got a torch with red light bring it, and have a little fun checking out the possums and wallabies on route to the glow worms.
There’s a small colony early on in the walk, but there was only 30ish there, so we’d recommend heading 900m in to spend some time with the bigger colony.
Sassafras is somewhere that we only explored a little section of, but believe there would be much bigger colonies further along the trail. If you end up going for a longer adventure we’d love to hear if we’re right!
As for the glow worms we did see, you do have to walk a couple of minutes off the trail, down the gully to reach them. There is then a really nice dense area of glow worms and a big log to sit on to view them. It’s another off the beaten track option that I can’t imagine you sharing with anyone else.
We have track notes for the whole Sassafras Gully walk by day, which is highly recommended, or you can stroll straight to the bottom for all the glow worm detailed info.
7. Cataract Falls, Lawson - the one with the easiest access
Cataract Falls is home to what must be one of the largest glow worm colonies in the mountains. It's basically an amphitheatre of glow worms and boy is it spectacular! It's also incredibly easy to access, at just a 450m walk from the car park (ignore the signpost which says it's longer, we measured it three times).
There are a couple of rocky staircases to go down, but they aren't slippery, and the majority of the trail is flat.
You'll arrive first at a turning for the upper falls on your right. Head there and take a look at the smaller glow worm colony which lives on the fern covered wall to your right (beside the path).
Whilst you won't see huge numbers, it's still a wonderful sight, and just a tiny indicator of what's down the next staircase!
Your first sighting of the huge overhang behind the waterfall will be jaw dropping. There are thousands of glow worms covering the ceiling and back wall right the way up to the falls. Even with our eyes un-adjusted we were in awe. When your eyes adjust it is even better, a truly magnificent sight.
After spending some time at the overhang you can make your way onto the beach to check out the dense patch of glow worms to the left of the falls (which you can't see from the overhang). You are at a bit of a distance, but seeing them shine brightly beside the gushing waterfall is pretty special.
From the beach you can see glow worms in three directions, it's absolutely fantastic and an experience I won't forget.
You can then cross over the river using the rocks as stepping stones (which were flooded for us but that was after very heavy rain) and take a look at the glow worms on the other side. You’ll see them scattered from the top to the bottom of the huge cliff. There aren’t as many as at the overhang, but it is still very impressive, and so bright you can even see some of them from the beach, without crossing the water if you prefer.
Cataract Falls is part of the South Lawson Waterfall Circuit which is a fab, easy walk to five waterfalls. You can check out our full guide, including more pictures of Cataract Falls here.
8. Water Nymphs Dell, Wentworth Falls - the one with the picnic bench to admire them from!
Water Nymphs Dell is a magnificent area for glow worms, but it does have trickier access than anywhere else on this list. Not in terms of distance - as it's only 800m each way - but in terms of terrain.
To see all the glow worms, you need to navigate around 300-400m of the path which has some slippery sections and some debris, it's totally doable but it's not as straightforward to access as other spots.
However, if you're not comfortable with an unmaintained path in the dark, there is a really wonderful colony of glow worms that live around 350m into the track and the access here is not difficult. If they were the only glow worms we'd seen that night, I would have been highly satisfied!
However, if you are comfortable continuing on, you'll find many hundreds more! Some are blinking between the bushes, some even line the bottom of a tree like Christmas lights, but most are all the way up the cliff sides covering quite a big section of the latter part of the walk.
The overhang that contains a picnic bench!
That's right, this is a glow worm dell where you can sit and relax on a picnic bench surrounded by an amphitheatre of the glow worms.
The longer you sit, the more you can see and whilst the densest patch of glow worms is actually the first colony I mentioned, you can still see many hundreds all around you.
You can also get very close, at eye level, to many of them which allows you to observe the little silk threads which dangle down from the glow worm - and you can see it with the naked eye and no artificial light whatsoever, which was pretty incredible!
We detail everything you need to know about the path, including lots of pictures and more info on the glow worms in this post.
9. Dantes Glen, Lawson - for two glow worm waterfalls minutes apart
When we first arrived at Dantes Glen it was a little after sunset and we found just a few glow worms. A little disappointed we decided to carry on to the next falls along (St Michaels), just a few hundred metres away. We were delighted to find hundreds of glow worms under the ledge to the left of the falls and lots more to the right too (although the right is not so easy to access so we enjoyed them from afar).
We sat on the rocks under the ledge for a good 45 minutes and when we returned to Dantes Glen we were met with a breathtaking sight! The glen was transformed with hundreds upon hundreds of glow worms along the cliff walls surrounding the waterfall.
Standing on the little beach to take in the scene was fantastic, we realised even after months of glow worm hunting, we'd made the mistake of coming to this spot too early!
As well as around both waterfalls you'll also find incredibly dense numbers of glow worms along the walkway between the two falls, and for a few hundred metres up the path towards the car park from Dantes Glen. Walking from the car park to both falls is roughly 1.6km return.
You can read our full guide to the North Lawson Waterfall and Empire Pass Circuit by day to get an idea of terrain and trail conditions here.
10. The Glow Worm Tunnel, Newnes - the one you can access during the day
The Glow Worm Tunnel is the only well-known glow worm spot in the Blue Mountains, but that doesn't make it any less magic. You'll want to visit early or late to avoid the crowds and truly be able to appreciate this incredible place.
The quickest way to access the tunnel is via the Glow Worm Tunnel Track which is an easy 1.4km walk each way.
At 400m in length the tunnel is long enough to have a pitch black section in the middle, and this is where your eyes will adjust best to take in what looks like the starriest night sky you have ever laid eyes on. We loved it so much we stayed for over an hour and then returned a few days later to do it all again!
We've heard this tunnel called disappointing, which couldn't be further from the truth. It would only be disappointing if you visit with crowds of people who don't turn their torches off (a regular occurrence) so you can never truly see the extent of the glow worms. Make an effort to visit outside peak times and you will be rewarded!
You can read all our glow worm tunnel tips, including our personal favourite route to get there in this post.
11. Hazel Falls, Woodford - the one for the real enthusiasts
Finding any glow worm dell is always a very special experience and discovering yet another new colony at Hazel Falls was a delight. However, in the context of all the other dells in this post, Hazel Falls is the smallest and has the most difficult viewing experience.
That's not to say that there aren't hundreds there, but they were in quite different formations (I know that isn't the right word, but hopefully it makes sense!) to any of the other spots we've visited so far, and that meant it was harder to comfortably view them. They line the tops of the cliffs and also many crevices along the bottom, which leads to craning the neck or kneeling in the mud!
You can walk down from the overhang and sit on the rocks in front of the falls, and you will see many glow worms high on the cliffs, but they feel a little distant and some are obscured by trees.
That said I loved my visit here, I just wouldn't want someone to pick it as the one spot they are going to visit, so I felt it's best to highlight the realities.
Hazel Falls is located along the pretty Transit of Venus Track (which visits two additional waterfalls). When visited at night, it is better to park at the end of Clear View Parade and walk to Hazel Falls directly, which is 1.4km each way (mainly downhill on the way and a bit of a climb on the way back, the path is almost entirely on fire trail).
Tips for visiting the glow worms
With all these spots you want to wait until it’s properly dark before you go looking for glow worms, you can see some in the twilight, but nowhere near as many.
To really see all the glow worms that are there, you need to turn off all lights, and let your eyes adjust for at least five minutes, but the longer you allow, the more you will see. Often we get to an area and can’t see that many, only to see more and more appearing before our eyes like magic!
Remember not to use light near them either or they will go out.
If you love these glow worm adventures and are visiting the area in summer, check out our guide to firefly watching in the Blue Mountains.
Packing suggestions for finding Glow Worm
Having the right gear can make a huge difference, especially in the Blue Mountains. It can be very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter, so you want to pack the right equipment. You will also want to additional things if you are going looking for glow worms.
Here’s what we pack and have relied upon for years:
Sunscreen: Cancer Council Active. With a high SPF, but not the greasy feel of other sunscreens. Makes a big difference when you’re working up a sweat on a sunny day! Check it out on Amazon
Good Rain Jacket: North Face This is an essential item we always pack in our bag! This jacket from North Face is designed to keep you dry but also comfortably warm (many rain jackets will make you feel like you’re in a sauna). Check them out on Amazon
Head torch with red light: If you’re going on the search for glow worms, a head torch is a must. We recommend this one as it has a red light. Check it out on Amazon
Day Pack: Osprey Talon 22 (we’ve owned this for years). Check on Amazon or direct with Osprey
Hiking Boots: Merrell Moab (for men and women). We’ve both used these for over three years and they just keep going. Check them out on Amazon
Trekking poles: We’ve used Black Diamond for years as they are light, solid and durable. Check out on Amazon.
Reusable water bottle: To avoid single-use plastic. Check them out on Amazon
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