Visiting Knapsack Bridge had been on our radar for a while. It looks like a really picturesque spot and it’s a little bit different to other walks we’ve done in the Blue Mountains. The bridge was fantastic and definitely lived up to our expectations, with a unique position towering over a lovely little patch of rainforest.
The walk beyond the bridge to the lookout was a little disappointing though, and only really worth doing it you fancy more exercise, we’ll still detail it below so you can make up your own mind!
Here’s everything you need to know about the Knapsack Bridge walk, a great dog friendly trail in the Blue Mountains.
The Knapsack Bridge Walk, along the Lapstone Zig Zag Trail
The stats
Distance: 1.8km each way (2.6km each way if you go to Elizabeth lookout)
Elevation: 100m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
The Knapsack Bridge walk is fairly easy with the majority of the trail being flat, although there are several staircases to descend and ascend if you want to get the best views of the viaduct.
The walk from Knapsack Bridge to Elizabeth Lookout has many more staircases, but this is optional.
Starting the Lapstone Zig Zag Trail
The walk begins by heading straight into the bush on a well maintained path. It’s not a wilderness walk by any means, you can hear the passing traffic along the highway below, but it is a pleasant enough stroll through the bush.
After 250m you’ll come to a side trail on your right which leads to Quarry Lookout. It’s only 70m each way, but despite that, it’s not really worth it because it really only looks out onto the main road. In fact I just did a quick Google search to double check exactly what you are looking out onto and I noticed that the lookout has only one review. And it’s a one star…..
And that probably tells you everything you need to know about the Quarry Lookout!
Continuing on to Siding Lookout
The path continues on straight and it’s extremely easy walking. In fact the first kilometre of this walk is entirely flat.
You’ll soon pass through the old railway cutting and the remains of an old platform (Lucasville Station), in that sense it reminded me a little of the Boxvale Track near Bowral, but I have to say not quite as spectacular!
Roughly 750m beyond the turning to Quarry Lookout you’ll come to Siding Lookout. Unfortunately nowadays it is completely fenced off, so any views it once had are now obscured.
Bear with me though, I know I am not making this walk sound very exciting but trust me the bridge is great!
Onto to the fabulous Knapsack Bridge
Just beyond Siding Lookout you turn sharply to follow the path down the stone steps. This is where the descent to the bridge begins.
At first it is on a sloping path but you’ll soon reach the staircases. Just 300m after leaving Siding Lookout you’ll reach a junction where you can take a few stairs up to your right and walk over Knapsack Bridge.
You get a partial view of the rainforest and it only takes a few minutes.
Once you’re back at the junction you walk under the middle of the bridge and then have a couple of hundred metres more descent to go, on a series of staircases. You’ll start to get some terrific views of the bridge which makes for some good photo ops.
You’ll enter a little patch of rainforest and cross over the creek (there are rocks for stepping stones) before you curve round to see what is my favourite view of the whole trail. You’ll look up at the bridge surrounded by lots of jungly foliage and it all feels quite wild.
For me the views from the staircases to this point make the whole trail worthwhile. I would personally then turn back the way you came rather than continuing onto the lookout as we didn’t think much of it.
If you do want a longer walk though you can continue on to Elizabeth Lookout which is a further 800m each way.
Optional: Onto Elizabeth Lookout
The walk up to Elizabeth Lookout is quite steep and climbs about 150m in elevation in just 800m of track. The trail takes you through the bush which is nice enough, but not as good as other walks in the area. The path is in pretty good condition but the steps are more rugged than the earlier part of the walk.
It’s fairly consistently uphill but there are a few flat sections in-between. Eventually you will reach a clearing with picnic tables and just to the right of them you’ll find Elizabeth Lookout.
The reason I was not enamoured with it is because although there are some trees, you are mainly looking out over Penrith. Nothing against Penrith but I prefer natural views. If you do like a good city view though you might like this one.
After checking out the view and relaxing at the picnic area you can then retrace your steps back to the car park. There are other trails that we saw which could form a loop, but we weren’t sure of the distance, plus we were happy to have another good look at Knapsack Bridge on the way back!
Another interesting spot nearby
If you enjoyed Knapsack Bridge, it’s easily combined with a visit to nearby Lennox Bridge, just a ten minute drive away. It’s the oldest stone bridge on mainland Australia, constructed by convicts in 1832.
Whilst it is not on the scale of Knapsack Bridge, it is still definitely worth a look. It’s just a one minute walk from the car park, or a couple of minutes extra if you take the staircase down to the base of the bridge.
There is also a picnic table at the top and as the bridge is surrounded by dozens of ferns it actually makes for quite a lovely spot, despite the fact that traffic does cross the bridge from time to time.
If you enjoy Lennox Bridge and learning a little more about convict history, it is also worth checking out the old Convict Road between Bucketty and Wollombi in the Hunter Valley when you are next in the area.
Getting to Knapsack Bridge
Knapsack Bridge is located in Glenbrook, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. It’s roughly 60km and a one hour drive from Sydney and 45km and a 45 minute drive from Katoomba.
We started the trail at Knapsack Street, which is a sharp turn off the Great Western Highway. You could alternatively start at the trailhead off of Mitchells Pass.
Knapsack Bridge and Lennox Bridge are just over ten minutes apart by car.
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