The pretty waterfall pool of Upper Gledhill Falls is a popular spot for a dip, but those in the know head downstream, to the even more beautiful Lower Gledhill Falls. The hidden pool is such a surprise, with tall cliff walls which almost feel canyon like, yet it’s right here in Ku-ring-gai National Park!
The lower falls cascade into a large deep swimming hole with clear green water. The views behind the pool are no less spectacular, with the dense forest and boulders which are so unexpected after walking through the dry bushland above.
Here’s how to find Lower Gledhill Falls and what to expect when you do.
The walk to Lower Gledhill Falls via The Duck Holes
The stats
Distance: 1.3km return
Elevation gain: 30m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Trailhead: Duckholes Car Park / Picnic Area
Summary: The walk to Lower Gledhill Falls is predominantly flat and almost all on a well formed track. The final descent to the falls can be made in one of two ways: the easy way, or the hard way!
The harder way is to descend on the somewhat dubious ropes to the falls below, but the easy way involves no ropes and can be done simply by climbing down a couple of big rocks which is not difficult.
Reaching the pool involves negotiating a short bit of rock hopping, but when dry, the rocks are not slippery.
The trail
From the Duck Holes car park (full details below) you walk around the gate and through the picnic area. After 60m you’ll walk down a couple of steps onto a sandy path and find the largest and deepest pool along the popular Duck Holes Track.
This is a great family friendly swimming hole and as it’s only a one minute stroll from the car park, it can get busy.
The sandy trail continues past this pool and quickly turns into a narrow dirt track. The path has a few stones, but is generally good underfoot.
Roughly 180m from the car park there is a short, slightly overgrown section, but it’s still very easy to follow and not too scratchy.
You’ll soon see a series of cascades below. The path continues for another 70m at which point you’ll come to another swimming hole. You can easily scramble down to the pool, but the water is pretty shallow.
We tried a few pools along the track and all but the first one and Lower Gledhill Falls were too shallow for a proper swim.
The path continues above the river for another 100m (360m from the car park) and then appears to end abruptly at a rope downclimb.
The rock you need to climb down is steep and we weren’t overly sure on the condition of the ropes. We chose to take the easy route, which is fractionally longer than if you climbed down at this point.
To find the easier path you walk a few steps back from the rope and head up onto the path behind and to the right of the rope - you won’t really see it until you’re on it!
You then have 140m on a normal walking track before you need to climb down a few rocks to reach the forest below.
The descent is just 80m and has a couple of rocks and a little bit of dirt track to get down - it’s off track and in no way manicured, but not difficult.
You’ll then be standing in the shady mossy forest with twisted tree roots, ferns and high rock walls, which feel quite unlike the track above - it gives real lost world vibes!
The waterfall pool is roughly 100m ahead and is accessed by hopping over the rocks and boulders, which is easy enough and not slippery when dry (but always exercise caution anyway).
You’ll then be standing at the base of one of Ku-ring-gai’s best kept secrets.
Swimming at Lower Gledhill Falls
The pool at Lower Gledhill Falls is stunning, it’s large and deep, with enough room to swim even when the river is not too high - there is a rock shelf in the water which if the river is low you need to watch for, but there’s plenty of room to swim around it.
I particularly love the right side of the pool where you can swim under the towering rock wall and it really does feel like being inside a canyon!
The waterfall tends to have great flow even when there hasn’t been too much recent rain and the whole place feels wild and remote. It’s hard to believe it’s less than 700m from the road!
You can easily climb up onto the rock shelf beside the waterfall if you want to laze around, this is handy because there isn’t much flat space where you enter the pool, it’s all very rocky.
Climbing up on the left side of the falls is easy and the rock is grippy unless wet, in which case it can be slippery.
There’s a rope on the right side of the falls, but I’m not sure how safe it is to use and we personally didn’t try it.
Getting into the pool requires walking over a couple of slippery rocks inside the water, but then it’s quickly deep enough to swim off.
There are rocks and the rock shelf to watch for around the waterfall area, but there was also a decent amount of unobstructed space for a proper swim.
The water is generally clean and clear, but it does run brown after very heavy rain - unlike Upper Gledhill Falls which remains green under the same conditions.
When you’re ready to leave the pool, you simply retrace your steps along the same track.
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 Lower Gledhill Falls
The closest car park to Lower Gledhill Falls is at the Duck Holes picnic area on McCarrs Creek Road in the West Head area of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. You do not pass through the payment barrier for the national park here, so you don’t need to worry about gate closure times.
The gravel car park has space for several cars to park and if you haven’t visited before, requires you to keep an eye out as you get close as it’s small and requires a sharpish turn. It’s around 30km from Sydney.
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