Three reasons to visit the Blue Mountains National Park

The Blue Mountains National Park in New South Wales Australia is one of the finest national parks on the continent. It offers families, couples and groups a wide array of activities and destinations to explore and enjoy. With so many offerings within the park, we have identified three great reasons for visiting this national treasure.

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Cycling – This is a great way to enjoy the diversity of plant and animal life within the park, all the while enjoying the fabulous landscape and scenery as well. With hundreds of kilometres of trails available within the park, there is a route that is suitable for every level of physical fitness and interest. For larger groups of cyclists (12 and over) the Blue Mountains National Park ask that you get advanced permission from the Park Service. While there are numerous routes available, one of the most popular is the trail through Katoomba that goes along the Jamison Valley and provides for a good view of the famous Three Sisters rock formation near Echo Point. This route takes about 3 hours, starting from Katoomba station and running along the railway line up to the Great Western Highway. From there you will find numerous detours to explore, ending up in Leura station where you can take the train back to your starting point or home base. It’s a good idea to bring along plenty of water as well as a picnic lunch to enjoy along the way. Cafes are also interspersed on the routes as well.

Hiking – if you aren’t into cycling, but want to experience the grandeur of The Blue Mountains close up, hiking is a healthy and exhilarating way to interact with all of the natural splendour of this region. Within the park there are trails that will accommodate all ages as well as levels of fitness, from a gentle stroll through the woods to a rugged trek through the mountains. There are even trails that are suitable for wheelchairs. Many of the tracks used for hiking in The Blue Mountains were constructed as long ago as 1825 as many of them were used by miners as well as early explorers of the region. Much of the historic nature of these trails is noted along the walkways. If you do go hiking, it is a good idea to purchase one of the topographic maps available through the park service to make sure you don’t miss anything and to also ensure that you don’t get confused or lost.

Camping – the Blue Mountains is another experience that is affordable, educational, and just plain fun. There are too many different campgrounds to mention here, but if you are looking for a secluded campground try Accacia Flat in Govett Gorge. Access is only via by foot but it is a great place to “get away from it all”. For van or trailer camping Appletree Flat in Euroka is a good bet while Ingar campground in King’s Tableland near Wentworth Falls offers up its guest a buffet of activities that include swimming, sailing and bird watching.