Devil's Hole Trail walking track

Map of Walk

Location

Map of Devil's Hole Trail
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Map Scale

1 km

Base maps are used under licence and is © Department of lands Panorama Avenue Bathurst 2795 www.lands.nsw.gov.au

Maps that cover the walk area (please always carry maps of the area)

Print a map and track notes here

Six Foot Track

1:50 000 Map Series

NSW-six-foot-track

Katoomba

1:25 000 Map Series

NSW-89301S

Katoomba

1:100 000 Map Series

8930

Photo Gallery




	The Cliff Track +




	View from Norths lookout +




	Nellie's Glen Track +




	Going through Nellie's Glen +




	The 6 Ft Trail +




	Looking down the 6 Ft Servicetrail +




	The rough Devil's Hole Bushtrack +




	As the track gets closer to the cliffs it becomes quite dark +




	The view from Cliff Drive +

Terrain

Cross sectional view of the Devil's Hole Trail bushwalking track

Cross Section of the Devil's Hole Trail bushwalking track

Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Devil's Hole Trail bushwalking track

Summary of the gradients over the the lenght of the Devil's Hole Trail bushwalking track

Overview of this walks Grading - Based on the AS 2156.1 - 2001
These details are new. This new feature still requires more testing and refining. Please use the 'Walker Feedback' for report specific issues. Please e-mail Matt if you have any general comments. Hope you find it helpful.

Under this standard, a walk is graded based on the most difficult section of the walk.

		Length	7km
		Time	3 hrs 30 mins
		.
Grade 6/6 Route: Unmanaged	AS 2156.1	Gradient	Very steep and difficult scrambles (5/6)
		Quality of track	Rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely (4/6)
		Signs	No directional signs (5/6)
		Experience Required	Moderate level of bushwalking experience recommended (4/6)
		Weather	Storms may impact on navigation and safety (3/6)
		Infrastructure	Limited facilities (such as cliffs not fenced, significant creeks not bridged) (4/6)

*This summary of grading information is new and still in testing

Some more detail of this walks Grading
Here is a bit more details explaining the grading looking at sections of the walk.
Gradient
2.4km of this walk has gentle hills with occasional steps and another 2.2km is very steep with difficult rock scrambles. Whilst another 1.6km is very steep and the remaining 790m has short steep hills.

Quality of track
3.8km of this walk follows a rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely and another 2.1km follows a clear and well formed track or trail. The remaining (1km) follows a formed track, with some branches and other obstacles.

Signs
3.8km of this walk is clearly signposted and another 2.2km Has no directional signs. The remaining (1km) has directional signs at most intersection.

Experience Required
4.6km of this walk requires some bushwalking experience and another 2.2km requires a leader a with moderate level of bushwalking experience. The remaining (150m) requires no previous bushwalking experience.

Weather
Around 3.8km of this walk is affected by storms that may impact your navigation and safety, whilst the remaining 3.1km is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation).

Infrastructure
3.8km of this walk has limited facilities (such as cliffs not fenced, significant creeks not bridged) and another 2.2km is close to useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats). The remaining (940m) has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced).

Track Notes

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Catch the bus to Int of Farnells Rd and Cliff Track
Catch the bus to Int of Farnells Rd and Cliff Track
You can phone 131500 (the transport info line) for up to date running times. Use these links to plan your Bus (and train) trip to the end of this walk. (Links currently not working sorry) Plan your trip from --> Castle Hill\|Chatswood\|Dural\|Epping\|Gosford\|Hornsby\|Katoomba\|Manly\|Parramatta\|Penrith\|Strathfield\|Sutherland\|Sydney\|

Drive to Int of Farnells Rd and Cliff Track
Drive to Int of Farnells Rd and Cliff Track
There is free parking available. You can drive or ride to the start of this walk Use these links to plan your trip to the start of this walk. Plan your trip from --> Castle Hill\|Chatswood\|Dural\|Epping\|Gosford\|Hornsby\|Katoomba\|Manly\|Parramatta\|Penrith\|Strathfield\|Sutherland\|Sydney\|

(0 km) Int of Farnells Rd and Cliff Track to Intersection of Cliff Track and Therabulat Lookout Track Track: Moderate - bushtrack	Length = 228 m	Time = 5 mins
	Climb = 4 m	Descent = -16 m
From the intersection of Farnells Rd and the bush track marked by the signpost saying 'Cliff Track' (approximately 30m west of the end of Stuarts Rd), this walk heads north down the bush track until coming to an intersection with another bush track. This corner is marked by a large cairn and an orange banner wrapped around the tree on the corner.

(0.23 km) Intersection of Cliff Track and Therabulat Lookout Track to Therabulat Lookout Optional sidetrip: Track: Moderate - bushtrack	Length = 143 m	Time = 5 mins
	Climb = 0 m	Descent = -49 m
Veer left: From the intersection, this walk heads west along the bush track until coming to a lookout over the valley, which has great views to the south and south-west. Railings have been installed at this lookout. (Retrace your steps back to the main track, then turn sharp left to continue along this walk.)

(0.23 km) Intersection of Cliff Track and Therabulat Lookout Track to Int of Cliff Track and Norths Lookout Trail Track: Moderate - bushtrack	Length = 790 m	Time = 25 mins
	Climb = 86 m	Descent = -94 m
Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk heads south-east along the flat bush track. As the walk turns to the west and crosses a small creek using a bridge, the track begins to climb steadily around the side of the hill. This continues until reaching an intersection with a wide track, marked by a signpost saying 'Bonnie Doon Fauna Study Being Conducted at this Site'.

(1.02 km) Int of 6 Foot Track and Norths Lookout Trail to Norths Lookout Optional sidetrip: Track: Moderate - bushtrack	Length = 62 m	Time = 2 mins
	Climb = 0 m	Descent = -15 m
Turn left: From the intersection, this walk follows the track downhill towards the open views^[1]. After about 50m the track comes to the fenced^[2] and signposted 'Norths Lookout'^[3] with great views over Nellie's Glen and into the valley^[4]. (Retrace your steps back to the main track, then continue straight to continue along this walk.)

(1.02 km) Int of Cliff Track and Norths Lookout Trail to Int of 6 Foot Track and Norths Lookout Trail Track: Moderate - bushtrack	Length = 148 m	Time = 4 mins
	Climb = 17 m	Descent = -1 m
Turn right: From the intersection^[5], this walk follows the clear track gently uphill, keeping the main views to your left. The track leads up a series of timber steps for just shy of 150m to then head through a gap in large metal gate^[6]. Here the track leads to a clear three way intersection with a wide management trail marked with several 'Six Foot Track' signposts^[7].

(1.17 km) Int of Six Foot Track and Norths Lookout Trail to Int at Lower Nellies Glen Track: Hard - bushtrack	Length = 1.63 km	Time = 44 mins
	Climb = 26 m	Descent = -337 m
Veer left: From the intersection, this walk follows the 'Six Foot Track' sign^[8], fairly steeply down the management trail past the 'Nellies Glen' metal plaque^[9] and, about 10m later, past the timber 'Nellies Glen' sign. After another 80m, the trail narrows and this walk turns left to head through the green timber chicane with the 'Caution - Steep Decent' and 'Pedestrian Access only' signs^[10]. As the sign suggests, this walk now leads steeply down the Nellies Glen canyon steps^[11] for about 300m, passing alongside the tall rock walls^[12] and crossing the usually small creek a few times before bending distinctly left to cross below a small set of falls (below the main Bonnie Doon Falls)^[13]. Here the track mostly flattens out^[14] and leads along the side of the gully for another 400m to pass a 'Blue Mountains National Park' sign^[15], then just over 100m later, passes another sign marking the lower end of 'Nellies Glen'^[16]. About 600m after this sign, the track bends to cross a narrow gully then leads up to a small clearing at the northern end of the wide Nellies Glen trail.

(2.79 km) Int at Lower Nellies Glen to Int of Nellies Glen Rd Trail and Devils Hole Trail Track: Moderate - managementtrail	Length = 1.98 km	Time = 36 mins
	Climb = 14 m	Descent = -102 m
Veer left: From the clearing, this walk follows the wide trail gently downhill^[17] while keeping the valley to your right. The trail leads generally downhill through the scribbly gum forest^[18] for about 1.4km to then cross the culverted^[19] Devils Hole Creek - just past the creek is an unused concrete pipe^[20] with wild bee hives^[21] inside. This walk continues along the trail for another 500m to an intersection with the Devils Hole Trail^[22] (on your left), marked a 'Six Foot Track' and a 'Ladders have been removed' sign.

(4.77 km) Int of 6 Ft Track and Devil's Hole Servicetrail to Int of Devil's Hole Bushtrack and Cliff Rd Route: Unmanaged - bushtrack	Length = 2.22 km	Time = 1 hr 16 mins
	Climb = 425 m	Descent = -12 m
Turn left: From the intersection, this walk initially heads east along the lesser management trail (that is, away from the more major road), soon passing a green building on the left. The trail rises gradually, with some very short sections where it is quite steep. This continues for approximately 850m, until reaching an intersection with a bush track on the left. This is usually marked by a large cairn on the corner. The track turns left here, travelling along the track heading north. Soon, the track crosses Devils Hole Creek and after this gradually turns to the north-east. As the track get closer and closer to the cliffs, it becomes steeper and steeper. Once near the top, the walk follows the markers nailed onto the trees next to the track, as well as the small cairns. (If you don't follow these, you will go too far and come to a small waterfall.) The track climbs up steeply to the north through a gap in the cliffs (this gap is not really visible from below the cliffs). Once emerging from the gap, the trail becomes better managed and much more defined. It then winds further north-east until coming to an intersection with Cliff Rd. There are great views over the Megalong Valley leading up to here.

Catch the bus from Int of Devil's Hole Bushtrack and Cliff Rd

You can phone 131500 (the transport info line) for up to date running times. Use these links to plan your Bus (and train) trip from the end of this walk. (Links currently not working sorry) Plan your trip to --> Castle Hill\|Chatswood\|Dural\|Epping\|Gosford\|Hornsby\|Katoomba\|Manly\|Parramatta\|Penrith\|Strathfield\|Sutherland\|Sydney\|

Drive from Int of Devil's Hole Bushtrack and Cliff Rd
Drive from Int of Devil's Hole Bushtrack and Cliff Rd
There is free parking available. You can drive or ride from the end of this walk Use these links to plan your trip from the end of this walk. Plan your trip to --> Castle Hill\|Chatswood\|Dural\|Epping\|Gosford\|Hornsby\|Katoomba\|Manly\|Parramatta\|Penrith\|Strathfield\|Sutherland\|Sydney\|

Getting there

Plan your trip to the start of the walk and back from the end of the walk

Public Transport links currently not working, sorry

Public Transport Timetables

	To the start of the walk From Castle Hill Chatswood Dural Epping Gosford Hornsby Katoomba Manly Parramatta Penrith Strathfield Sutherland Sydney	From the end of the walk To Castle Hill Chatswood Dural Epping Gosford Hornsby Katoomba Manly Parramatta Penrith Strathfield Sutherland Sydney
Driving Directions
Map Car Shuffle
	To the start of the walk Drive from:	From the end of the walk Drive to:

Near by

Campsites in the park
Acacia Flat
Burralow Creek camping ground
Coxs River Camping Area
Euroka campground - Appletree Flat campervan and camper trailer area
Euroka campground
Ingar campground
Mount Werong campground
Murphys Glen campground
Perrys Lookdown campground
Euroka Campground - Darug
Euroka Campground - Red Gum
Euroka Campground - Nioka
Euroka Campground - Bennetts Ridge

Nearest know Outdoor Stores near the start of this walk

Store	Address	Phone	Distance (straight line)
Summit Gear	80- Bathurst Rd , Katoomba	(02) 4782 3018	1.8 km
Paddy Pallin	166 Katoomba St , Katoomba	(02) 4782 4466	1.8 km
Simdra Pet & Hobby Mart	45 Main St , Lithgow	(02) 6352 4422	28.7 km
Lithgow 4WD Centre	281 Main St , Lithgow	(02) 6353 1899	29 km
Summit Gear	11 Ross St , Glenbrook	(02) 4739 4373	31 km

A list of the nearest UHF CB repeaters I found to Devil's Hole Trail.

Channel	Call sign (more info)	Site	Distance and dir from Devil's Hole Trail Click to re-center search
5	BIN05	Fire Tower MT BINDO Emergency use only	27 km (to the W)
7	VMC7	Fire Tower MT BINDO	27 km (to the W)
6	LGW06	Lithgow Council Site HASSANS WALLS	27 km (to the NNW)
4	RIV04	Fire Service Rusden Road MT RIVERVIEW	31 km (to the E)
2	KUR02	Miles Comms Site 1 1 246 Burralow Road KURRAJONG HEIGHTS	35 km (to the ENE)

Weather and Park info

Fire Danger
This walk passes Greater Sydney Region fire area which currently has a LOW MODERATE rating and No fire ban in place.
(Tomorrow the Fire Danger Rating is LOW MODERATE, No fire ban.) (Downloaded 8 years ago)
Please Note: Each park may have its own fire ban, this rating is only valid for today and is based on information from the RFS Please check the RFS Website for more information.

Weather and Climate
Weather and Climate summary detailed weather and climate information here

°C (feels like °)

km/h from the

% humidity (as at )

Wed	27°	Showers. Likely storm developing.
Thu	16°\|26°	Shower or two.
Fri	15°\|28°	Mostly sunny.
Sat	12°\|22°	Possible late shower.

A graph displaying the average daily temperature range for the year

Walker Feedback

Comments

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montgomery scott - the devils hole closed

IP:121.91.112.xxx | 2009-08-23 22:24:33

Lynda - Devils hole not closed no ladd

IP:60.242.28.xxx | 2010-08-06 11:05:45

Think Montgomery scott must have been lost. Maybe he means the waterboard ladders. Devils hole is a walking track with some scrambling. No ladders.

marianne - no ladders anymore

IP:27.32.30.xxx | 2010-08-22 10:47:03

i confirm, no more ladders there is a big red sign saying NO ACCESS LADDERS TAKEN OFF... then didnt want to walk back, so walk til intersection to nellie's glen road and megalong road and get a lift to blackheath...
beautiful views on the first part walking down in the shade of the cliff on six foot track though. careful though really slippery in some places. and really easy to get lost as no sign about the devil's track as it is not open anymore.

catt - no ladders

IP:120.18.213.xxx | 2011-04-10 08:12:48

we found the track to devil's hole easily enough - with the cairn marker - but once we got up higher the track disappears and the markers are really hard to follow . we could see devils hole but decided to turn back as it felt dangerous, we were too confused and there were too many leeches in the forest.
i can see how an experienced climber could try to tackle it without any ladders (there were old wooden ladders many years ago i believe, long since removed) but we wimped out and returned via Nellies Glen to the highway. not my most fun walk for sure..

admin - re: no ladders

Super Administrator | 2011-04-10 22:12:45

catt wrote:

...there were old wooden ladders many years ago i believe, long since removed ...

Hi Catt
Thanks for the feedback. This walk sure is a challenging one. I am not aware of there been ladders here in the past (there may have been), but I am wondering of you are thinking of the old water pipe ladder that is/was near by (further east).
Shame your walk was not as you hoped. I will try to re-walk this soon and get some better photos of the hole, it was almost dark last time heading up through here.
Thanks
Matt :)

catt	IP:120.18.23.xxx \| 2011-04-11 04:05:56

yes i think youre right - there was an old ladder called "dixons ladder" which mustve been at the end of the waterboard rd, not at devils hole..

James - Walk OK

IP:60.241.175.xxx | 2011-07-04 10:23:07

Hi guys, just did this walk the Sunday before last. Wasn't too difficult. Saw about 5 other people on the same trail. When you get to the sign that says something like "no ladders", keep following that road and lookout for the huge cairn on the left close to a clearing. It's not far up. That turns into the devil's hole trail. It's hard to make out, but it becomes clearer. Once you get to the top, turn right (left goes to a waterfall) and then keep the cliff on your left as you head up through the gap between the cliffs.

Happy hiking,
James

Tony K

IP:203.29.78.xxx | 2012-07-31 06:26:32

Did this on Sat 28th July, the route from the cairn down to the river and up to edge of the cliff isn’t very distinctive.
Make sure when you come around face of cliffs you head up a very steep bank and follow the white paint
markers on boulders and you’ll be grand.

Great route and really enjoyed it.

zephaniah - Devils Hole

IP:203.6.77.xxx | 2012-12-24 01:34:53

Hello;

I did this walk solo in 2011.

The actual gorge Devils Hole is spectacular but can be very difficult with a heavy pack. Even during the early morning it is still quite dark in there.

Once at the base of the gorge you still have a very dense and steep navigation to a dirt track. Basically the way down is not at all marked apart from some ancient white paint that one could easily miss.

I took topographical maps and set a magnetic bearing and kept on that as trying to pick a trail down was pointless. I coulsd see how someone would get lost at this section because one could be tempted to take the path of least resistance and taper along an easy contour. That would be your undoing.

Do not under-estimate this small section of walk. If you were to try and exit via this route from Nellies track you would need excellent navigation skills and be able to pace count/ map to ground or otherwise you would easily walk into a wrong re-entrant and end up at a dead end.

Someone has made comments regarding 'white paint'...do not be so naive to think you will even see these marks. You will have your head down and be walking up very steep contours. You will miss these easily. Take a map and compass and be very good at 'map to ground and pace counting.'

DO NOT UNDER-ESTIMATE THIS TRACK..not for inexperienced navigators.

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