The Blue Mountains west of Sydney are, rightly, a very popular tourist destination. And while the mountains are criss-crossed with walking trails, not everyone is up for a long walk, and, of course, some have limited mobility. Fortunately, the Blue Mountains offer several excellent lookouts requiring almost no walking or very limited walking.
The driver-guides of Sydney Adventure Tours have decades of experience in the mountains and suggest these five as the most sublime views you can enjoy with only a short stroll from your vehicle.
Best View with the Shortest Walk
Govetts Leap
This view can take your breath away while you are still in the carpark. A stroll of as little as 10 metres will deliver you the edge of an immense and forested valley. With cliffs to your left and right and nothing but the wilderness of the Grose Valley stretching before you.
Full of Other Tourists but Worth It
The Three Sisters viewed from Echo Point
If you’ve only seen one photo of the Blue Mountains, it was probably taken Echo Point. The main viewing platform here is about 200 metres from the car park – fully paved and flat. At Echo Point you’ll enjoy a wide-angle view stretching from the ancient rock formation known as the Three Sisters and across the whole of the Jamison Valley to Ruined Castle and Mount Solitary.
Yes, Echo Point is busy. Unless you visit very early or late you will be sharing the platform with many other visitors. Try considering it part of the fun to count how many languages you can identify.
Inexplicably Quiet yet Easily Accessible (Shhh, don’t tell anyone)
Wentworth Lookout and Jamison Lookout
Wentworth Falls makes an excellent stopping off point on the way to the upper mountains. The lookouts here are a short, flat, paved walk from the carpark and picnic area. These lookouts can be busy, but they are rarely crowded. Both viewing platforms offer a vista on the vast Jamison Valley. Keep your eyes (and ears) open for sulphur-crested cockatoos circling, squawking, and flitting between treetops down in the valley.
Cahill’s Lookout
A good view is available at Cahill’s Lookout even from your vehicle. From the car park there is a short wheelchair accessible path to an initial viewpoint – which provides an expansive view over the Megalong Valley and the rock formation known as Boar’s Head. Beyond the viewing platform, some steps lead to the original Cahill’s Lookout. There is a collection of tables near the carpark – tempting spots for a sunset picnic.
Evans Lookout
If your mountain journey takes you past Katoomba – as far as Medlow Bath or Blackheath, then the diversion down to Evans Lookout is well worth your time. There is a small carpark at the end of the road, followed by a 100 metre walk down steps at a fairly easy gradient. As with Govetts Leap, here is a nearly 180* view over the Grose Valley. To lean on the railing, taking in a grand canyon filled with trees and hugged by distant sandstone cliffs, is both sublime and peaceful.
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private charter tours to the Blue Mountains visiting these and other locations. Tours are also available in the City of Sydney, the South Coast, the Northern Beaches, and the Hunter Valley. Bespoke tours can be arranged to meet your needs.
