Last updated: January 28, 2023
Our guide with the 15 most beautiful waterfalls in the Blue Mountains, some easy to get to and others a bit harder to find.
The greater Blue Mountains region is home to countless walking tracks, panoramic lookout points, and pretty waterfalls of all sizes.
Some of these waterfalls are very popular and easy to find, but there are also quite a few waterfalls and cascades hidden in valleys and canyons where the average tourist doesn’t go.
Read on, as we reveal the 15 best waterfalls in the Blue Mountains, ordered from east to west, including details on how to get there.
Top 15 Blue Mountains Waterfalls:
| Waterfall | Where | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horseshoe Falls | Hazelbrook |
| 2 | South Lawson Waterfalls | South Lawson |
| 3 | Weeping Rock | Wentworth Falls |
| 4 | Wentworth Falls | Wentworth Falls |
| 5 | Empress Falls | Wentworth Falls |
| 6 | Sylvia Falls | Wentworth Falls |
| 7 | Lodore Falls | Wentworth Falls |
| 8 | Leura Cascades | Leura |
| 9 | Bridal Veil Falls | Leura |
| 10 | Linda Falls | Leura |
| 11 | Minnehaha Falls | Katoomba |
| 12 | Katoomba Cascades | Katoomba |
| 13 | Katoomba Falls | Katoomba |
| 14 | Govetts Leap | Blackheath |
| 15 | Victoria Falls and Cascades | Mount Victoria |
Top 15 Blue Mountains Waterfalls
Some of the below waterfalls even have natural swimming holes at the base, which makes for a great outdoor adventure.
Before heading out to visit any of these waterfalls, it’s recommended to check the latest alerts on the NPWS website to see if there are any closures.
Most scenic waterfalls in and around Sydney.
1. Horseshoe Falls
Horseshoe Falls in Hazelbrook is a small but scenic waterfall on Hazelbrook Creek, located within Horseshoe Falls Reserve in the Blue Mountains, approximately 18 kilometres east of Katoomba.
The waterfall can be accessed via a moderately challenging bushwalk that takes in three more waterfalls, including Burgess Falls and Oaklands Falls.
What’s exciting about Horseshoe Falls is that you can walk underneath a rock overhang right behind the waterfall, which is a wonderful experience.
Horseshoe Falls is also one of the few spots in the Blue Mountains where you can see glow worms, but you will need to visit after sunset to witness that spectacle.
2. South Lawson Waterfalls
The quiet and unpretentious South Lawson Circuit Walk is a 2.5 km walking track that treats hikers to four picturesque waterfalls:
- Adelina Falls
- Junction Falls
- Federal Falls
- Cataract Falls
Located 15 km east of Katoomba, Lawson is a quiet, historic town in the Blue Mountains with a train station on the Blue Mountains Line. The train station is less than 1 km away from the starting point of the circuit walk.
The four waterfalls along the walking track aren’t tall or majestic by any means, but they are unpretentiously pretty. The scenic and quiet surroundings of the area also add to the experience.
The circuit walk is over a century old and is one of the few walking tracks in the Blue Mountains where dogs are more than welcome.
3. Weeping Rock
The Weeping Rock is a small but rather unique waterfall on Jamison Creek, located moments away from the big waterfall we all know as Wentworth Falls.
Weeping Rock is so named because the water spills over a circular rock overhang. The rocky area in front of the waterfall is a great spot to wander around and take a few photos.
This waterfall is part of the Weeping Rock circuit walk, which starts from the Wentworth Falls picnic area and includes a few scenic lookout points.
4. Wentworth Falls
The name Wentworth Falls refers to the famous 3-tiered, almost 200m high waterfall, but it is also the name of the town where the waterfall is located.
Wentworth Falls is by far the most impressive and highest waterfall in the Blue Mountains, especially after heavy rainfall when large amounts of water drop into Jamison Valley.
There are various walking tracks to choose from in the Wentworth Falls area, some very short and others quite long and challenging. There are also numerous lookout points that offer spectacular views of the waterfall and the valley.
Read our extensive Wentworth Falls hiking guide for the best walking tracks and lookout points in this area.
5. Empress Falls
A short but steep walking track starting from the old Conservation Hut in the Wentworth Falls area brings visitors up close and personal with Empress Falls, one of the most underrated waterfalls in the Blue Mountains.
Several lookout points along the track to Empress Falls offer panoramic views of the Jamison Valley and beyond.
The views from the Queen Victoria lookout are the best, and reach as far as Mount Solitary, Kings Tableland and the Lincoln’s Rock lookout.
Empress Falls is also a popular spot for canyoners abseiling down the waterfall into the pool at the base.
6. Sylvia Falls
The walking track to Empress Falls continues as part of the Valley of the Waters Track, following the path downstream along the creek.
Continuing this walking track is highly recommended as you get to see more waterfalls that are just as pretty as Empress Falls.
The set of stepping stones in front of Empress Falls is where the walking track crosses the Valley of the Waters Creek, and soon arrives at Sylvia Falls, a beautiful water spectacle that you can get very close to.
Read more about the Valley of the Waters track including Sylvia Falls.
7. Lodore Falls
Lodore Falls is the third waterfall on the Valley of the Waters track, only moments away from Sylvia Falls.
From Sylvia Falls, the walking track crosses the Valley of the Waters creek once again and descends further via a set of stairs, keeping the valley and the creek to the right.
You can then see Lodore Falls on your right, where the Valley of the Waters Creek makes a big drop into the valley.
But as spectacular as Lodore Falls is, the views are obscured by the many trees, although there are a few spots where you can still see bits of this otherwise impressive waterfall.
8. Leura Cascades
The short walking track along Leura Falls Creek through a rainforest landscape, offers excellent close-up views of Leura Cascades, a series of small waterfalls.
At the end of the path is a beautiful lookout point with incredible valley views. From that lookout, you can keep hiking and go deeper into the valley to get better views of the waterfall where the creek drops into the valley.
If you’d like to make a day of it, go and have a picnic at the popular Leura Cascades picnic area, with various tables, benches, toilets, and plenty of shaded areas.
Interestingly, this picnic area used to be a public swimming bath. This bath was built at the start of the 20th century as part of a larger development project to make the Katoomba area more appealing.
9. Bridal Veil Falls
Bridal Veil Falls is where Leura Falls Creek drops into the valley, just south of the Leura Cascades.
It’s a pretty waterfall that is like a smaller version of the Wentworth Falls waterfall, and is at its best after a period of decent rainfall.
The best views of this waterfall can be enjoyed from the Bridal Veil View lookout point, which is a short detour from the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, close to the Tarpeian Rock and Olympian Rock lookouts.
Note that the Govetts Leap waterfall (see further below) is often referred to as Bridal Veil Falls, but the official Bridal Veil Falls seems to be this one in Leura.
10. Linda Falls
Linda Falls is a small and not-so-well-known waterfall on Linda Creek, quietly tucked away in Leura Forest, seemingly far away from the tourist crowds.
The waterfall can be accessed via the Dardanelles Pass circuit walk, an exciting bushwalk in the Leura and Katoomba area.
It’s not the easiest walk though, because to see the actual waterfall, you will need to descend into the valley via the Giant Stairway at the Three Sisters and climb back up closer to Leura.
But it’s a highly enjoyable and adventurous walk, with Linda Falls as one of the many highlights to explore.
11. Minnehaha Falls
Minnehaha Falls is another hidden treasure in the Blue Mountains, although this waterfall has seen a big increase in visitors in recent times.
The 20-meter high Minnehaha Falls on Yosemite Creek can be accessed via a walking trail starting at Minnehaha Reserve, north of the Great Western Highway.
The interesting thing about this waterfall is that it’s rather hard to find on maps or in tourist guides. To make it even more interesting, the spelling of this waterfall can also vary, depending on who you talk to.
But regardless, the waterfall itself is a beauty, and the natural swimming pool at the base makes for a great spot to relax in the warmer summer months.
12. Katoomba Cascades
When visiting the Katoomba area of the Blue Mountains, a trip to Katoomba Cascades is an absolute must.
The Katoomba Cascades area is a popular family-friendly destination in the Blue Mountains, with an excellent picnic area and a couple of easy walking tracks nearby to enjoy.
From the cascades, an easy, family-friendly walking track along the creek leads to a lookout where visitors can enjoy fantastic district views, right above the spot where Katoomba Falls drops into the valley.
A second walking track worth exploring leads to the popular Cliff View Lookout, with even more impressive Jamison Valley views.
13. Katoomba Falls
Quietly tucked away between Echo Point and Scenic World, Katoomba Falls is a stunning waterfall that drops almost 150 meters into Jamison Valley.
A short but picturesque circuit walk starting at Scenic World guides visitors to the waterfall through a lush rainforest landscape, with pretty views of the valley and surrounding escarpments as a bonus.
The start of the Katoomba Falls Round Walk is located between the car park and the main entrance to Scenic World. This is also the starting point of the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, a 7 km hike to the Gordon Falls lookout in Leura.
The path to Katoomba Falls includes several lookout points that offer excellent views of the waterfall.
14. Govetts Leap
Govetts Leap is a beautiful waterfall close to Blackheath, which can be viewed from the popular Govetts Leap lookout point.
Interestingly enough, as mentioned above, this waterfall is also often referred to as Bridal Veil Falls.
It’s not a very wide waterfall, but the height (180 metres), the surrounding valley, and the escarpments make Govetts Leap such an impressive sight in the Blue Mountains.
One walking track leads to the top of the waterfall and the Barrow Lookout close by, and a much more challenging walking track descends into the valley to the base of the waterfall.
15. Victoria Falls and Cascades
Victoria Falls is a unique cascade waterfall on Victoria Creek that drops 20 metres from a rock overhang.
A very steep walking track, starting from the car park at the end of Victoria Falls Road in Mount Victoria, leads to this waterfall.
Not too far away from Victoria Falls is Victoria Creek Cascades, a fantastic water spectacle in beautiful natural surroundings that makes the hike down into the valley even more worthwhile.
Both the waterfall and the cascades have natural waterholes at the base that are perfect for a refreshing swim on a warm summer’s day.
The best walking tracks in the Blue Mountains.
The most panoramic lookouts in the Blue Mountains.
