The Forest Path is a pleasant 4.5 km long bush walking trail along the shores of the Hacking River in Royal National Park, looping around Forest Island.
With start and finish on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive, this relatively easy walking track passes through a patch of scenic rainforest, less than one hour from the city.
| The Forest Path | |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 4.5 km (circuit walk) |
| Duration: | 1.5 – 2 hours |
| Grade: | Easy / moderate |
| Dogs: | Not allowed |
Getting There
Access the Royal National Park via Waterfall and keep driving on McKell Ave until you arrive at the intersection with Sir Bertram Stevens Drive.
Turn left into Sir Bertram Stevens Drive until you see two small parking areas on both sides of the road. This is where the Forest Path walking track starts and ends (see map location).
Parking in the Royal National Park is $12 per vehicle for the whole day, to be paid at the booth when you access the national park or at one of the ticket machines.
Below is a map of the walk with parking on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive.
Track Notes
The Forest Path is a family-friendly walk, suitable for all ages and fitness levels. The trail is mostly flat and is very easy to follow.
Because this is a genuine bushwalk, we recommend wearing decent hiking shoes for comfort and safety reasons, especially after rainfall when the track might be muddy.
The Forest Path first opened in 1887 to allow for easy access to the forest trees. For decades, the trail was used to accommodate logging in the area.
Public controversy and pressure ultimately led to the ban on logging in the 1920s. Logging only briefly returned during the Second World War, but luckily, the walking track has since only been used for recreational purposes.
Start of the Walk
There are two options to start the Forest Path.
You can either choose the western entrance and go clockwise, or you can start from the eastern entrance and walk in an anti-clockwise manner.
The eastern entrance is also the starting point of the Lady Carrington Drive walking track (see further below for more details).
These two trailheads are only 50m apart, opposite the car parking area. We recommend going anti-clockwise, starting from the eastern entrance.
Bola Creek
From the eastern entrance, start hiking along Lady Carrington Drive for around 800 meters or so, until you get to a junction where you need to turn left into the Forest Path.
This is also where the old Bola Creek Rest Area is located.
Don’t expect too much of that though, because it’s not much more than a neglected picnic table with benches.
Hacking River
After another couple hundred meters of hiking, the path veers to the left, where Bola Creek meets the Hacking River.
From this point onward, the path follows the Hacking River through a patch of beautiful, thriving rainforest.
As you continue hiking, look around and enjoy the great variety of native plants and flowers, such as eucalypts, casuarinas, and cabbage tree palms (up to about 25m high).
If you enjoy bird watching, definitely bring your binoculars with you, as many different types of birds thrive in this area.
Be mindful that after a period of heavy rain, the Hacking River rises to higher levels, which can cause the walking path to get very muddy.
Towards the end of the walking trail, the Forest Path arrives at a junction with the Couranga Walking Track, a 5 km bushwalk that leads to Waterfall train station.
From that junction, it’s only a short stretch back to the car park on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive.
More Hiking
Should you have the time and energy, we recommend combining the Forest Path with the Palona Cave Walk.
This is a 5 km return walking track that leads to a large cave and a picturesque waterfall. It’s a fairly easy walking trail, but the last section heading to the cave is a bit rough and overgrown in parts.
The total distance of the two walks combined (there is some overlap with Lady Carrington Drive) is about 7.5 km.
Check out our list of great walking tracks in Royal National Park for even more walks in this area.
