Discover Katoomba Cascades in the Blue Mountains

Last updated: May 13, 2023

The Katoomba Cascades form a small but picturesque water spectacle on the Kedumba River in the Katoomba area of the Blue Mountains.

Two short walking trails, starting from the cascades, lead to two different lookout points from where visitors can soak in fantastic views of the Jamison Valley.

Keep reading to discover more about the cascades, other sights to explore nearby, and where best to park your car.

The Katoomba Cascades area has a dedicated car park along Cliff Drive at the large grassy area with picnic tables (see Google Maps location).

If you’re driving in from Katoomba, turn into Katoomba Falls Road from Katoomba Street, followed by a left turn into Cliff Drive. If that car park is full, you can try Katoomba Falls Reserve further down on Cliff Drive.

Do note, though, that this is a popular area in the Blue Mountains, and it can often be challenging to find a parking spot on the weekends.

The picnic area just north of the cascades is conveniently located between Scenic World and Echo Point in Katoomba.

A small viewing platform at the picnic area right above the top of the cascades offers scenic views of the waterfall and the area below.

To go and see the water spectacle from close by, simply follow the walking path and the set of stairs going down.

Katoomba Cascades is a small waterfall on the Kedumba River, a 20km long perennial river which rises at Lake Catalina in Katoomba.

This river starts as a small creek flowing through parkland west of the Katoomba town centre, before it drops into the Jamison Valley via Katoomba Falls, one of the most impressive waterfalls in the Blue Mountains.

The river then flows through the Jamison and Kedumba valleys and ultimately joins Coxs River, which in turn feeds into Lake Burragorang.

From the cascades, you can follow the walking path along the river all the way to the point where the river drops into the valley (see further below).

An open area, with a bench and space to walk around, right in front of the cascades, offers fantastic views of the water spectacle.

Just remember that it can get very busy there on the weekends, so for the best experience, it’s recommended to get there early in the morning.

A small footbridge in front of the waterfall offers fantastic views of the cascades and the flowing river on the other side.

Two short walking tracks, starting from the Katoomba Cascades, lead to two different lookout points that both offer incredible Jamison Valley views.

Both these walking tracks form part of the iconic Prince Henry Cliff Walk, one of the most popular walking tracks in the Blue Mountains.

These two short walks are very enjoyable, so visiting both lookouts is highly recommended after exploring the cascades.

In the map below, the cascades and the two lookouts are marked as follows:

A: Katoomba Cascades
B: Duke & Duchess of York Lookout
C: Cliff View Lookout

1. Duke & Duchess of York Lookout

The first lookout, the Duke & Duchess of York Lookout, can be easily accessed via the short walking path directly from the cascades.

It’s a very easy-to-follow path (approximately 200 metres long) parallel to the creek through beautiful natural scenery.

Once you arrive at the lookout, the valley opens up right in front of you, with incredible views across the valley to Mount Solitary, Ruined Castle, and the Narrow Neck plateau.

If you stay at the lookout long enough, you may even see the brightly coloured Scenic Skyway’s cable car flying high above the valley, which is a pretty cool sight.

Katoomba Falls is somewhere below that lookout, but the waterfall isn’t actually visible. However, the panoramic valley views more than make up for that.

From the lookout, one option is to continue the Prince Henry Cliff Walk heading west, which ultimately connects with the Katoomba Falls Round Walk and Scenic World.

Otherwise, retrace your steps to Katoomba Cascades and continue to the Cliff View Lookout.

2. Cliff View Lookout

The Cliff View Lookout is perhaps even more impressive than the Duke & Duchess of York Lookout, although the views are pretty similar.

To get to this lookout point, make your way out of the Katoomba Cascades area and look for the Prince Henry Cliff Walk and Cliff View Lookout sign on Cliff Drive.

This is an easy 250 metres long wheelchair-friendly walking path that also passes the Scenic World Skyway East Station.

And that means you can see the Skyway cable car flying right above you as you make your way to the Cliff View Lookout.

From the Cliff View Lookout, the Prince Henry Cliff Walk continues eastbound towards Echo Point and the Three Sisters, with a few smaller lookout points to explore on the way.