A guide to the 25 best walks and hikes in Sydney, ranging from scenic coastal trails to adventurous bushwalking tracks.
Hiking in Sydney is the best way to fully enjoy and appreciate the sheer beauty of this great city. You can walk the beaches, the mountains, the bush, and of course the magnificent Sydney Harbour.
Lake Parramatta was created as a result of the damming of Hunts Creek in 1856. The lake is now a recreational area with picnic areas, a cafe, a swimming precinct, boat hire facilities, and a great walking track.
This 4 km circuit walk meanders through 75 hectares of scenic bushland around an idyllic lake with a decommissioned dam. For young kids, there are shorter trails available too.
The Giant Stairway to Furber Steps Loop in the Katoomba area of the Blue Mountains is a fantastic hike that includes two iconic staircases.
This moderately challenging walking track is one of the best in the Blue Mountains, with panoramic valley views, unique rock formations, beautiful forests, and much more.
Balls Head Reserve on Sydney’s lower north shore is a beautiful forested headland nature reserve facing Sydney Harbour.
The reserve is home to various short bushwalking trails that combine natural beauty with great views across Sydney Harbour, the CBD skyline, the Harbour Bridge, Goat Island, and the surrounding peninsulas.
Cockatoo Island is a UNESCO World Heritage and National Heritage Listed island right in the middle of beautiful Sydney Harbour.
The island has a rich history as a shipbuilding yard, a Commonwealth naval base, and a convict island. You can experience all this first-hand by wandering on the island and absorbing its well-preserved history.
The 10 km Sphinx Memorial to Bobbin Head loop via Warrimoo Track is an exciting bushwalk through various landscapes in Ku-ring-gai Chase NP.
One half of the walk follows the shoreline of Cowan Creek, while the other half is mostly a fire trail through a thriving forest of gum trees.
The 5.6 km return walking trail to Ikara Head in Mount Victoria leads to a lookout that offers fantastic Grose Valley views.
With a bit of luck, and when the circumstances are right, you may be able to see pink flannel flowers and other wildflowers along the way.
Faulconbridge Point is a fantastic lookout in the Lower Grose Valley of the Blue Mountains, offering 360-degree views of the Grose River and the surrounding mountains and valleys.
A moderately challenging, 6.5 km long track via a fire trail leads to this lookout, the perfect spot for a quiet picnic in beautiful natural surroundings.
The Victoria Falls walking track in the Blue Mountains takes in a beautiful lookout, a fantastic waterfall, and a unique cascade water spectacle.
Perched on a cliff edge overlooking the Grose Valley, the Victoria Falls lookout is the starting point of a short but very steep bushwalk to two of the prettiest waterfalls in the Blue Mountains.
Opened to the public in 1907, the 6 km long Grand Canyon Walk was the first of its kind. Since its opening, the walk has been challenged by thousands of hiking enthusiasts every year.
Widely regarded as one of the most impressive walking tracks in the Blue Mountains, the Grand Canyon Walk navigates through a beautiful landscape of lush rainforests, with several creek crossings, small waterfalls, high cliff walls, and rock overhangs.
Long Reef in Collaroy on Sydney’s northern beaches is a picturesque headland that functions as a popular recreational destination. It is home to a golf course, a walking trail, several beaches, a paragliding spot, and lookout points.
The best way to explore the natural beauty of this headland is by doing a 3.5 km circuit walk that passes Fishermans Beach, Long Reef Point Lookout, Long Reef Beach, and Griffith Park.
The North Arm Walking Track is an exciting walking trail in the suburb of Castle Cove that passes through beautiful Harbour-side bushland.
This is a moderately challenging 6.5 km long walking trail exploring a quiet part of Middle Harbour, with lovely views of Sugarloaf Bay to take in.
In this article, we will fill you in on the highlights of this track, how to get there, and where best to start.
The trail from Tambourine Bay Park to Warraroon Reserve is a family-friendly walk through a pocket of scenic bushland linking the suburbs of Riverview, Longueville and Lane Cove.
This easy 3 km return walking trail follows Tambourine Creek, which flows into Tambourine Bay which in turn is part of the Lane Cove River.
The Harold Reid Foreshore Track is a family-friendly bushwalk in the small suburb of Middle Cove, with scenic Middle Harbour views to take in.
This walk explores the Harold Reid Reserve, a beautiful pocket of natural waterfront bushland on a Hawkesbury sandstone landform.
The 7 km return walking trail from Hat Hill to Bald Head meanders through pleasant bushland scenery before arriving at a panoramic vantage point.
The views from Bald Head of the Grose Valley and the various landmarks nearby are pretty amazing and are worth the effort to get there.
In this article, we’ll share the stats, details, and highlights of this quiet yet beautiful spot in the Blue Mountains and how to get there.
Dargan Arch, or Dargans Arch, is a natural sandstone rock formation that is shaped like an arch, located in a quiet area of the Blue Mountains, near the town of Bell.
A short walk leads to this beautiful spot, where you have the opportunity to walk across the top of the arch as well as venture down to the bottom.
The Three Sisters is an iconic rock formation near Katoomba, facing the beautiful Jamison Valley. It is the most popular tourist spot in the Blue Mountains, attracting thousands of visitors every day.
A short walking track, starting from the information centre at Echo Point, allows visitors to see the Three Sisters from close by, with several scenic lookout points nearby to explore.
Sydney is a relatively young city with lots of great (and not so great) modern architecture, but for the history buffs, Sydney has a lot to offer too.
The British colony of New South Wales was first established in 1788, and many historical buildings from the 19th century still stand strong today.
The 7 km return walking trail to Little Marley Beach from Wattamolla is one of the prettiest walking trails in the Royal National Park.
The first section of this easy walk meanders through a patch of scenic bushland, and the second part is on top of the cliffs following the coastline.
The Coachwood Glen Nature Trail is a short and unpretentious bushwalk in the Megalong Valley area of the Blue Mountains.
The trail meanders through the beautiful landscape of the Coachwood and Mountain Ash forests, and includes a few crossings of the Pulpit Hill Creek.