If you’d love to experience walking through a Blue Gum Forest, but don’t want the big climbs in and out of the Grose Valley (where the more famous Blue Gum Forest is located), you’ll find another absolute gem in the lower Blue Mountains.
The Blue Gum Swap walk is a fairly easy track with very little in the way of elevation, so it’s a relaxing trail, particularly as it is so full of bird song. We hear birds a lot on all trails in the area, but there seemed to be more on this walk than most and it makes for a really soothing backdrop.
The Blue Gum Swamp circuit makes a great day trip from Sydney, as it’s only a 1 hour 15 minute drive away, which is great when you don’t want to drive as far as the more popular trails in Katoomba and Blackheath.
Here’s what to expect from the trail.
Blue Gum Swap Walk
The trail stats
Distance: 9.1 km
Elevation: 150m
Difficulty: Easy
Type of trail: Circuit
A note on the trail
Just to say right at the off this is a shared use trail so you will also find mountain bikers on the track.
I’m generally not a fan of shared use as I don’t like fast bikes coming up behind me, but even on a weekend we only saw two groups of cyclists and they were highly aware of walkers so it wasn’t an issue.
Starting the trail to Shaw Ridge
You’ll begin this walk on a wide, stony fire trail and it’s just a few hundred metres before you come to a sign pointing left towards the Blue Gum Swamp or right to the Shaws Ridge Trail. You have the choice of going either clockwise or anticlockwise.
We’d recommend going anticlockwise because you get the small amount of climbing done at the beginning of the walk. We also like going in this direction because the second half of the trail is the most special, meaning you finish on a high!
If that sounds good to you too, then go straight on (following the Shaws Ridge sign) rather than the left turn to the Blue Gum Swamp.
You’ll walk a little further before you need to make a left hand turn - the right turn is signposted as a dead end, so you’d know not to take it anyway!
The walk on Shaws Ridge is a fire trail all the way, and for the most part it heads gradually uphill. However, it’s so gentle that it rarely feels like you’re climbing. There are also sections of flat track and short undulations.
Tall eucalyptus trees line both sides of the track and you often pick up their scent as you walk. They also offer a reasonable amount of shade.
This part of the track is around 4km and whilst it’s nice enough, it’s not particularly inspiring but it’s not long before it gets a whole lot better!
Descending into the Blue Gum Swamp
This is when the walk starts to get very beautiful. You notice the change immediately as you start descending to the valley floor as the path narrows and it feels much more natural than the wide fire trail.
The descent is a little steeper than any of the ascending but it’s not overly steep or difficult. It’s a little stony which might be slippery after rain but in the dry was no trouble at all.
From this point on you enter the Blue Gum Forest which is wonderfully tranquil, we started to hear so many birds, which gave it an even more peaceful feel.
You’ll soon be on the valley floor and surrounded on both sides by hundreds of ferns and tall Blue Gum Trees.
They really are a fantastic sight, standing majestically in the forest.
We reached this section in the late afternoon and the golden rays peeking between the the trees made it even more special. You’ll also see the creek on your left but really it’s all about the trees!
The section of trail between descending to the valley floor and reaching the turn off for Bees Nest Hill was my favourite on the whole walk.
It’s completely flat and the trail is smooth so there’s no watching your feet and you can just look around and appreciate this truly special forest.
The side trail to Grouse Mountain
After just over 5km total, you’ll reach a turnoff on your right where you can take the side trail to Grouse Mountain South or continue onwards along the Blue Gum Forest.
This side trail takes you to a fantastic lookout with incredible views of the Grose Valley. It’s the only chance for a big view on this trail.
The distance is not mentioned on the sign and we started heading steeply uphill on the Bees Nest Hill Track.
We’d read in advance that the trail was 900m each way, or so we thought. We realised after 800m (and 100m elevation) when looking at Google Maps that we were in fact still around 1.5km away.
We had clearly got the distance wrong and with only around an hour’s daylight left we had to abandon it.
If you want to take the side trail it is about 4km return and the first 700m are steep. It looked to be flattening out at this point but we can’t be sure.
We were disappointed to miss the view. If you end up doing the side trail please let us know so we can update this post for other hikers.
Finishing the loop
Back on at the Blue Gum Swamp trail and it’s lovely and flat once again! You continue along the valley floor surrounded by those magnificent white trees.
There are three little creek crossings in the next part of the track, each has rocks to act as stepping stones so there are no wet boots involved.
It continues to be a beautiful and easy stroll for another three kilometres and it is completely shaded by the gum trees so it would be great in summer!
At around the 8km mark you pass through a gate and then you are very near the end of the walk. It’s fire trail again now, so it’s not as beautiful as where you’ve just come from, but it’s pleasant enough.
Three hundred metres after the gate you come to a junction. Follow the sign post for White Cross. It’s another half a kilometre until you arrive at the junction you were at, at the beginning of the walk and turn right, at which point you can see the car park.
There’s a tiny bit of uphill in this last section but it’s a gentle gradient.
We don’t usually love walks with a large portion of fire trail but in this case the forest at the bottom is so gorgeous that we rate it highly.
Packing suggestions for the walk
Having the right gear can make a huge difference. Here’s what we pack and have relied upon for years:
Sunscreen: Cancer Council Active. With a high SPF, but not the greasy feel of other sunscreens. Makes a big difference when you’re working up a sweat on a sunny day! Check it out on Amazon
Good Rain Jacket: North Face This is an essential item we always pack in our bag! This jacket from North Face is designed to keep you dry but also comfortably warm (many rain jackets will make you feel like you’re in a sauna). Check it out on Amazon
Day Pack: Osprey Talon 22 (we’ve owned this for years). Check on Amazon or direct with Osprey
Hiking Boots: Merrell Moab (for men and women). We’ve both used these for over three years and they just keep going. Check them out on Amazon
Trekking poles: We’ve used Black Diamond for years as they are light, solid and durable. Check them out on Amazon.
Reusable water bottle: To avoid single-use plastic. Check them out on Amazon
Essential information about the Blue Gum Swamp Walk
Parking for the trail
There isn’t much allocated parking for the trail, but there is a residential street very close to the start of the trail which has plenty of free parking.
The trail starts near Springwood in the Lower Blue Mountains. You can find the exact trailhead on Google Maps by clicking on this link.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, that we will earn a small commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase. This helps towards the costs of running our website. Thanks for your support.
Like it? Pin it!
Follow us on Social Media
Are you planning a walk in the Blue Mountains? Would the Blue Gum Swamp Trail be on your list? Let us know in the comments below!
