At just a 400m return walk Clarence Dam is one of the easiest swimming spots to access in the Blue Mountains. It’s also a great option if you love to have a proper swim because the pool is absolutely huge, though in reality it’s better known for its daring cliff jumps than it is for swimming!
You are close enough to the highway that you can hear vehicles passing from time to time, so it doesn’t have that wild vibe you’ll find at most swim spots in the mountains, but despite that it’s still a fun spot. And whilst it may not feel that wild, I did share the pool with plenty of butterflies, dragonflies and swallows as they flit across the surface of the water making the whole place feel a lot more serene.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Clarence Dam.
Getting to Clarence Dam
Finding the right route
Normally I leave the nitty gritty parking and access conditions to the end of the post, but when it comes to Clarence Dam it’s a little more important to know right away that Google Maps will take you on the wrong road! We did think the route looked a bit odd as we found ourselves driving directly beside a train line…..
The dam is located in the Dargans Creek Reserve in Clarence in the Blue Mountains (around a 35 minute drive from Katoomba).
The point at which Google Maps will lead you astray is when you turn off Chifley Road - it will try to take you alongside the trainline the whole way.
Look for a junction early on when going left will take you onto a private road and straight on will see you driving along the train line. We saw the private road sign and assumed it couldn’t be that way, but it is.
Once you make the turn off onto the private road it will be unsealed and bumpy in parts for the next 1.3km. It’s not a 4WD road (when dry) but it does have some little rocks in patches that you have to drive over, as well as few ruts and bumps. If you don’t have a 4WD you should stop at these coordinates: -33.483617, 150.247132.
If you do have a 4WD, or a car with a little clearance, you can drive roughly 100m further, over a very bumpy bit of road. It’s not biggie either way as there is plenty of parking in both areas and there’s only 100m between them.
The walk to Clarence Dam
The stats
Distance: 400m return
Elevation gain: 20m
Difficulty: Easy, but not flat
Trailhead: Clarence Dam Parking Area
The trail
From the final parking area the walk heads along the fire trail on the south eastern side of the car park. It will begin heading downhill immediately and it’s a fairly steady descent all the way to the water’s edge.
It’s a wide fire trail and though it is rocky in parts, it’s an easy path to walk on and nice and grippy when dry.
It is steepish, but it’s such a short walk that even on the way back up, it’s not too challenging. When you get to the bottom of the hill there’s a view over some impressive cliff walls to the right and water access to the left.
You could also walk 50m further on to see the dam wall.
Swimming at Clarence Dam
Although the surrounding rock walls are popular with climbers, most people visiting Clarence Dam are coming to swim. Getting into the water is very easy as you can step off the bank into shallow water and then within a few steps it’s instantly very deep.
It’s possibly one of the quickest drop offs into deep water I’ve ever experienced. This avoids the whole awkward shuffle over slippery rocks you find at many swimming holes and makes the whole thing very relaxing.
I wasn’t expecting it to get so deep so quickly, but I guess it makes sense as you’ll see a rope swing tied to the tree where the water access is, so it would need to be deep for a jump to be possible.
The great thing about swimming here is how much space you have and how few obstructions there are in the water. The only thing I bumped into was that prominent rock you’ll see in the water inbetween the rock walls.
This rock extends far deeper into the water than you’d think when looking at it from the surface, so give it a wide berth! Otherwise from my experience it was all smooth sailing.
You can swim to the left and you’ll pass another rope allowing you to climb out of the water, so I guess people jump from here too, though it didn’t look like your average jump spot as it was quite low to the ground. Swimming further will take you inbetween some pretty pagodas before the waterway narrows.
I stopped when I got to a patch of debris. It’s really hard to gauge how far it would have been, but maybe 200m. I had no idea it was so big before visiting, or I’d have planned a lot more time exploring as it looked like you could go a lot further.
If you want to explore but don’t want to swim too far, it would be a fun place to bring a lilo.
The water is fairly cold, but you can swim a lot further than you can in small waterfall pools, so there’s a good chance to warm up. The water colour looked prettier from inside the pool than outside as the ferns and trees reflected in the water casting a more picturesque shade of green.
Overall, it’s a nice spot for a proper swim with very easy access, but I do prefer the wilder places.
Cliff jumping at Clarence Dam
Most people who visit Clarence Dam are here for the rope swings and rock jumps. Personally we didn’t try these and though the water was always deep where I swam, make sure you depth check where you’re going to jump from first as accidents have happened here.
The most popular jump spot seemed to be the huge rock in the middle of the water, though it’s pretty high!
The best time to visit Clarence Dam
Clarence Dam is really popular on sunny weekends and in the school holidays, however, the swimming area is huge and most people stick to the area around the cliff jumps and rope swings. Even on a busy weekend you could probably swim or lilo further along the dam and it would get a lot quieter.
If you’re looking to jump it probably doesn’t matter about the number of people around, but if you’re looking for a serene swim then you will want to come early on a hot weekend, or visit midweek.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
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.
