Crayfish Pool is one of the most glorious wild swimming spots in the Blue Mountains. The pool is surrounded by fern covered cliff walls and a giant boulder strewn overhang which give it a secluded feel. A picturesque waterfall cascades into a shimmering emerald pool and the effect is like stepping into a little fairy glen.
It’s the sort of paradise spot you’d happily hike for hours to reach, yet it’s less than a 30 minute walk - though it’s almost all uphill on the way back!
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Grey Hat Falls and Crayfish Pool.
The walk to Grey Hat Falls and Crayfish Pool
The stats
Distance: 2.1km return
Elevation gain: 135m
Difficulty: Moderate
Summary: The trail to Grey Hat Falls and Crayfish Pool is not signposted, but it’s generally easy to follow. There are one or two turns which are easy to miss, which we’ll point out in the trail notes below. The walk is predominantly downhill on the way, so you do have a bit of a climb on the way back up.
For much of the route the path is a good dirt track, but there are plenty of rocky sections including one scramble.
The path is slippery in parts due to leaf litter and loose soil, but these sections are quite short and just require a little extra care.
Starting the trail
From the parking area (details below) the walk heads straight into the bush on a flat dirt track. After 75m the descent begins, but it’s still on a good trail. Parts of the descent are steep, but they are balanced out with more gentle slopes.
Although the entire walk is in the bush it’s not that dense so you will still get quite a lot of sun - which you feel more on the way up!
At the 220m mark there is a short patch where you head over and inbetween a couple of large boulders and will round a corner to see an overhang.
From here you continue down an easy rocky gully and take an immediate right (this is 280m into the trail). This is a turn which is easy to miss as instinctually you want to head left.
The path gets a little steeper with intermittent rocky patches, but nothing too challenging - you do have to watch your footing though.
Descending through the bush and the scramble
The path flattens at points but for the majority of the way you will be heading downhill, passing more overhangs. At the 400m mark you’ll encounter a bit of loose soil and leaf litter, but it’s quite a short patch.
A couple of hundred metres later you’ll come to some debris across the path, but it’s quite easy to walk over. At the 750m mark the path will curve left still heading downhill and then curve right 10m later. You’re now 40m from the scramble.
The first 30m of the scramble are quite easy, heading down a rocky patch of track with a good foothold worn into the rock to help. You then reach a steeper bit which is like a little rock chute.
There are two ledges to jam your feet in here, but one requires a slight leg stretch to reach. It’s easy on the way up but on the way down I found the best way was to sit and then let my leg slide slightly into it.
Reaching Crayfish Pool
After the scramble you’re only a couple of hundred metres away from the falls and pool. It’s a good track, but there is one short section with what looks like pine needles over the path (not sure what they actually are) which makes it a touch slippery.
There are two ways to access Crayfish Pool: the first is via a set of boulders you have to climb down that will bring you out directly to the waterfall. The second is via a slightly overgrown bush track which leads to a little beach where you can walk straight into the pool from the sand (no rocks).
The boulders lead to a shaded rocky area, which offer a little relief from the sun on a scorching day, but isn’t a comfortable place to chill for too long. The beach offers the easiest access and a nicer place to relax, but has no shade at all (for most of the day).
If you want to go the boulder route then you keep left each time you see a possible path when heading along the creek, these lefts will be slightly uphill (some of them are a little rough) and you’ll arrive at the boulders just above the pool at the 1km mark.
If you want to go to the beach at the 950m mark you need to head right and follow the trail leading towards the creek at its narrowest point.
From here, there are a couple of large rocks (grippy when dry) to climb over and some low hanging branches which can be a bit scratchy, but it’s easy enough and allows access to the pool without negotiating any slippery rocks.
Swimming at Crayfish Pool
Crayfish Pool is a real delight, it’s largely rock free through the middle with deep water that makes it perfect for swimming. It’s much cooler than nearby Jellybean Pool and Blue Pool which is great in summer, but makes a winter dip more of a psyche yourself up affair.
The setting is idyllic, it’s a true fairytale like scene with the gentle cascade, crystal clear green water and picturesque rock walls.
If you enter the water from the small beach it’s quite shallow for a number of steps before it becomes deep enough to swim off. If entering via the overhang you’ll need to climb down the boulders, which when dry are grippy, however, the initial rocks inside the water are slippery and require care.
In times of normal flow there’s next to no current inside the water, so it’s a really relaxing place to swim and the cliff walls mean there’s always at least a little shade in the pool. There’s also a small cave which you can climb up into using the rope beside it - although I personally haven’t done this.
People also jump from the cliff wall by the rope, but do depth check it first and note there are some large rocks around the edge of that side of the pool.
Literally the only downside to Crayfish Pool is that once you’ve walked back up the hill you’re ready for another swim - though you could always pop along to Jellybean Pool for that!
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 national park, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Note that there are no facilities near Crayfish Pool, please use the bathrooms at the national park entry gate.
The road to Grey Hat Falls and Crayfish Pool & where to park
Access to the trailhead for Crayfish Pool is via the Oaks Fire Trail. The last 9km of the road is unsealed. The vast majority of this (at time of writing) is well graded and suitable for any car. There are some tiny sections of ruts and bumps. If you have a really fancy car with low clearance you may scratch the underside. We have taken a small car happily down this road before, but I know not everyone is comfortable taking 2WD cars on dirt tracks.
You do have to pass over a causeway early on in the drive (whilst the road is still sealed), usually it is dry or has very low water levels. Occasionally the water gets higher and the National Park Service will close the road. If you’re planning a visit after heavy rain do check their website first just in case.
There is no car park as such for the trail, but you can park at these coordinates: -33.7828475, 150.5773905. There isn’t a whole lot of room so it may get full on warm weekends in the school holidays. You don’t want to block the fire trail, so if you are visiting in peak periods you might want to come early or late. Though it’s by no means a well known destination, it is more popular than it used to be, so timing is something to bear in mind.
Due to it’s location deeper into the park, it is a bit further from Glenbrook than you might expect - 13km and a 30 minute drive. It’s 75km (1.5 hours) from Sydney CBD and 55km from Katoomba (1 hour). Though you can walk from Glenbrook train station to places like Jellybean Pool, Crayfish Pool is too far into the park so a car is required.
The park entrance fee
To access Crayfish Pool you’ll need to pay the $8 park entrance fee. If you have an NSW parks pass it is free. There are pay machines at the first car park, which you normally have to use as the pay booth is usually unmanned.
If you don’t have a pass and are looking to really maximise your entry fee, you can visit Jellybean Pool or Glenbrook Gorge on the same day, as you will drive right past the trailheads for these pools on the way to Crayfish Pool.
Crayfish Pool opening times
From the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April the park gates are open between 8.30am and 7pm. During the rest of the year the park gates are open between 8.30am and 6pm.
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