Leura Cascades is one of the most popular waterfalls in the Blue Mountains for good reason. The genteel cascades are gorgeous and reached via a very easy walking trail.
If you want to make the trail more adventurous you can descend deeper into the rainforest, right to the base of Bridal Veil Falls, which is an incredible sight from below.
Here’s everything you need to know to plan the perfect trip to Leura Cascades, one of our favourite places to visit in Leura.
Current access to Leura Cascades
Currently the car park for the cascades is closed so access requires walking a little further, which we’ll detail at the bottom of the post.
Don’t be put off though, now is the best time to visit with crowds put off by the restricted access.
Visiting Leura Cascades
The Upper Cascades
Before you head onto the main cascades it’s well worth visiting the upper cascades, which are a one minute walk from the car park.
It’s a pretty little waterfall surrounded by lots of dense ferns, you can look from behind the railing, or walk down into the little pool at the base.
The main Leura Cascades walk
The stats
Distance: 1.1km return to the end of the cascades walk, or 2km return to Weeping Rock
Difficulty: Easy
The walk begins from the picnic area and follows a concrete path for 50m until you reach the first couple of cascades. It’s a lovely view and a great start to the walk.
From here the walk descends at a fairly gentle gradient (mostly on stairs) as you follow the creek. It’s very serene with several series of cascades and plenty of greenery which keeps the track shady.
A few of the steps can become a bit waterlogged, but nothing major, and after rain is definitely the best time to visit the cascades.
After a 380m descent, you’ll reach the main viewpoint at the cascades, which sits in a picturesque overhang. It’s a beautiful view, especially with the tall cliff walls which give it a more dramatic feel.
Following heavy flooding there is now a fair bit of debris sitting in the pool at the base of the cascades, which isn’t quite so photogenic, but it’s very much still a wonderful spot.
If your primary interest is in the cascades you can turn back and retrace your steps at this point, which makes the return walk just 760m.
However, we’d highly recommend continuing on to the first two lookouts, which combined only add on an additional 120m (each way).
To the lookouts
The walk continues over a little bridge and onto the first lookout which is just 30m away. Although you can hear Bridal Veil Falls you won’t see it from here, instead you are treated to an incredible valley view.
Continue up the staircases for 90m and you’ll come to a great view of Bridal Veil Falls from above. Unless the waterfall is in flood, it tends to flow in little ribbons over the unusual shaped rock which is very striking.
There’s a second valley view just beyond this and then you’ll reach a junction at the 550m mark.
Normally you would be able to make a loop back to the Leura Cascades picnic area, but at the moment it’s closed due to a landslide.
When it does re-open the path takes you up several paved staircases before heading right along a narrow bush track which hugs the cliff edge. It comes out of the bush again close to the first cascade.
For now you have to retrace your steps along the same trail to get back to the picnic area.
Descending to the base of Bridal Veil Falls
The next part of the walk is much steeper, but it’s only 350m and an absolutely stunning section of track.
The rainforest gets much denser and a series of overhangs create a dark mysterious vibe even in the middle of the day. It’s cool, damp and utterly spectacular.
Two of the metal staircases are very steep, but there are good sturdy handrails so it’s not difficult to descend. The rest of the track is a mix of stairs and sloped track which are all in excellent condition.
It’s not long before you emerge from the forest onto the base of Bridal Veil Falls. Even though there usually isn’t a huge amount of water here, the sheer steepness and height of the rock make it really impressive.
It’s not fenced off so you can walk across the base and get some great views - just watch out for any of the wet mossy patches which can be slippery.
If you head just a few minutes further down the trail you will come to my favourite spot!
Onto Weeping Rock
Just a couple of minutes beyond the base of Bridal Veil Falls lies the atmospheric Weeping Rock. The falls are small but very special and the setting is wonderful, with huge mossy boulders and tree ferns.
There’s even a rock with footholds cut into it so you can climb to the top and get an uninterrupted view of the falls. It’s just seconds off the main track, but feels lovely and secluded.
To reach it you head down the staircase from the base of Bridal Veil Falls, along the Amphitheatre Track and then just before (or after) you cross the little metal bridge you can walk down a few uneven rocky steps to Weeping Rock.
Whilst you get a great view of it from the track, it’s better from just off the main path and it’s the kind of spot that’s well worth spending a little time at, allowing you to really take in the setting.
The total walk from the Leura Cascades picnic area to Weeping Rock is just 1km, so it makes for a short but very worthwhile trip.
It’s mainly uphill on the way back, but there are little flat sections at points and it doesn’t take long.
If you’d like to go further still you can actually head all the way to the base of Leura Falls, which is another magnificent waterfall, we detail the route here.
Getting to Leura Cascades
Leura Cascades are located just a few minutes drive from the village of Leura and there’s a large parking area at the picnic site where the walking track begins.
However, this has been closed since February 2020 due to a landslide on Cliff Drive. The toilets are also closed, but pedestrians may still use the area.
We parked our car at Jersey Avenue and walked for 500m to reach the picnic area. The walk first descends a few staircases before it flattens and then comes out at Cliff Drive. It’s a pretty easy detour.
We think this is currently the easiest access point, but there’s not much room to park which doesn’t block the fire trail, so if there isn’t any space then you can consult this map for alternative entry points.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
The full Leura Cascades walk is 1.1km long (return) and should take about 15 - 20 minutes at a leisurely pace. You can either extend this walk all the way to the bottom of Bridal Veil falls, or make it shorter by turning around at the overhang along the cascades.
-
The parking area at Leura Cascades is currently closed because of the ongoing work on Cliff Drive. This road was badly damaged during the floods in 2020.
However, Leura Cascades Picnic Area and walk are open, you just have to walk from Jersey Avenue nearby.
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.
