Deep in Lucy's Glen lies a hidden canyon waterfall that tumbles over a series of ledges, making for a spectacular sight after rain. Though the other four waterfalls that lie along the Empire Pass Track are right on the trail and easy to find, the waterfall at Lucy’s Glen is not. Though that does give it some extra allure, the trade off is that the short off track route to reach the falls is rough and requires care.
Your reward is one of the Blue Mountains more secret waterfalls that you’ll very likely get to yourself.
Here’s how to find Lucy’s Glen.
A quick note on conditions at Lucy’s Glen
Before we get started I wanted to mention the current conditions at the falls as it may differ from other photos you’ve seen in the past. Unfortunately a large tree has fallen across the waterfall pool which does somewhat obscure the best view of the falls. This is probably more disappointing when it comes to photography (none of our photos show the waterfall in full), but it does also affect the viewing experience as well.
If you stand in the little pool you can view the falls without the log, but you’re very close up and it’s not as nice as sitting on the rock slabs, which would have had an uninterrupted view before the tree came down. I say this not to put anyone off visiting what is still a very pretty spot, but so you’re not disappointed when you get there!
It’s also worth noting you need to visit Lucy’s Glen after some decent rainfall or the falls won’t be running or will reduce to a mere trickle. We visited a couple of days after some very heavy rain and the flow was still quite light.
If the waterfalls at the start of the walk look meagre, I would save this trail for another day. Having said that, I wouldn’t recommend walking directly after very heavy rain which leaves the track more prone to slips and tree fall.
The walk to Lucy’s Glen
The stats
Distance: 6.1km via the Empire Pass Circuit (5.5km is the Empire Pass loop, 600m return is the detour to Lucy’s Glen)
Elevation gain: 250m
Difficulty: Moderate - hard
Summary: There are a few different routes you can take to Lucy’s Glen. We are describing the most scenic route, not the shortest option. Having previously walked the Empire Pass Circuit we initially decided to visit the glen via a quicker route.
This begins at Hughes Avenue in North Lawson and follows the Federica Falls Track, however, it’s overgrown and waterlogged. After following it for a while we chose to backtrack and walk the normal circuit route and that’s definitely what we’d recommend.
Following some track upgrades the Empire Pass is in excellent condition and the walk is now pretty easy (albeit with a decent number of stairs). There are some steepish climbs at points, but also flat track inbetween. The off track portion of the walk is quite different. There is no maintained trail at all and you’ll need to climb up boulders and navigate a short section of hillside with some loose soil. It’s only 300m each way, but requires care and may take longer than you think.
You need to visit Lucy’s Glen after decent rainfall or the falls won’t be running. However, I wouldn’t recommend visiting directly after heavy rain when the route will be more slippery and there’s a chance of unstable ground and trees.
St Michaels Falls
Starting the trail: along the North Lawson Waterfall Walk
I’m not going to go into as much detail as I normally would on this first part of the walk, as we already have a full guide to the Empire Pass Circuit, which we’ve updated since the track upgrades.
Essentially, you’ll start the walk at North Lawson Park car park and follow the Dantes Glen Track. If you’ve not walked the circuit before definitely divert to see Fairy Falls, which is just a couple of hundred metres into the trail.
You’ll then descend on a series of stones steps to Dantes Glen (around 650m from the car park), a beautiful waterfall surrounded by tall fern covered cliff walls that keep it largely shady even on a sunny day.
From here follow the path along the creek to St Michaels Falls which is 150m away. It’s another tiny diversion from the direct route to Lucy’s Glen, but a gorgeous spot that’s very much worth taking some time to enjoy.
Along Empire Pass to the turn off for Lucy’s Glen
After visiting St Michaels Falls you’ll head onto the Empire Pass Track. As mentioned, it’s currently in excellent condition. There are some ups and downs but also flat track. The narrow path above the creek is stunning, as is the whole rainforest environment.
With high cliff walls, cascades and dense foliage, it’s lush and beautiful, especially after rain when the whole forest is dripping.
There are some new handrails in place along the narrow sections of track and all debris has been removed (I am sure it will be replaced over time though!).
You’ll cross the creek on some big boulders (easy and little footholds have been carved into the rock) and come to a metal handrail 600m later.
Just beyond the end of this handrail and before another set of stone steps is the turn off for Lucy’s Glen - you definitely won’t notice it if you aren’t looking carefully, so keep a close eye out.
Finding the track to Lucy’s Glen
Before we get started on the path we used, it’s worth noting that 100m beyond the metal railing is a second route into Lucy’s Glen. We tried this one first. It looks much more official, as there’s an old stone staircase leading down to the creek.
The stairs are in decent enough shape, but a little overgrown and have a thick covering of leaf litter. After 50m you’ll see a bench seat that’s a little worse for wear and covered in moss. We tried to find a way to the falls downstream of this spot.
However, we met a lot of debris and couldn’t find a route. It’s possible you can do it from here, but we didn’t like the look of it and backtracked to try and find another way. That’s when we noticed the route we ended up using - that we think is easier than the more ‘official’ looking track.
Getting to Lucy’s Glen - off track
To get to Lucy’s Glen, you need to find the smaller creek that feeds into the main creek you’ve been following on the trail so far. Once you have got to the creek, you’ll need to clamber upstream to Lucy’s Glen. Our GPS said that the co-ordinates for Lucy’s Glen were -33.7032525, 150.4359996, but use this as a guide only, as Lucy’s Glen is in a very enclosed area and the co-ordinates may not be exact.
To get to the creek you’ll need to find the little overgrown path between the railing and the stone steps (co-ordinates: -33.7039265, 150.4338929).
When I first saw it I dismissed it as too steep and potentially slippery. However, on second glance we saw it wasn’t actually that steep and could be walked with care.
It’s a narrow path, but only the initial few steps were steep (ish), after this it was gradual and descended to the creek in just 20m.
The path is then flat, but a bit rocky in places. After another 30m you’ll come to a few mossy stone steps and these lead to a creek crossing (50m from the Empire Pass Track).
There are huge mossy boulders to use to cross the creek with dry feet, just go carefully as they could be slippery.
From here you have a short 15m traverse on the opposite side of the creek. It’s uneven and rough, but ok when taken slowly. You’ll then reach the first boulder climb.
From here you’ll need to stick to the right (south-east) side of the creek as much as possible. You may need to deviate to the middle on the first boulder climb, but you will want to head to the right as soon as it is safe to do so.
The boulders last for 35m and on the way up were easy to climb. I didn’t actually find them slippery and there weren’t any tricky moves required - I did find them a bit slippery on the way down though, so take care in both directions.
From here you have a 100m stretch on a dirt ‘track’ along an embankment on the right side (south-east) of the creek. Please be extra careful here because footing is often loose, any semblance of a path is narrow and there is plenty of debris.
I think in the past this bit was likely pretty easy, but an abundance of fallen trees, including one large patch of many trees, make this more challenging now.
You have to go higher up the embankment to avoid the mass of debris and this is not ideal on somewhat loose terrain - this is why I would not walk this track directly after rain when soil is more likely to slip, as are trees.
Follow the slightly beaten path from the boulders under several trees until you see the mass of debris ahead (60m in).
Then climb carefully up the embankment in front of the rocky outcrop to avoid the debris. You then have 40m of slightly better path before you hit the second set of boulders.
These boulders last for 20m. I would say a couple of these were a touch more slippery than the first set, but it’s still quite easy on the way up - though on the way back I sat and lowered myself down most of them - as I always worry about slipping when descending.
The final few steps involve climbing over a log jam in the boulders. This was stable for us, but please check carefully before putting any weight on the logs incase things have changed.
You’ll then hit normal solid ground and see the overhang!
Lucy’s Glen Waterfall
You’ll arrive at a large overhang and see the bottom of the falls. As the waterfall is tucked away in what almost feels like a canyon, you can’t see the whole falls from the overhang.
The best viewing is from the rock slabs to the left of the falls. You need to climb over another log jam and up onto the slab.
This offers a superb view of the whole falls, with all its many levels. Or it did pre tree fall anyway. Now, as mentioned, you do have a big old log directly across the view.
Such a shame as it does obscure the falls, though it’s undeniably still a beauty.
It’s not a powerful waterfall, but each level has a pretty cascade and water drips from all the surrounding overhangs, which makes you feel fully immersed in it all.
When you stop focussing on the log and really take in the falls, it’s incredibly picturesque and does have that fairytale-like quality that secluded canyon style waterfalls often have. It really is a lovely spot.
I did also head into the little pool to see it from below and whilst it does give you an unobstructed view, it’s probably not quite as good as the one from the rocks - though absolutely worth doing if you don’t mind what’s likely to be knee deep water.
Just watch out for the yabbies, of which there were plenty!
When you’re ready to head back to the Empire Pass, go carefully as it’s always a little more challenging to go downhill (in my opinion!).
Completing the circuit
Though the most scenic part of the walk is behind you, we’d still recommend doing the circuit rather than backtracking, so you can also visit Frederica Falls. You’ll have some stairs heading uphill before the path flattens.
There are many new rock slabs in place to use as stepping stones, so you no longer have to walk on muddy waterlogged track. Frederica Falls is about 1km away and it’s another pretty spot. From here the track is not very exciting as it’s mainly fire trail.
It’s a mix of flat track and some quite steep sections before the final descent to the park. The conditions underfoot are all good though and it would be easier than returning via the waterfalls, as you’ll have more ups and downs in that direction.
Getting to the Empire Pass Track
The walk begins at the North Lawson Park, where there is a decent size car park, which is free. It’s roughly 90km and 1.5 hours from Sydney and 15km and a 20 minute drive from Katoomba.
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