Mount Banks offers the chance to stand on the summit of one of the Blue Mountains peaks without having to work up too much of a sweat. Whilst the views are slightly obscured at the top, the views on the way up are absolutely beautiful and you’ll likely have them all to yourself, as this is one of the lesser known trails in the area.

Looking back over the forests and mountains is a dramatic sight, and if you’re lucky, you’ll do so whilst being serenaded by one of the resident lyrebirds.

Here’s everything you need to know about the walk up to the Mount Banks summit, one of our favourite things to do in Bilpin.

Mount Banks Summit Walk

The stats

Distance: 2.5km return or 5.2km circuit
Elevation: 200m
Difficulty: Moderate
Type of trail: Return or circuit

We recommend allowing 1 - 2 hours for the Mount Banks Summit walk. The shorter, steeper trail only requires an hour in total, but if you plan on doing the fire trail, then you’ll need a little more time.

The trail isn’t hard, but it has some sections which are steep and a little slippery.

To circuit or not to circuit?

The Mount Banks Track can either be walked as a return or as a circuit. If you do the walk as a return you will use the steeper bush track both ways. If you want to do a circuit, you will use the road (which is not open to vehicles) one way. The road is shallower than the bush track.

Given we always prefer seeing something new we went with the circuit option, going up the steeper route and descending on the shallower one.

Having done it this way, it is one of the few walks where I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. You don’t really get any views whatsoever on the road walk, which was disappointing.

When you’re heading up the steeper track you are looking onwards towards the hill you’re climbing and the spectacular views are all behind you.

If you then take the road, you have not actually spent that much time taking in all the beautiful surrounds.

The trail up Mount Banks in the Blue Mountains

Next time, I would go up and down the steep track. The only reason to use the road is if you don’t like the idea of a steep descent. Most of it is on stairs, but there is one section which could be a bit slippery on the descent.

The good thing is you can assess the track on the way up and see how you feel about coming down it.

The climb begins

We began on the steeper bush track and you pretty much start heading uphill straight away. The path is generally well formed and much of it is on wooden stairs which makes footing easy.

It’s fairly steep from the off, but by no means one of those trails that you feel in your legs straight away.

Hiking to the top of Mount Banks in the Blue Mountains

The views to either side of you and behind you are absolutely beautiful from the very beginning. To be honest the views from the car park were great and it only gets better as you get higher and can take in more of the scene.

Keep looking behind you, especially if you plan to use the road to descend, as the best views are definitely looking back.

Ahead you can see the whole trail you’ll take snaking up the ‘mountain’ (it’s more of a hill) from very early on and you feel like you’re making great progress with every step, as it’s really not very far to the top.

Onto the summit

The trail continues to climb, and the stairs give way to dirt track as you come towards the forest. Incidentally before you hit the protection of the forest it can get really windy around Mount Banks.

Even if it isn’t windy at the car park, it can be seriously gusty as you head up the trail.

There is one stretch of dirt track just before the forest where the ground is a little loose and it’s the steepest part of the trail. Heading uphill was fine, but downhill on that short section would be pretty slippery I think, poles would be good if you’re a little unsteady on your feet.

Once you get into the forest it’s nice and shady and the worst of the wind is also kept at bay. It’s now a really short walk to the summit of just 300m.

You’ll pass a sign for the circuit trail to your left and you head straight on to reach the trig. There’s no view from here, just a sea of trees and some very active lyrebirds.

If you continue just past the trig, to the left there is a little side trail, which goes for a couple of minutes where there is an opening in the trees. You get a lovely mountain view framed by trees on either side.

After enjoying that for a while we headed to sit and relax on the trig and marvel as the fact no one else was on the track at all!

Completing the circuit

If you want to take the road down, you’ll head back the way you came, to the junction, 120m from the trig. You’ll then head right, on a very narrow path through the forest.

For the first 400m it’s pretty overgrown. Unfortunately there are lots of stinging nettles growing right beside the path and often you can’t avoid them.

I’d definitely recommend wearing trousers - although a few still got me through mine!

It’s not long before you leave the forest and nettles behind and head out on to the road, which is a wide fire trail. It’s quite rocky for a while which meant it wasn’t as comfortable to walk on, but it also wasn’t steep.

Soon the rocks give way to a smooth path and it’s fairly flat, with the odd undulation until you reach the car park.

The path is lined with trees either side, some of which are quite burnt out. It’s not an unpleasant track but I definitely missed the views of the steeper bush track. Although there was a stunning Waratah at the end of the trail which made for a lovely finish.

The walk down took us 50 minutes, which is 20 longer than the way up. If you’re short on time you’d definitely be better doing the steeper track both ways.

Essential information about the Mount Banks walk

Getting to the trailhead

The Mount Banks Track is in a different part of the Blue Mountains to the more famous walks around Katoomba and Blackheath. It’s actually closest to Bilpin and Mount Wilson.

From Sydney it is 115km and roughly a 1 hour 45 minute drive. From Katoomba it’s 40km and a 40 minute drive.

The last part of the road to the trail head is a dirt road, but it’s very well maintained and suitable for any vehicle.

Parking for the trail

Parking is free and there’s a decent amount of space, and as mentioned we didn’t see another soul on this walk so I can’t imagine there’s ever trouble parking!

Packing suggestions for Mount Banks

Having the right gear can make a huge difference, especially in the Blue Mountains. The Mount Wilson area can be very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter, so you want to pack the right equipment.

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

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