If you love wild and secluded beaches, look no further than Resolute Beach. With calm emerald coloured water, huge Jurassic Park-esque rocks and golden sand fringed by dense forest, it feels like you’ve suddenly arrived in the jungle. It’s one of the most incredible beaches in Sydney, and best of all, it is almost always quiet.
Add in the fact that the hiking trail to get there is also one of the best in Ku-ring-gai, and you have the makings for a perfect day trip. We’ll tell you what to expect from the walk, the must see spots along the trail, as well as two other glorious beaches nearby.
Here’s why Resolute Beach and the Resolute Track have to be on your Sydney bucket list!
A complete guide to Resolute Beach
Why it’s one of our favourite beaches in Sydney
Your first glimpse of Resolute Beach will be from the walking track high above it and on a sunny day the beach looks positively tropical. But having been several times on wet, gloomy days we can also tell you that this beach looks sensational in any weather.
The water might not glow emerald when it’s overcast, but a moody, cloudy day is possibly even more atmospheric. It feels wild and untouched and for us that’s just as magical as a sunny day.
A hidden oasis
If it weren’t for the fact you can see Palm Beach in the distance I could honestly believe I’d been transported to a deserted island! It always amazes us what you can find just a stone’s throw from Sydney city centre.
It’s not a huge beach, but there’s plenty of space if you find yourself visiting on a day when there are other people there (we’ve been many times and never shared this beach with more than one other couple, but I guess you never know!).
The perfect spot to swim
As well as how stunning the whole area is, one of the best things about Resolute Beach is that the water is incredibly calm. If you’re not a huge fan of the wavy beaches around the Eastern Suburbs, you’re going to love the mill pond here.
Jump in the water and turn around to face the beach and all you can see is the golden sand backed by dense forest, complete with hanging vines, it’s a truly beautiful sight and you’ll feel transported a million miles away from the city.
Getting there involves an adventure
Unless you have your own boat, you’ll need to work a little to get to Resolute Beach. To us, this is another reason we love this beach, and the effort needed to reach Resolute Beach also puts quite a few people off!
The quickest route to walk to the beach is roughly 2.6km (return) and - though it’s predominantly downhill on the way - that obviously means you have to climb back up afterwards!
However, rather than just walking straight to the beach, we’d recommend stopping to see some sights along the way. You can check out the stunning West Head Lookout, the Aboriginal art at Red Hands Cave and Resolute Beach’s neighbour, West Head Beach, which is another beauty.
Here’s what to expect from the track, which is one of the best in Ku-ring-gai.
Resolute Track
The stats
Distance: 5.2km (plus 1.4km return if you also want to visit Mackerel Beach)
Elevation: 295m (including visiting West Head and Mackerel Beach)
Difficulty: Moderate
Type of trail: Loop
Start of trail: Resolute Picnic Area
Starting the trail to Red Hands Cave
The trail begins by heading down a staircase from the Resolute Picnic Area for roughly 200m before you’ll reach the turn off for Red Hands Cave. The cave is just a couple of minutes detour and well worth a look.
It’s actually quite a large overhang, but unfortunately a lot of the hand prints have weathered away over time and whilst you can see where some used to be, there is only one which is crystal clear.
Still, even that one hand print is impressive and if you’re lucky you might spot more than we managed to!
Continuing on to West Head Lookout
The trail continues downhill on a series of staircases for another 500m or so - a debt you’ll have to repay on the way back up!
You’ll then have a very short undulating section before arriving at one of the best lookouts in the whole of Ku-ring-gai.
The views from the West Head Lookout are stunning, with the headland and Palm Beach Lighthouse directly opposite.
There are always lots of white sail boats which look tiny from up here and it’s a picture perfect view.
Don’t forget to look up to the sky as we have regularly seen Sea Eagles from West Head.
West Head Lookout
Sea Eagle
Time to hit the beach
From West Head Lookout you’ll continue heading downhill, you’ll soon see a side track which takes you to a rocky overlook with another great view of the Pittwater Basin.
It’s only a minute’s diversion and then you’ll be back on the main trail and continuing downhill towards West Head Beach.
There is the odd rocky section but the majority of the trail to the West Head Beach turnoff is on well formed staircases. You’re surrounded by forest and it’s a really pretty section of track.
1.8km into the walk and you’ll arrive at the turn off. It is quite a steep walk down so you could skip this beach and head straight on to Resolute Beach. However, if you don’t mind the climb, then we’d definitely recommend heading down.
It’s a slightly smaller and rockier beach than Resolute, but it has the same wild jungly vibe and we love it. It also tends to get skipped by people on the track when they see how many stairs they will have to climb back up, which is all the more reason to go for it!
West Head Beach has calm water but it’s not as good for swimming as Resolute as there are a lot more rocks,. This is one we tend to paddle at or sit on one of the giant rocks and soak up the laid back vibe.
The climb back up is on well formed steps, although some are a bit narrow. It’s steep but it’s also over quickly, as the walk up is only a couple of hundred metres.
On to Resolute Beach
Back on the main path up from West Head Beach and the track winds its way around the headland with a steep drop off to your left.
It’s not so narrow as to feel precarious, but it probably wouldn’t be a favourite with vertigo sufferers. The majority of the dirt track is fairly flat, although there are some rocks and tree roots so you have to watch your step a bit.
The view through the trees is fantastic.
After around 500m you’ll come to the turnoff for Resolute Beach on your left. There is a normal set of stairs to follow, so make sure you don’t go down the unmaintained trail that looks like it heads to the beach - this heads to the side of the dried up river you cross.
You’ll walk alongside a dried up waterfall (unless there has been a huge amount of rain) and continue downhill to Resolute Beach. It’s not as far down as to West Head and the view as you are heading down is magic.
Once there it will be hard to drag yourself away and it’s a perfect spot for swimming, relaxing or having a picnic.
An adventurous detour if you have the energy - Mackerel Beach
After finishing at Resolute Beach head back up the way you came to the top of the stairs and then you have a decision to make.
You can head up the next staircase directly in front of you to begin the loop back to the car park, or take a left on to Mackerel Beach, a much bigger, but still pretty wild feeling beach.
From the junction, Mackerel Beach is 700m further along the narrow trail. The beach is stunning, and we’d recommend heading there if you still have the energy.
Having recently seen this beach for the first time, we know we’ll be back. Surprisingly there is accommodation there, which would make a perfect Sydney weekend escape.
A small community of 40 residents live at the beach, but it still feels very much a part of nature and the national park and is in no way built up.
It’s a beach you can get to using the Palm Beach ferry, so it could be busy on a weekend. However, it was very quiet when we saw it on a weekday.
The trail to Mackerel Beach
A little heads up that the track to get there is much rougher than the one to Resolute Beach. I counted at least six fallen trees across the trail, some bits are quite overgrown and there is one little scramble - it’s an easy one though because they have put footholds into the rock.
I wouldn’t like to walk this part in wet weather, because it is fairly narrow and I could see the rocky sections getting slippery.
The trail undulates until just before the beach, when you head downhill and requires some rock hopping.
Currently the North Mackerel Trail is closed so you can’t loop back, you have to retrace your steps to the Resolute Beach turnoff.
Finishing the loop
From the turnoff with Resolute Beach you head up the staircases - yes sadly it’s staircases plural - until you hit the fire trail.
It’s a fairly steep climb - similar to the one up from West Head Beach - but it felt harder to me because by this point I was more tired, having had to run back from Mackerel Beach when we realised we’d lost track of time and the park gates were going to close!
Once you’ve reached the top of the stairs you’ll reach a fire trail. Take a right turn to head back towards Resolute Picnic Area.
The fire trail begins by heading uphill on rocky terrain, which is quite unpleasant to walk on, but it soon flattens and the path becomes less rocky and turns into compacted sand, which is much easier to walk on.
After the rocky section it’s quite pretty, narrower than most fire trails, and surrounded on both sides by dense vegetation.
We met a friendly turkey here who followed us for almost a kilometre! I have the sneaking suspicion that he might have been fed before…
After just over a kilometre on the fire trail you’ll come to an Aboriginal engraving site on your right.
We hit this spot just before sunset and we really couldn’t make any of the engravings out, but hopefully you could, in better light.
After the engravings it is more flat trail until you reach the picnic area and car park again.
The verdict
This is easily one of our favourite trails in Ku-ring-gai and in fact all of Sydney, it’s got a bit of everything from gorgeous bushland, to some history and of course three magnificent beaches. The best of which, Resolute Beach, being one of our favourites in the whole of Sydney!
Essential information about Resolute Beach and the Resolute Track
Car Parking for Resolute Beach
The best car park to use is the one at Resolute Picnic Area, as there is plenty of space here, as well as toilets, picnic benches and even a BBQ.
If it is full (highly unlikely) you could use the car park at West Head Lookout. Unfortunately there is no public transport to this area.
Ku-ring-gai National Park entrance fee
The entry fee for vehicles is $12. If you’re planning to visit several times or several parks in NSW it might be worth buying the annual pass instead.
That’s $65 for all parks except Kosciuszko.
Packing suggestions for the Ku-ring-gai
Having the right gear can make a huge difference. 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 them 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 out on Amazon.
Reusable water bottle: To avoid single-use plastic. Check them out on Amazon
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.
Like it? Pin it!
Follow us on Social Media
Are you planning a trip to Ku-ring-gai? Is Resolute Beach one of your favourites in Sydney? Let us know in the comments below!
