The Three Views Walk is one of Kangaroo Valley’s most popular trails. Whilst the walk itself is mainly on fire trail and not the most exciting, it leads to some of the best views in the area. It’s an easy stroll that makes for a relaxing way to explore this corner of Morton National Park.
If you are looking for a shorter walk, you can choose just one or two of the lookouts, and if you’re keen for a bit of an adventure you can head for the fourth un-signposted view. It’s a bit of a bush bash, but the reward is a gorgeous mountain vista which you’re almost guaranteed to get to yourself.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Three Views Walk, one of the best things to do in Kangaroo Valley.
Three Views Walking Track
The stats
Distance: 9.5km (11.5km with the fourth viewpoint)
Elevation: 141m
Difficulty: Easy
The great thing about the Three Views Walk is that it is easy, the sort of walk yo can happily chat all the way on without ever losing your breath!
If we had stuck to the three lookouts, we would have finished the walk in about two hours. But because we made the detour along the rougher track, it took us 2 hours 45 in total.
To Viewpoint one: Lake Yarrunga Lookout
The walk begins on a wide fire trail which is almost entirely flat. It’s a leisurely - if slightly mundane - start. It would be much more beautiful in the spring when wildflowers will pepper the sides of the trail.
After 600m you come to a junction. You can continue straight for the Lake Yarrunga and Tallowa Dam Lookouts, or left to head to the Shoalhaven River Lookout (and the hidden fourth viewpoint).
If you’re planning to do the whole trail then we’d recommend heading to Lake Yarrunga Lookout first, which is just 1km beyond the junction.
It’s flat and easy all the way to the end of the fire trail when you then have a couple of minutes walk over a rocky track. The path leads you to a good, but slightly obscured view of the lake.
If you backtrack a few paces you will see a little path branching off to the right. This takes you on to a fully exposed rock platform (pictured above) which offers uninterrupted views and is a nice spot to sit and relax.
To Viewpoint two: Tallowa Dam Lookout
To reach the next lookout you head back along the trail for 600m before you reach the junction with the Tallowa Dam Lookout. The walk continues along fire trail for 900m before you reach the viewpoint.
As with the first one it’s pretty much completely flat until just before the lookout. You then have to walk over a few rocks to reach the huge vista over the dam. To get a clearer view you’ll need to climb down a few rocks, but it’s not difficult.
You might spot tiny little canoes in the distance which makes the view feel even bigger. The surrounding mountains are also beautiful.
To Viewpoint three: Shoalhaven River Lookout
The longest stretch of walking without a view comes next. You’ll need to walk 1.3km back to the very first junction on the trail, and then take the 2km path to the Shoalhaven River Lookout.
As with the others, it’s a flat easy path and a bit more scenic because you can see the mountains in the distance. It’s mainly smooth sailing until the last couple of hundred metres when the trail gets a little rocky - but still flat!
You will arrive at a great view of the Shoalhaven River. Following the devastating bushfires of 2020, the once dense green mountains are now a little bald (although there are plenty of green shoots) but even so, it’s a fantastic view.
To reach an even better one which has no foliage blocking any part of it, head down the little foot path to the left (away from the cliff edge). It takes just a few minutes to follow it through the bush and out on to the rocky outcrop you can see from the first viewpoint.
This uninterrupted view is probably the best on the whole walk and it makes for a lovely picnic spot - provided it’s not too windy like it was on our most recent visit!
To Viewpoint four: the Hidden Lookout
The ‘trail’ to the fourth viewpoint is very different to the manicured paths up to this point. This one is not maintained by national parks and not signposted. It’s also quite overgrown and requires care to avoid getting scratched on some of the charred remains of the bushfires - I would definitely not wear shorts for this one!
If that hasn’t put you off, here’s how to find it!
From the Shoalhaven River Lookout, retrace your steps back down the main path for approximately 650m. You’ll see a large cairn on your right.
This marks the start of the trail. I imagine it was easier to follow prior to the bushfires, as lots of new growth has sprung up covering some of the path. You head into the bush and will pick up a series of pink and green ribbons almost immediately.
They are very regular for most of the way, you can almost always see the next marker ahead of you. We lost them once, but when we backtracked to the last ribbon, we saw the next one that we’d missed first time round.
Despite the prolific ribbons it can still be a little difficult to follow, as well as scratchy and rough the further you go.
After 800m cairns begin replacing the ribbons. A couple of hundred metres beyond the cairn you’ll see a rock arch which forms a natural window.
We followed the cairns 200m beyond where you can see the arch, to a large rocky platform which offered great views. This was exactly 1.1km from the turnoff from the main trail.
You could continue further, but we really liked the view from there and to be honest had had enough of the scratchy bush!
As with the rest of the viewpoints at the moment, I did miss all the the gorgeous trees lining the mountains, but it is still a really beautiful spot.
You can see layer upon layer of mountains and it feels both wild and peaceful. The lack of signage and more difficult path makes it feel like you’ve found your own little secret viewpoint which feels completely untouched.
When you’re ready to leave make sure you follow the cairns and ribbons closely as it would be easy to venture off the trail and get lost.
Completing the trail
Once you’ve walked the 1.1 km back to the main path, you have 1.9km to go before you reach the car park again. It’s an easy stroll back, especially if you’ve come from the fourth lookout!
If you haven’t visited the hidden view, it’s 2.6km from the Shoalhaven River Lookout to the car park.
Getting to the Three Views Walk
The Three Views Walk is located 20km and roughly a 15 minute drive from Kangaroo Valley.
The car park is located opposite the trailhead and is free, with no national parks pass required.
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.
