Whilst there is a much quicker route to reach the Glow Worm Tunnel, if you’re looking for the most beautiful route, then make sure you do the Wolgan Valley Circuit. This gorgeous walk is blissfully quiet as most people opt for the shorter track. You’ll likely have the the whole trail to yourself and can enjoy the forest in total peace and serenity.
As well as the beautiful forest, you’ll also pass many stone pagodas, enjoy spectacular Wolgan Valley views and walk through a canyon filled with tree ferns. It’s a fabulous way to arrive at the magical Glow Worm Tunnel, and gives you a proper taste of what this area has to offer.
Here’s exactly what to expect on the trail.
The Wolgan Valley Circuit
The stats
Distance: 9.6km
Elevation: 275m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Where to start the circuit
There are actually two car parks you can use which cover almost exactly the same route. One is from the Glow Worm Tunnel Car Park and one is from Wolgan Road. Having done both walks, it really is almost identical but for a very short stretch at the beginning. Both are great but I prefer the route from the Glow Worm Tunnel Car Park, which is where we started for this guide.
The only other thing to note is that using the Wolgan Road car park you have to cross a small ford, depending on water levels you might have to remove your boots - no biggie but I know some people would prefer to avoid this.
Starting the trail at the Glow Worm Tunnel Car Park
You’ll begin on the same track that takes you directly to the tunnel. It’s a wide and flat path, with pretty bushland on both sides. After a short stroll (750m) you’ll arrive at a small bridge where you’ll then climb up a staircase jammed inbetween the cliffs.
It’s a favourite spot for lyrebirds so you might even be serenaded along the way.
Just 150m beyond the bridge, and just before you reach the tunnel, you’ll come to a junction.
We’d recommend heading right, so that you end the walk with the Glow Worm Tunnel - there really is no better end to a track than a tunnel that’s lit with the lights of over a thousand glow worms!
Along the Pagoda Track
The next part of the trail is pretty much the only notable uphill section of the whole walk. For 150m you’ll climb fairly steeply up through the pagoda lined bush.
The trail is a little narrow and it might have the odd web (the only part of the walk that did) so you might want to grab a stick. Unlike many trails we’ve been hiking lately, there weren’t any after this stretch so don’t let it put you off.
The scenery is really pretty and the uphill section is over quickly. The path is a little rocky in places, but generally in great condition and you don’t need to worry about footing.
At the 1.9km mark you’ll reach a junction and head left, it’s a really well signposted and easy to follow trail.
The track soon widens and you’re walking through some really pretty forest, with only the sound of the birds to accompany you.
After some gentle undulations, the majority of the next stretch is flat or downhill and it’s incredibly peaceful and relaxing. You’ll soon have high cliff walls on either side of you, as well as masses and masses of ferns, it’s incredibly atmospheric.
After just over 3.8km you’ll leave the forest and begin walking downhill with a high cliff wall to your left and your first views of Wolgan Valley to your right.
It’s a rockfall area so you can’t really stop to admire the views, but you get many more along the next section of track, so it’s not an issue.
After 600m heading downhill you’ll reach another junction. You’ll turn left, at which point you are just over 3km from the tunnel.
For the next 750m you’ll wander along a flat, well maintained dirt track, with yet more views of Wolgan Valley to the right.
The view is slightly obscured by the trees, as it is for the majority of the way, but it’s still gorgeous.
After this point the trail becomes a tiny bit rougher, with a few rocky sections and patches of erosion, it’s by no means difficult, but it’s not as smooth sailing as the rest of the track.
It’s a much narrower path and feels like a proper hiking trail as opposed to fire trail.
The forest keeps you nicely shaded and the valley views are fabulous. After so much recent rain, the valley looked almost illuminous green.
At one point you can see Wolgan Valley Resort in the distance. The views of the surrounding mountains from there must be extraordinary.
After a couple of kilometres you can hear the sound of running water. If it’s been raining a lot there will be lots of little waterfalls along the way, before you reach the creek, which has several small cascades.
Entering the cool oasis
You’ll noticeably feel the temperature drop and you’ll round the corner to enter an incredible patch of rainforest.
It’s so completely unexpected and totally different to the dry forest up to this point. You have canyon walls on either side of you and the creek running through the middle.
My absolute favourite thing about it was the sheer number of tree ferns! They were everywhere. It’s basically a tree fern wonderland.
It’s so picturesque and the most incredible part of the whole trail (not including the tunnel of course!). I didn’t want this section to end!
Even with high water levels, it was still easy to cross the creek any time you needed to, either on the rocks or along the banks.
All too soon you’ll cross over a small bridge and see the entrance to the Glow Worm Tunnel, which is in itself surrounded by ferns and looks incredibly wild.
If you’re hiking on a weekend in the middle of the day, this is probably where you’ll suddenly meet the crowds. We’d recommend hiking early or later in the day if you want to get the most out of this surreal experience.
Entering the Glow Worm Tunnel
The Glow Worm Tunnel is magical. There are thousands and thousands of glow worms, and as soon as you move away from the end of tunnel, it’s so dark that you can see them perfectly clearly.
You’ll want to turn your torch off to allow your eyes to adjust for at least five minutes to truly appreciate the spectacle.
The tunnel is 400m long and rocky and wet underfoot. Depending on rainfall there may be some fairly deep puddles to watch out for. You can shine your torch at the ground as you move through the tunnel, but keep stopping to turn your light out or you really won’t see a fraction of what’s there.
Unfortunately not everyone visits this tunnel responsibly, please look after the glow worms. Do not shine light directly on them, to move through the tunnel shine the light at the ground and then turn it off to stand and watch - or sit on one of the logs which was my favourite spot!
The glow worms don’t like light and will stop glowing. Please don’t touch them or make loud noise either, let’s make sure this wonderful experience can be enjoyed by generations to come.
We have a lot more tips for making the most of the Glow Worm Tunnel in this post.
Once you’ve gone through the tunnel you’ll be virtually back at the junction where you first turned onto the Pagoda Track. It’s then just a short walk back to the car park, having completed one of the most incredible walks in all the Blue Mountains.
Getting to the Wolgan Valley Circuit Car Park
We’d recommend heading to the Lithgow Glow Worm Tunnel Walking Track car park and starting the trail from there. You’ll still have to drive 30km of unsealed road, but it’s in pretty good condition. There are some potholes and ruts, but it’s not too bad and it doesn’t seem to suffer from the terrible flooding that other roads off Glow Worm Tunnel Road do.
At time of writing you do not need any kind of high clearance, but take it slow to avoid as many of the potholes as possible.
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