Explore the Blue Mountains (Spring-Summer)
1-1.5hr drive west from đź“Ť Sydney
We acknowledge the traditional owners. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of the lands where we work, and travel through. We pay respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging.
Regional Explorer Reccos 🥾 Michelle Bates
Favourite coffee spot? BLOODY GOOD GEAR if you’re into your coffee! Cassiopeia Specialty Coffee in Katoomba (79 Lurline St, Katoomba NSW 2780 Google Map)
Favourite grab and go food? Black Cockatoo Bakery in Lawson - load up for the day, great options to grab later for lunch too - and to take home for the week
Favourite places for lunch? Woodfired pizza down at the bottom of the mountain in Glenbrook at 2773 is a winner. We don’t book, you can generally get a table, or not a long wait (Google Map)
Favourite activities? Easy hike or trail run, and lots of coffee
Favourite time of year there and why? I love the Blue Mountains in the winter, it is so special and I love the cold. I also love getting out deep into the trails and I am less nervy about snakes when it is winter. In saying that, I love the mountains so much and crave mountain time all year round. This guide is my go-to for getting out into nature in spring-summer without being too stressed about our pals out sunbaking.
How can people best support the region? Leave no trace when visiting, and spend what you can to support local business.
About Mish Maree
Mish Maree (she/her) is the Founder and Editor of Regional Explorer. She has worked in media for the last 15+ years and has thrown it all in to explore more of our country. She loves trail running and fire cooking. Mish is available for freelance travel writing. For enquiries, reach out to michelle@for-outsiders.com
Itinerary recommendation
Day trip (full day)
This one is great for solo or with others. Our approach in spring-summer for our nature and mountains fix, whilst stretching our legs is to take in multiple look outs that don’t require a big hike, and one shortish (5km return) mostly fire trail (wide clearing where you can see ahead) walk that has some decent hills in it to get the heart rate up and feel like you have had a good walk or run (if you are into that).
Leave Sydney by 8am so you arrive by 9.30am-ish
A quick stop in to load up with donut(s) or croissant(s) at Lawson’s Black Cockatoo Bakery (trust us, SO GOOD), this is also a great toilet pit-stop for a not scary and well maintained public toilet across the road from the bakery. Grab some sourdough and other goodies to take back home. They have a great selection for grab and go lunch for later too that doesn’t need to be kept cool.
PRE-HIKE COFFEE STOP: Cassiopeia Specialty Coffee in Katoomba (79 Lurline St, Katoomba NSW 2780 Google Map) to caffeinate if you feel to.
Head to LOOKOUT 1 - Cahill’s Look-out for your first mountain air and breathtaking views for the day - Great spot to eat your bakery treats (if you havn’t already) and fuel up for your mini-hike.
Mini-HIKE - 4km-ish out and back hike or trail run - Narrowneck Plateu. Park at Narrowneck Look Out (Google Map).
Make sure you take water.
There are no toilets.
There are a very short trail stairs (trail head photo in images above) that are well maintained from the carpark down to the fire trail where the rest of this walk is on open fire trail (where you can see things coming, nothing is actually coming FYI).
This spot has loads of hikers, bikes, and trail runners that use this area to access loads of different trail heads. So my personal theory is if you go after 9 or around 10, it is still early enough in the day to not be raging hot, but plenty of people have been out on the trails already and the sound of everyone stomping the trails is likely to have moved anything further into the bush.
I like to just take it easy, and keep my eyes out. I have done this exact walk a handful of times now, with people, and on my own - and I am the biggest scaredy cat there is of danger noodles.
I feel good out on this hike, even in summer. Safety first though, it is recommended to go with someone else in case anything happens. There are lots of people around on this hike though.
I only go 2kms out from the car park, until I reach the top of the plateau where I start heading into where the trees are above you. There is a info hut here, and a gate you need to climb over if you are heading further. I don’t. I tap out here and head back. This 4kms has enough hills for me to feel like I have had a good workout afterwards. I normally like much longer, but in Summer - this is my limit for where I feel safe and not too far away, on open areas where you have a decent clearing around you most of the time.
When you finish off the trail stairs, and get onto the fire road part, take a mental note of where that point is, because on your way back it is easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it.
POST HIKE: If you are still keen for some more mountain time head to Leura where we like to park at LOOKOUT 2 - Olympic Look-out (Google Map), and stroll into Cafe Leura (Google Map) , grab a coffee or a drink, then stroll back to the lookout before leaving the mountains.
LATE LUNCH or EARLY DINNER OPTION - if you have it in you after this day, stop off at 2773 in Glenbrook at the base of the mountains for wood fired pizza (if it is a busy traffic day, this can be a good spot to let the traffic ease up) (Google Map)
Top picks for accommodation
Our top rated Airbnbs : COMING SOON
Quick links for while you are there ⚡️
Regional Explorer loves 🫶
Coffee and breakfast | Cassiopeia Specialty Coffee in Katoomba (79 Lurline St, Katoomba NSW 2780 Google Map)
Grab and go lunch | Lawson’s Black Cockatoo Bakery
Food | Cafe Leura
Bakery | Lawson’s Black Cockatoo Bakery
Dinner spots | Woodfired pizza at the base of the mountain if you aren’t staying the night in the mountains 2773 in Glenbrook (Google Map), otherwise Leura Garage is great for dinner