From rainforest to desert. From mangrove swamp to alpine meadow. From coral reef to coastal heaths to mountains of eucalypt forests. Few other places in the world have the diversity of landscapes that New South Wales offers.
There are over two hundred national parks and reserves across the state, covering nearly five million hectares of land. Of these, more than twenty two national parks and over a million hectares of protected land lie within a hundred and fifty kilometres of Sydney itself, making the city a mecca for bushwalking. If you look on a map, a belt of green surrounds Sydney on all sides. Further afield, the coast of NSW and adjacent ranges are dotted with national parks and nature reserves. All this combines to make NSW a fantastic state for walking.
Bushwalking NSW provides practical information on bushwalking in NSW - national parks, track notes, walk reports, sketch maps, book reviews and links, just to name a few.
Bushwalking News
Wentworth Pass, Roberts Pass and National Pass closed
Due to landslips, the National Pass, and Wentworth/Roberts Passes are closed. See the NPWS Park Alerts page, under Blue Mountains National Park, for more information and updates.
Access to Newnes
Public road access to Newnes and the Wolgan Valley is closed, which affects the Newnes to Rocky Creek walk. Normal road access is not expected to be restored for several years. It is possible to arrange escorted 4WD/AWD access via a private road if you are camping at the Newnes Hotel. The Pipeline Track can be walked to Newnes, but needs to be started from the Glen Davis side.
Mt Solitary and Ruined Castle
Due to landslips, the Ruined Castle, and Mt Solitary walks are closed. See the NPWS Park Alerts page, under Blue Mountains National Park, for more information and updates.
Regrowth post fires
Post the major fires of 2019-20, and the rain of the past three seasons, many routes are overgrown with bush regrowth. This particularly affects areas of the Wild Dogs and Kanangra-Boyd NP. Routes may take significantly longer than the times indicated, and you may in fact need to turn back if the scrub gets too tough to push through.
Grose Valley routes
Some of the routes into the Grose Valley are closed following damage from fires and floods. This affects the Govetts Leap and the Horse Track and Blue Gum Forest via Evans Lookout and Perrys Lookdown walks. See the NPWS Park Alerts page, under Blue Mountains National Park, for more information and updates.
Hornsby Rifle Range - Great North Walk track changes
The section of the Great North Walk between Fishponds and Galston Gorge that crosses the Hornsby Rifle Range is now closed. The alternate route that detours via Manor Rd, Rosamund St and Clarinda St is now the main route. This affects the Hornsby to Mt Kuring-gai walk. See the NPWS Park Alerts page, under Berowra Valley National Park, for more information and updates.