Walking the Six Foot Track: A Beginner's Overnight Hiking Guide

Introduction

The Six Foot Track is one of the classic multi-day walks of New South Wales, following a historic route through the Blue Mountains that was built in 1884 as a bridle and foot track to allow tourists to travel from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves without the expense of a horse-drawn coach journey. The track covers approximately 45 kilometres and most walkers complete it over three days, though fit and experienced hikers have been known to run the distance in a single day in the annual Six Foot Track Marathon.

For those seeking their first overnight walking experience in NSW, the Six Foot Track is an excellent choice. It is a genuine backcountry route with no road access for most of its length, giving walkers a real sense of wilderness immersion. Yet it is also a well-maintained and well-marked track with established camping areas at logical intervals, and the presence of other walkers on most weekends provides a degree of reassurance for the less experienced.

The landscape along the track is extraordinarily varied — open ridges with sweeping valley views, descent through dense blue gum forest, the banks of the Cox's River in a deep gorge, and the final approach to Jenolan Caves through spectacular limestone country. Each section has its own character and beauty, making the three days feel like a journey through several completely different landscapes.

Day One: Katoomba to Megalong Valley

The walk begins at the Explorer's Tree near Katoomba, where a sign marks the historic starting point of the original track. The first section descends steeply through the Blue Mountains National Park via the Nellies Glen track — a series of steps and steep switchbacks that drops nearly 300 metres from the plateau into the deep valley of the Megalong Creek. This descent is the most challenging section of the first day and takes most walkers about 90 minutes.

Once in the valley bottom, the track crosses Megalong Creek and passes through the beautiful Megalong Valley farmlands. This pastoral section offers a stark and welcome contrast to the dense bush above, with open green fields, old farm buildings, and the occasional mob of kangaroos grazing in the paddocks. The walking here is easy and pleasant, and the sense of being deep in a hidden valley, surrounded by towering escarpment walls on all sides, is quietly magnificent.

The campsite at Bowtells Crossing, where the track crosses the Cox's River, is the standard overnight stop for day one walkers. The site has a toilet and fireplace and sits in a beautiful riverside location. Setting up camp beside the Cox's River in the early evening, cooking dinner as the light fades from the valley walls, and falling asleep to the sound of the river is one of the great overnight walking experiences in NSW.

Day Two: Cox's River to Black Range

Day two begins with a ford of the Cox's River — typically knee-deep and fast-flowing in winter and spring, shallower in summer and autumn. The crossing requires care and removing your boots is advisable regardless of flow levels to keep your feet dry for the long day ahead. After the ford, the track begins a sustained climb onto the Black Range, rising about 700 metres over several kilometres of steady uphill walking.

The climb through the blue gum and stringybark forest of the Black Range is demanding but beautiful. The forest here is tall and open, with excellent bird life including yellow-tailed black cockatoos, various parrot species, and the possibility of lyrebird sightings in the creek gullies. The gradient eases as the track reaches the ridge and follows it south, with occasional views opening up over the Cox's River gorge to the northeast.

The Black Range campsite sits at about 1,100 metres elevation on the range. In winter this can be genuinely cold, with temperatures dropping well below zero overnight. Summer nights are comfortable but the exposed campsite can be affected by afternoon thunderstorms that build over the ranges during the warmer months. The views from the campsite in the evening and early morning, with the mist filling the valleys far below, are spectacular compensation for the effort of getting there.

Day Three: Black Range to Jenolan Caves

The final day of the Six Foot Track is the most varied and arguably the most dramatic. The track descends from the Black Range through increasingly limestone-influenced country, with the vegetation changing noticeably as the underlying geology shifts from sandstone to limestone. Native vegetation gives way to areas of introduced grassland and scrub around the old Caves Farm before the track enters the limestone gorge country approaching Jenolan.

The approach to Jenolan Caves along the track gives a perspective on this extraordinary landscape that road visitors never experience. Walking into the Grand Arch — the immense natural tunnel through which the Jenolan River flows — on foot, arriving under your own power after three days in the bush, is a genuinely moving experience. The transition from wilderness to the Victorian-era tourist infrastructure of the Jenolan Caves complex is jarring in the best possible way.

Jenolan Caves offers guided tours of more than a dozen cave systems, ranging from easy flat-floor tours to active adventure caving experiences. The cave tours take several hours and should be booked in advance, particularly on weekends. The Caves House hotel, built in the 1880s, serves food and accommodation to visitors including three-day track walkers who want to clean up and celebrate the completion of their walk before the shuttle bus back to Katoomba.

Essential Gear and Preparation

The Six Foot Track is a genuine backcountry route and requires appropriate preparation and equipment. A quality backpack of 50 to 65 litres capacity, well-fitted hiking boots with ankle support, and a sleeping bag rated to at least 5 degrees Celsius (and significantly colder for winter visits) are the non-negotiable items of equipment.

Water is available from the Cox's River and from creeks along the route, but must be treated before drinking. A water filter or purification tablets are essential — do not rely on finding pre-filtered water sources. Food for three days of active walking should be calorie-dense and lightweight; dehydrated meals, nuts, dried fruit, and energy bars are the staples of the experienced track walker.

A detailed topographic map of the track and a compass or GPS device are important even on a well-marked route like the Six Foot Track, where occasional storm damage or detours can create confusion. The Six Foot Track Marathon Committee publishes an excellent track notes document that is freely available online and is the most useful planning resource available for walkers. Register your intended route with a responsible person who can alert authorities if you do not return on schedule.

Logistics and Transport

The Six Foot Track is a one-way route from Katoomba to Jenolan, requiring either a car shuffle or organised transport. The most convenient option is the shuttle bus service that operates from Jenolan Caves back to Katoomba on most weekends during the walking season. Booking the shuttle in advance is essential as spaces fill quickly.

Trains from Sydney to Katoomba run regularly throughout the day on the Blue Mountains line, making a car-free Six Foot Track adventure entirely feasible. The walk begins within a short distance of Katoomba Station, and the shuttle bus deposit at Jenolan is connected by bus to Lithgow, which has train services back to Sydney. This public transport approach is both practical and environmentally sensible.

The walking season for the Six Foot Track is generally May through October, when the weather is cooler and the fire risk is lower. Summer visits are possible but the heat can be intense in the Cox's River valley and the exposed ridges. Winter visits require cold weather gear and awareness of the possibility of ice on exposed sections of track at elevation. The track is closed during periods of Total Fire Ban in summer.

Conclusion

The Six Foot Track is a genuinely classic NSW walk that delivers an experience of the Blue Mountains backcountry that is completely inaccessible to those who stick to the day walks and lookouts. Three days of walking through some of the most beautiful and varied landscape in NSW, arriving at one of Australia's great natural wonders under your own power — this is the kind of experience that creates lifelong walkers.

For the aspiring overnight hiker, the Six Foot Track is an ideal first multi-day walk. It is challenging enough to feel like a genuine achievement but well-maintained and well-marked enough to be manageable for the appropriately prepared first-timer. The support infrastructure of campsites, well-placed water sources, and the shuttle service makes the logistics straightforward.

Prepare carefully, pack light, start early each day, and take the time to appreciate the extraordinary country you are walking through. The Six Foot Track will show you the Blue Mountains in a way that no day walk or lookout can match.