The Best Canyons in the Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains has hundreds of canyons, which ones to choose?

I have selected the best of the best canyons for various skill levels. I hope this list will help those visiting the Blue Mountains to choose the best canyon for their adventure.

Please note: Canyoning requires specialised skills and for those with no experience a guided tour is recommended. Being led by an expert guide is a fun and safe introduction to the world of canyoning.

THE BEST BEGINNER CANYON

EMPRESS CANYON

Without much competition Empress Canyon at Wentworth Falls easily takes the crown of the best beginner and all round canyon.

Empress is an impressive formation, lined with lush rainforest, the walk down is a great showcase of the Blue Mountain’s geological formations. With slides and jumps and an adrenalin-pumping waterfall abseil finale; Empress is hard to beat for an action-packed trip so close to civilization.

There are technically easier canyons, canyons without abseiling, but they are longer in duration and in more remote areas. Empress with its shorter length and central location makes it accessible for the beginner and experienced canyoner alike. Despite its designation as a “beginner canyon” the jumps and somewhat difficult undercut final abseil offers fun and challenge for the visiting canyoner. Many of the jumps are repeatable and for the experienced canyoner there is a very steep near-vertical slide right near the bottom of the abseil if you look closely.

Car to car Empress Canyon is a leisurely 1.5hrs for an experienced canyoning group and 3hrs for a beginner trip.

Abseiling down Empress Falls

BEST INTERMEDIATE CANYON

BUTTERBOX CANYON

Butterbox is a challenging canyon. It has many more abseils than Empress canyon, with a spicy section of true multi-pitch abseiling (that is descending straight from one anchor to another) The second anchor is fixed in the canyon wall, it is accessed by standing on a boulder wedged in between the canyon walls, with a waterfall pumping underneath. Butterbox also has a plethora of jumps and swims.

The final challenge is a famous (or infamous) section of rock climbing at the end. Whilst not “too difficult” in terms of grade when the leader is encumbered with a heavy pack, wet canyon boots and ascending polished rock, it is more difficult than the grade suggests. It can be aid climbed but for a beginner group and trip leader having to lead, belay and managing a small party, the combination of challenges might be beyond their capability. The suitability of the trip needs to be considered and reckoned by the group.

It is more technical than most other canyons of a similar length, with lots of jumps, abseils and the exposed climb makes Butterbox a smorgasbord board of adventurous delights.

Car to car Butterbox Canyon takes an experienced group approximately 6-8 hours and a beginner group 8-10 hours.

Butterbox Canyon, descending down the chock stone

Intermediate Honorable Mention:

North Bowens aka: Gobsmaker. North Bowens is a mini Claustral canyon.

If the technical aspects of Butterbox seem a bit daunting North Bowens is a fantastic choice and a stunning canyoning in its own right. Located in Mt Wilson’s dense rainforest, North Bowens has a more remote feel than Butterbox. There are less abseils and there is a unique pitch where you abseil though a hole in the sandstone down a small waterfall. There is a fun high repeatable jump at the end of the canyon after a jaunt through a sustained dark canyon constriction. There is a steep walk out. It is similar in physical effort to Butterbox, whilst being less technically difficult.

Car to car North Bowens takes an experienced group approximately 6-8 hours and a beginner group 8-10 hours.

BEST ADVANCED CANYON

CLAUSTRAL CANYON

Claustral Canyon is the standout Blue Mountains canyon. It is not the most technically difficult but in terms of beauty, features, and as an exemplar of what makes the Blue Mountains unique, Claustral takes the prize.

It is popular, so I recommend you get there early to beat any potential larger groups. Once you have cleared the dry sclerophyll forest you descend through thick dimly lit rain forest. A scramble down a mini canyon brings you to the changing area and after a short section of canyon you come to the first of the many highlights — The Black Holes of Calcutta. Three abseils in rapid subsection, down mini waterfalls in the semi dark as the canyon roof folds in on itself. After this section you emerge into the Green Room with the Hulks Fist.

Other highlight includes a trip up Thunder Creek for glowworms, various scrambles through mini waterfalls and cascades. It is long, green, sustained. The steep exit walk has you scramble up another mini canyon before summitting Camels Hump and descending back to the changing area to complete the loop.

Car to car Claustral Canyon takes an experienced group 6-8 hours and a beginner group 8-10 hours.

Claustral Canyon, one of the many spectacular, unnamed sections

BEST TECHNICAL CANYON

KANANGRA MAIN and KANANGRA CANYONS

Most Kanangra canyons are a serious undertaking. Repeat visitors might tell you it’s “pretty easy” or that the aptly named “Manslaughter Ridge”, “isn’t too bad”. But for the initiate who might have progressed from bushwalking, then through the standard beginner to intermediate Blue Mountains canyons, Kanangra canyons are an order of magnitude greater in both difficulty and objective risk.

For comparison Claustral has 4 mandatory abseils, Kanangra Main has 11. Of this multiple pitches are 60 meters in length, meaning you need a minimum of 120 meters of rope to complete the canyon, 180m (3x60m proper ropes) to meet the minimum safety margin and potentially an additional 60 “emergency” rope or pull cord for 240m of various cordage. In short you need long ropes. You also need the knowledge on how to rig them as well as how to communicate over the noise of windswept cliff faces and thunderous waterfalls. The canyons are notoriously slippery, with sharp ledges and abseils in tight aquatic constrictions with the potential for water hazard.

Kanaga exit walks are extremely steep, with scree-like debris, unconsolidated dirt, loose rocks, razor sharp grass, spikey shrubs, vague tracks and a constant vertical scramble until the very top. Kanangra days are long, with lots of equipment to be carried, to return to the car by nightfall a party must be able to move efficient throughout every stage of the day.

With these challenges in mind, for the right person sublime rewards await. The sheer drops, the sequence of vistas, the roar of the falls, and sense of completing one huge section only to unveil the next, is unmatched.

Car to car is Kanangra Main might take 8-10 hours for an experienced group and 10-12hr+ for a beginner group. Always plan on more time than you expect, especially if it is your first time!

Kanangra Main, one of the best pitches.

BEST CANYON WITHOUT ABSEILS

TWISTER & ROCKY CREEK

Twister and Rocky Creek (or as I prefer “Sheep Dip and Rocky Creek”) is a “horizontal canyon” - is has no abseils (a shorthand line is recommended to carry to help some with some scrambles). It is two separate canyons joined together by a short 30ish minute walk. The first canyon, the “Sheep Dip” is pure fun. The second section, “Rocky Creek” is famous for its verdant mood and feel.

Sheep Dip has several small jumps in a row, hence the name (each of which need to be depth checked). It also has several short slides. It is fairly slippery throughout so keep vigilant on your feet! At the end of this section is a short bushwalk to the bottom of the gorge.

Following the creek from Sheep Dip is Rocky Creek, a standout section of canyon in the Blue Mountains, famous for its light beams. It is best described as an aquatic scramble, with down climbing through small constrictions, short swims, wading and a lush rainforest “beach”. The simplest way back is to simply reverse the canyon whenever it feels right to do so or where Rocky Creek terminates at the next creek junction.

Rocky Creek, like any canyon, is not without risks. The most bizarre phone call I have ever received was from a Spanish tourist who was looking for some friends who had not returned from the canyon. They were not convinced the police were doing everything in their power to find their friends (the police definitely were).They told me they were sending more friends to look for them, that information I promptly passed onto the police …. Guides have assisted various people who have become hypothermic without adequate canyoning wetsuits, just hoping they could rush through the canyon. There have been many rescues for lower limb injuries from small jumps gone awry. Many people have been deceived into thinking that without rope does means without risk.

It is fantastic day accessible day especially those with a fear of heights or wanting a gentle welcoming introduction into canyoning.

Car to Car Sheep Dip Rocky Creek takes an experienced group 4 leisurely hours and a beginner group approximately 6.

BEST WINTER CANYON/DRY CANYON

COINSLOT CANYON

The Blue Mountains wet canyon season has it’s traditional start on the October long weekend (or in September for the very keen). The seasons lasts approximately until the April long weekend/reverse daylight savings. This long season has long daylight hours and warm conditions. However, canyoning does not fully stop in the colder months. There are a handful of “dry canyons” (no wetsuit required, avoidable water). Among these Coinslot Canyon is by far the best.

It’s a magnificent formation in a stunning location, the Capertee Valley. It is just shy of a 90 min drive from the upper Blue Mountains. It is no greater travel than other comparable winter canyons such as Tigersnake and it’s quality is much higher than Juggler canyon.

The approach to Coinslot canyon is a worthwhile trip in it’s own right. With enjoyable scrambling up a seemingly impenetrable cliff face. As there is some exposure scrambling and you need a good sense of route-finding to work your way through the doglegged amble up. Impressive views abound from various lookouts at the top.

Once summited you descend back through the “Coinslot” — a constricted, vertical descent with multiple long abseils through stunning dark constrictions, which brings you almost right back to where you first begun scrambling up.

The Blue Mountains is in actuality not a mountain range but rather an uplifted plateau - this means that most canyons involve descending to the start the day and ascending back on the exit walk. However Coinslot is a unique style of canyoning for the Blue Mountains. Namely that you ascend first and descend on the return.

Car to car Coinslot can take an experienced group 3 hours or beginner group 6-8 (highly contingent on the route finding and pace!)

Coinslot Canyon, descending down the slot

Conclusion

The Blue Mountains has a range of stunning canyons, for all skill levels that make for unforgettable adventures. Ultimately there are many, many more canyons worth exploring, but for the visitor wanting a cross section of what canyons make the Blue Mountains or for someone trying to book the best trip for maximum value and I hope this might help refine your pick.

And of course, Roam Adventures offers small group tours and private tours of all of the above canyons!