Terrace Falls Loop
Terrace Falls Loop
Tucked away in the mid-mountains, creeks wind down hills through rocky gullies. From pools of crystal clear water that sparkle in the sun to cascades over tiered rock shelves, each turn of the track shows you something better than the last. This is the Terrace Falls loop.
Quick Details
Total Length: 4.3km
Elevation: 200m
Grade: Easy to Moderate
Best season: After rain
Suitable for kids: Yes
Starting the Trail
It’s 9.30am and the day is already stinking hot — hopefully it will be cooler down by the creek. There’s been a fair bit of rain over the last week or so in the Blue Mountains, so it’s a great time to hike a waterfall track. After parking the car in whatever shade we could find, we skirted around the gate and headed off on the Terrace Falls fire trail.
We decided to get the exposed section done early and avoid climbing it later when the day was hotter. So it was a long march down the fire trail to the entrance closest to Pyramid Falls. Basically, we hiked the loop clockwise.
As we found our turnoff and entered the forest on a well-worn track, we could already hear the first waterfall of the day — always a good sign. The fire trail continues back to another road, which you could also start from. There might be better parking on that end — we’re not sure.
The trail gradually heads down past boulders and big trees that thankfully provide shade from the heat. It’s noticeably cooler already. It’s a bit rocky in places, but nothing too difficult. It’s a really old track, and you can feel that in the way it moves through the bush.
The forest slowly starts to change the further down the hill we get. There’s this great spot where two massive gum trees stand opposite each other on either side of the track — like a gateway. We can really hear running water now, so we head down to catch our first waterfall of the day.
Pyramid Falls
There’s a small track that branches to the left of the main track which brings you to the base of the waterfall. A very large boulder sits right in front of the falls so you kind of have to see the falls from either side of it.
The pool at the base is small and shallow, but perfect for cooling off a little before continuing on. Because of the big boulder you’re tucked away slightly, so it’s also just a great place to sit in the shade for a few minutes.
Back to the Trail
The trail continues downhill for a few hundred metres. It’s still a little rocky here and there. We had the track mostly to ourselves, so the only noise was boots on stone and the creek that we’d occasionally catch sight of on our left.
We’re always surprised by tracks around this part of the Blue Mountains for how incredibly beautiful they are. South Lawson Waterfall Loop, North Lawson Park, and Terrace Falls, even though their tracks were first built over a century ago, they’ve somehow avoided becoming over-developed. They still feel like bush tracks.
Bedford Pool
As we got closer to the bottom of the hill and looked through the trees, we could see a pool by the creek. It looked so picturesque with its white sand bank surrounded by ferns and rocks. We hurried down the hill, whipped off our boots and waded straight into Bedford Pool.
The creek would need to be pretty high to really have a proper swim in the water — ironically, if it flooded to be deep enough for that it also wouldn’t be safe to swim in… However, it was a nice place to cool off at the depth it was — easy too, because any water that was in the shade was freezing cold despite the air temp hitting close to 35 degrees.
Sufficiently refreshed, we headed back to the trail, following Bedford Creek upstream. It wasn’t long before we turned off again, crossing the creek and making our way over to Willawong Pool — which kinda sounds like an aristocratic billabong…
We didn’t have high hopes that it would be much, but if we kept on the main track we’d have to start climbing uphill again and we weren’t ready to do that. The trail wanders past the base of a stone wall that’s eroded with intricate detail and grass plants were hanging down from above — which we don’t see very often.
Willawong Pool
We thought Bedford Pool was nice — Willawong had us saying, Bedford who? Crystal clear water, bright colourful stones, and the sound of water tumbling over the rocks upstream — just leave us here for the rest of the day, we won’t mind.
Water actually cascades into the pool from two spots — as this is where Lawson Creek meets Bedford Creek. I wandered over to Lawson Creek while Jess took photos. Moss-covered boulders, dark green trees, and sunlight filtering through the canopy. Honestly, we almost abandoned the rest of the hike right there and then to explore upstream — it looked that good.
Little Terrace Falls
We were really only about halfway through the trail at this point, so we needed to keep moving. We headed back to the trail and started the uphill climb to our next waterfall — Little Terrace Falls.
Water cascades gently over flat rock shelves into the pool below. You can walk almost right under the water on one side, and there you can see it’s eroded small pools into the rock.
We ended up staying here for a while — Jess was busy taking photos from every angle imaginable, while I was busy emptying my bag in search of a muesli bar. We hadn't planned on being out here for long, so we hadn't packed any lunch.
Like all the other pools we’d encountered so far on this trail the water isn’t really deep enough for a swim. But just sitting on a rock with your feet in the water was enough.
Terrace Falls
The trail continues up the hill and crosses the creek a couple of times. It’s a really great trail to take your time on, and we found ourselves stopping often just to appreciate our surroundings.
It wasn’t long before we came to the waterfall this trail is named after — Terrace Falls. A short, sharp side track to the left brought us down to the flat rock base. A water dragon was out sunning itself nearby — we love these guys. They always look so proud of themselves with their noses in the air when they sit still, but look so goofy when they run.
Water spills down over wide shelves. There isn't really a pool at this one — well there is, but it's only really ankle deep. It’s also insanely slippery. Even in our hiking boots we were struggling not to fall over.
From the base it’s hard to see, but the tiered rock shelves continue quite a way upstream. You don’t really notice that until you’re back on the main track though. It’s just a really pretty waterfall and it’s obvious where it gets its name.
Victor Falls
By this point it was starting to get late in the afternoon. We’d originally thought this was going to be a quick morning hike, but it ended up taking most of the day. Even though we could have rushed through in a couple of hours, it was worth the extra time. Each stop along the trail had been better than the last, so we had high hopes for our last waterfall of the trail — Victor Falls.
A twin waterfall to end the day. One fall tucked into shadow, soft and narrow. The other stepped forward into the sunlight, fuller and louder — the same water, just wearing the light differently. It would be great to see it with more water running through, although it might combine into one large waterfall when that happens.
I suppose we’ll have to find that out on another hike and a different story. For now, our bellies were grumbling and it was time to call it a day and head back to the car.
Getting There
The Terrace Falls loop can be found in Hazelbrook on the south side of the Great Western Highway. We started from the end of Terrace Falls Road, but you can also begin from Valley Road/Heron Place. Parking is limited where we started, so the Valley Road entrance may be easier.
Tips and Tricks
The best time to visit is after rain to see the waterfalls with a good flow. However, too much rain, and the creek may not be crossable.
The ground at Terrace Falls is really slippery, so be careful.
As this trail sits outside of the National Park, dogs are allowed on this one.