We plan to take the train to Katoomba, then use either Explorer Bus or the Mountain Link Trolley to get to most places. However, we'd like to walk a bit in the scenic overlook areas. Thus, my questions: 1)Is it an easy walk from the Three Sisters, past Echo Point, to Scenic World? How long would it take and is it a scenic walk? 2) What is the "Cliff Top Road", i.e. start & ending point and number of miles? Is it worth it to walk some or all of it? 3) How long a walk is it from the Mall(Main Street?)in Leura to Everglades Garden in Leura? I'm trying to map out my day in Katoomba/Leura to maximize my time. I realize now that I should have planned an overnite in the Blue Mountains, but that will have to wait for another visit. Thanks for any help you folks can give me.

1) It is about a 2-hour walk from Echo Point, down the Giants Staircase, past the Three Sisters, then across the valley to the base of the Scenic Railway (and Scenisender)
2) I haven't heard of the Cliff Top Road. Where is it?
3) The walk from Leura Mall to the entrance to Everglades Garden is just a few blocks, 1km at the most.

Here is a good list of Blue Mtns Bushwalks:
http://www.bluemts.com.au/tourist/thingsToDo/bushwalks

ALF: Thanks for the great information. How difficult is that 2 hour walk....is it an "easy" or "moderate" hike? Do I need hiking boots or are sneakers(trainers) satisfactory? Also, can I walk between 3 sisters and scenic world along the highway? How long would that take and is it scenic? I might walk between 3 sisters and scenic world both ways ( in the valley and along the highway), in order to make use of the Trolley or Explorer Bus to continue the sightseeing in the area.

Hi, Marthaq!
Just one variation on the excellent advice given by Alf: the Giant Stairway which goes down past the 3 Sisters to the valley floor, is currently closed due to a major rock fall. It will possibly be weeks or even months before it is considered safe for walkers again. There are, however, alternate ways of getting down to the bottom of the valley; there's another stair right near the entrance to the scenic railway, so you could always walk down that and then catch the rail back up.
You won't need hiking boots for any of these trails, they are not difficult at all. Occasionally you will find steep sections of stairs, almost like ladders, so a dress is not recommended. But grandparents and four-year-olds do these walks regularly.
Walking along the cliff top from Echo Point to the Scenic Railway is also quite easy, and would take you between 20 and 30 minutes. It's well-signposted, and you can just about see your destination from Echo Point, so you won't get lost.
If you want a longer walk, but a particularly nice one, you could always get off the train at Wentworth Falls and catch a taxi down Falls Road to the entrance to the walk there.... it will take you down to the valley floor and you can walk right around to Katoomba and the Scenic Railway that way. Allow half a day if you decide on that route.
Whichever way you decide to go, for your own sake do a weather check in Sydney before you leave. If its dull or cloudy in Sydney, it is probably misty and foggy west of Lawson, and you might (as many people who are taken by bus tours have found) go all the way up there and not be able to see or do a thing! If the weather starts to turn grim as the train heads west, there are alternative walks at various intermediate points, such as Hazelbrook and Lawson... the station attendants there would be happy to direct you. Often it will be fine in Lawson but raining unpleasantly a few kilometres further west.
Lastly, remember that when you're on the valley floor, it gets cold and sunless quite early.... shortly after 4 p.m. at some times of year. Don't leave your climb up until twilight, or you may complete it in the dark!

Alan...you're so helpful! This is great information, and I will print it out and take with me. What a beautiful part of the world you live in. Thanks for sharing it with all of us on Fodors.

Dear Alan, From the enthusiastic posts about the Blue Mtns., we thought to do an over night during our stay in Sydney (April 13-17 or 18th ). We want to see the Jenolan Caves and walk down from Katoomba to the valley floor. I'm concerned about your caution to wait for a good day weatherwise as it will mean checking in and out of Sydney hotel finding something in the Blue Mtns and then spending at least one night back in Sydney ( as we have an early AM flight to Hobart our next destination). Any ideas as to how to juggle all this. I also assume part of this time is Easter vacs!

Thanks, AndrewDavid

Hi, AndrewDavid!
Well, the thing in your favour is that you are coming here in the absolute, no-question-about-it best month of the year to visit Sydney and the Blue Mountains, so your chances of running foul of the weather are automatically minimised. Your plan to visit the Caves is a good one, but you should note that it's a couple of hours drive further west from katooomba, which is what most people consider the "hub" of the Blue Mountains. Your best bet would be to stay in a hotel or Guest House in Katoomba for two nights and get up VERY early on one morning and drive by hire-car to Jenolan Caves... time it so that you arrive around 8 a.m.. You won't see a soul on the way, and when you arrive, parking will be wasy and you'll be first in line at the ticket office to get all the best caves (of which the Orient and Temple of Baal are particularly lovely). The people who get there late are stuck with continuous tours through the Lucas, which is okay, but so "easy" that you don't need a guide.
While you are west of Katoomba, and have a hire car at your disposal, you should make a wonderful detour on your way back to Katoomba. Drive out to Mt Wilson, a village where a lot of savvy Australians go at that particular time of year, but which the tourists know nothing about. It is an absolute picture in autumn... a burst of colour which will put you in mind of Vermont. You could leave Jenolan around mid-afternoon (when the afternoon tourist buses have just arrived) and drive there by around 4 p.m., and still be back in Katoomba for dinner. This would be a really great day, especially in April.
The thing that this plan has going for it is that it gives you two great days, and if one of them is foggy, then you just head for the Caves on that day and hope that your "other" day is better. It's not a guarantee, of course, but it's the best I can come up with. Hope this helps. Oh, and by the way, yes, Easter is April 9 - 12, so you would probably not find accommodation easy to get at Jenolan Caves, which only has two establishments; shouldn't have any trouble in Katoomba or around there, however.

Dear Alan,

Thanks for your feedback. We'll make a note of Mt. Wilson. Although I spent part of my childhood in Vermont I have not been back for fall foliage in years. The only color we usually get out here in Santa Fe, NM is yellow of the aspens.

AndrewDavid

PS thanks for your helpful advice to all of us on traveltalk