Smiths Creek Trail (Ku-ring-gai Chase NP)

Summary: The Smiths Creek Trail is a pleasant bushwalk in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The firetrail descends through eucalypt forest to open grassland and a tidal creek.

Trailhead: End of Booligal Road, Terrey Hills. Limited parking available.
Distance: 5.8km
Duration: 1-2 hours
Grade: Easy
185m total ascent
Route type: Out and back
Best season/s: All year
Topographic map/s: 9130-4S HORNSBY (1:25K) Buy / Download
Online map: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/smiths-creek-gpx-70c639d
No Dogs
No mountain bikes

The Smiths Creek Trail starts at the end of Booligal Rd in Terry Hills; the first 100 metres is actually the Perimeter Trail, before the junction with Smiths Creek Trail is reached (it’s signposted on the gate as Smith Creek West Trail). Although it’s a wide firetrail, which often makes for fairly boring walking, this is one of the nicer bushwalks in the area. There’s shade from the light eucalypt forest and views through the trees across the valley to the west.

The track is mostly flat, before descending at the end to the creek. It’s not a steep descent, and there’s nice sandstone rock formations and ferns along the firetrail. Near the end you can see a creek below the trail.

At the bottom is a large, open grassy area with an informal campsite in the middle. A muddy path leads to the tidal and mangrove-lined creek, which flows into Cowan Creek.

Flowing into Smiths Creek here is another small creek; where Smiths Creek is surrounded by mangrove trees, this one is lined by grass and ferns.

Exploring upstream, there are shallow pools and moss-covered rocks, and the forest is more dense and “rainforesty”.

It is this creek that you can see from the firetrail. So rather than backtracking along the creek, I head directly up the slope, through ferns and past rock overhangs, to re-join the main trail.

It’s then back up along Smiths Creek Trail to the start. Definitely a walk I’d do again, with some more time to see how far upstream it’s possible to go.

0.0km Perimeter Trail at end of Booligal Road (Terrey Hills)
0.1km Junction with Smiths Creek Trail
2.8km Smiths Creek
3.3km Unnamed creek
5.8km End of Booligal Road

More information on Smiths Creek Trail

This track is the easiest way to get to Smiths Creek; you can also do the longer Smiths Creek Loop which combines this track and Nerang Track.

For more bushwalks (as well as swimming spots and other activities) visit the Guide to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Other bushwalks you can do from the Perimeter Trail are the Long Trail, Cowan Track, Wilkins Track and Mount Murray Anderson.