Wolgan View Canyon is one of the only non-technical canyons in the greater Blue Mountains where you won’t even get wet feet – hence it’s also called the Dry Canyon (the Guide to Easy Canyons around Sydney has more non-technical canyons). In case two names is not confusing enough, it’s also known as Nobles Canyon – this last name being given to the canyon around 1984 by students doing a TAFE Outdoor Guide course, after two members of the group, Olive and John Noble (Bush Explorers).
The canyon is reached by a good bushwalking track off Glowworm Tunnel Road, which passes a small pagoda on the right-hand side – a reminder that Wolgan View Canyon is in pagoda country!
After only a few hundred metres, the trail passes through a small clearing that serves as an informal camping ground – protected by what appeares to be a large… hippopotamus? Someone else described it as looking like “the head of a turtle”.
The bushwalking trail continues to descend very gently, and after 800m passes through some narrow gaps between the large cliffs and pagodas.
Soon after this, there is a bit of a drop to the start of Wolgan View Canyon / Dry Canyon, with routes: veer left and ascend a little to go the easy easy way, or scramble down a slot between the boulders directly ahead. If it looks like a big drop or a tricky scramble, you’ve gone the wrong way!
From here it gets a lot more scenic as you approach the canyon, through an entrance of tall tree ferns.
The first (or top) section of Wolgan View Canyon is quite short, with the tall walls of the gorge letting in a fair bit of sunlight.
The canyon soon opens up again into a large clearing, with the entrance to the lower section of the canyon again shielded by a dense wall of tall ferns.
This is the most spectacular part of Wolgan View Canyon, as the intially fern-lined slot gets increasingly dark and narrow.
Around the middle of the sinuous slot, I encounter a sword-fight. Not really what I was expecting… but if you’re going to organise a sword fight, I can’t think of a better location! Although its only a short canyon, the Oz Ultimate “Canyoning near Sydney” Web site rates it 8/10, putting it on par or better than many of the more challenging canyons.
From the end of the canyon, the track continues a bit further towards the cliff line, where you can get a nice view over the Wolgan Valley (the Emirates Wolgan Valley One&Only Wolgan Valley Resort is almost directly ahead). For the best views, continue another hundred metres or so – the vista out to the west is a little obstructed by trees and re-growth from the most recent fires.
From here it’s back the same way… this is a very short walk, and a fairly long drive to the trailhead so you could easily combine this with Glow Worm Tunnel bushwalk which starts very close by, or as you head back to Clarence or Lithgow check out the Lost City trail.
Getting to the Wolgan View Canyon (Dry Canyon)
From Sydney, turn off Bells Line of Road at Clarence (just before the Zig Zag Railway) and take the Old Bells Line of Road. After 8.6km turn right onto Glow Worm Tunnel Road and continue along this for 24km. The trailhead is not signposted, but there is a small parking area on the left-hand side of the road, around 4km past the (signposted) Old Coach Road turn-off. An obvious (but not signposted) trail leads into the bush from the parking area.
It’s about 33km (45min) from Chifley Road / Bells Line of Road, all on unsealed roads, and a 2.5 hour drive from Sydney.
More information
- Bush Explorers – Noble Canyon
- Dingo Gap – Wolgan View Canyon
- Oz Ultimate – Dry Canyon track notes
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