It’s a relatively easy and enjoyable walk to Butterbox Point from the end of Mount Hays Road – and there are many spectacular vantage points and unusual, weathered rock formations along the way. The trailhead is the same as the Mount Hay bushwalk, with the obvious trail descending from the carpark.
After about 200m the track splits, with Mount Hay to the right and Butterbox Point (and Butterbox Canyon) to the left.
Soon after turning onto the Butterbox Point trail, there’s some nice views of Mount Hay.
The trail heads directly to a rocky outcrop, which has a small cave at its base. You can go to the left or right of this – the path to the right threads its way along a ledge between a low cliff above, and a steep cliff below.
On the far (western) side of the rock outcrop, there’s a network of informal trails. A track to the left heads towards a small hill, and over some rocky outcrops which offer some of the best views over the Grose Valley: Lockleys Pylon is on the left and Perry’s Lookdown and Mount Banks is in the distance.
This track peters out, but continue along the ridge to see some interesting rock formations. Volcanic iron deposits have been exposed by the erosion of the softer sandstone around them, creating a fascinating alien landscape of both jagged and wave-like rock formations. A more technical explanation: the concentric ironstone patterns are called Liesegang rings, thought to formed from the precipitation of insoluble haematite from soluble iron in groundwater.
I head back the same way to pick up the main Butterbox Point Trail, which descends to the top of the cliff above Butterbox Canyon.
Looking west, the sun is settting behind Clark Head. To the left is the Walford Wall, and directly ahead is the Grose Valley.
It’s a great spot for sunset – or sunrise, with multiple vantage points and angles to photograph the valleys and cliffs.
Heading back to the car, there are some more views of the cliffs, which you can see in almost all directions.
I head back around the northern side of the rock outcrop – the opposite side to the trail I took earlier – passing a few caves and shelters at the base of the outcrop.
It’s an easy and pleasant walk back along the Butterbox Point trail, as the sun dips below the horizon.
This is one of the best bushwalks in the Blue Mountains for its spectacular views from multiple vantage points, as well as the interesting rock formations and varied terrain.
The walk out to Butterbox Point is about 3km return – you can easily do it under an hour, but best to allow a couple of hours to explore the area.
Getting to Butterbox Point
The signposted trail to Butterbox Point starts from the Mount Hay and Butterbox Point Carpark at the end of Mount Hay Road. It’s about a half an hour (16km) drive from Leura, with the unsealed Mount Hay Road suitable for 2WD cars when it’s dry.
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