Dantes Glen Walking Track: Discover Three Waterfalls

The 1.8 km Dantes Glen Walking Track is a short bushwalk in North Lawson that takes you past three small but scenic waterfalls.

If you’re after a longer and more challenging adventure, you can extend the walk by following the historic Empire Pass, a 5.5 km loop.

Dantes Glen Walking Track
Distance: 1.8 km (loop)
Time: 1 hour
Grade: Easy (some steps)
Dogs: On a lead
Wheel-friendly: No
Maps: Download mapPDF map
Interactive mapInteractive map

Getting There

The most convenient place to park your car and start this walk is North Lawson Park at the end of St Bernards Drive.

To get there, turn onto San Jose Avenue from the Great Western Highway and continue to St Bernards Drive via Park Road. There’s plenty of parking available in the park. If you’re using public transport, Lawson Station is about a 20-minute walk away.

As the Dantes Glen Walking Track is outside the national park boundary, dogs are welcome on a lead. However, the Empire Pass extension enters the national park, where dogs are not permitted.

Signpost in North Lawson Park
North Lawson Park

Track Notes

The Dantes Glen Walking Track is a fairly short and easy trail, although there are some steps and uneven sections along the way.

On the map below, we’ve marked the three waterfalls you’ll see on the trail:

  1. Dantes Glen
  2. St Michael’s Falls
  3. Fairy Falls

Map of Dantes Glen Walking Track

1. Dantes Glen

To begin the walk, look for the North Lawson Park signpost shown in the photo above and head straight from there.

About 150 metres in, you’ll reach a junction with a path to the right leading to Fairy Falls. Ignore that turn-off and continue straight ahead.

Dantes Glen
Dantes Glen

From the junction, the track descends into a lush rainforest setting via a series of staircases, eventually arriving at Dantes Glen, the first waterfall on the walk.

Dantes Glen is a small but picturesque waterfall, nestled in a quiet and peaceful gully. Depending on recent rainfall, the flow may be light, but the surrounding scenery is always beautiful.

2. St Michael’s Falls

To reach the second waterfall, St Michael’s Falls, continue along the main path beside the creek.

About 150 metres further in, you’ll need to cross the creek using a series of rocks. On the other side of the creek, you’ll see a signpost for St Michael’s Falls.

St Michael's Falls
St Michael’s Falls

It’s a very short side trail to this second waterfall, which is similar in appearance to Dantes Glen and just as pretty.

It’s the peaceful, natural surroundings that make these small waterfalls so enjoyable to visit.

3. Fairy Falls

From St Michael’s Falls, return to the main trail and continue north along the creek for a few hundred metres until you reach a junction.

This junction marks the point where the Dantes Glen Walking Track becomes the Empire Pass and enters national park land. To stay on the Dantes Glen circuit, head up the stairs at the junction and follow the path for another 450 metres to reach Fairy Falls.

Fairy Falls
Fairy Falls

Fairy Falls is a small waterfall with a wide cascade, where water drops over a rock overhang onto a large, rocky surface. Like most waterfalls, it’s most impressive after recent rainfall.

From Fairy Falls, it’s a short stroll back up to North Lawson Park to complete the walk.

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Author:

AJ Mens

AJ Mens is a digital publisher based in Sydney, Australia, and the editor-in-chief of Sydney Uncovered and Blue Mountains Uncovered.

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