Peridot Pool is a little piece of bush paradise. With clear water, low rock walls and forested surrounds, it’s an idyllic place for a swim. It’s large enough to swim lengths and has a really peaceful vibe that invites you to stay and relax. However, should you be up for a little off-track adventure there are more pools further along the creek and the scenery gets wilder and wilder.
The price to pay for spending time at any one of these spectacular pools is a big climb in and out of the valley. The path is very well maintained, but it will get your heart pumping on the way back up!
The walk to Peridot Pool
The stats
Distance: 1.5km each way
Elevation gain: 230m
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead: Martin’s Lookout Car Park
Summary: The walk to Peridot Pool is all on a maintained track, though bar a couple of minor sections of flat track, it’s all downhill on the way. And what goes down must come up!
The path is in very good condition, with the majority of the track being made up of well maintained stairs. There are a couple of very short stretches which are uneven and a touch rougher, but for the most part the track is excellent.
If you are going to explore further along the creek it’s basically off-track. I think a trail here once existed, but it’s now worn away.
Despite this, the terrain is not challenging, you’ll have to rock hop and cross a shallow creek, but it’s one of the easiest off-track walks we’ve done.
Starting the trail: the descent
From the car park at Martins Lookout (full parking details below) you will head into the bush on the well worn track and reach the lookout after just 100m.
It offers a gorgeous view over densely forested mountains and also bears a memorial plaque for Reverend Raymer, a keen local bushwalker, who tragically lost his life when saving a pupil from drowning in Wollongong.
After enjoying the view it’s time to start the descent and except for a few very short stretches of flat track it’s downhill all the way to the pool.
The majority of the path is heavily shaded which definitely helps on a hot day and the good track conditions allow you to make relatively quick work of the 1km descent.
There are some great overhangs along the way, including one you can climb into approximately 750m in. One or two steps of the track are less well formed and you need to watch your footing, but otherwise it’s a straightforward jaunt to the bottom.
Roughly 1km after leaving the car park, or 900m from the lookout, you will reach a junction (which has a signpost for Perch Ponds and Martins Lookout). Continue on the main trail (don’t go left) and you’re now 100m from Peridot Pool.
The pool sits behind the informal campground (no facilities, just evidence of some old fires) but trees shield it from view for the most part.
Swimming at Peridot Pool
The water colour and clarity at Peridot Pool is mesmerising. From outside the water it’s a shimmering green and from inside it takes on a blue hue.
It’s clear all the way through to the bottom and it would be pretty hard to resist a swim on a warm day. The water warms up here early on in the season and the pool gets a lot of sun into the mid afternoon.
There’s a huge amount of space for swimming, though there are some rocks in the middle of the pool, so you can’t swim a full length without doing a bit of a slalom.
Still, even the first half of the pool is big enough for a proper swim. The surrounding rock walls and gum trees are very picturesque and hem the pool in nicely.
Entering the water is easy as you can step off the bank on the far right, by the large rocks, and into shallow water before it gets deep enough to swim off.
Continuing along the creek to pool two
Peridot Pool is a worthy destination in its own right, but there are more treasures to be found upstream (east). To find them head 100m back along the track to the junction and look for the signpost pointing you onto the Kings Link Track.
Though it is signposted, there isn’t much of a trail remaining. You’ll follow the stairs downhill, which is pretty much all that remains of a formed track.
The stairs are perhaps better suited to hobbits and require side stepping to keep your feet in place. There’s also a tree down over the path but it’s easy to step over. After 50m descending you will turn left and follow the rock platforms above the creek.
After just 80m you will reach the next pool, it’s 230m from Peridot Pool.
The water is again crystal clear and a blue green in colour when the sun is shining. There are large boulders in the water, but most of them are much deeper than they look from above due to the water clarity.
It’s very private, but not as good for swimming as Peridot due to the fact some of the rocks do get in your way a little.
To pool three
From the second pool you will almost immediately come to a creek crossing. Unless water levels are really low you’ll need to take your shoes off or squelch through.
Don’t be deceived by the water clarity as I was, I estimated crossing along the sandy bottomed section would only be around ankle height but it was well above the knee.
The shallower crossing is along the rocks, but even then you can’t make it across without getting into ankle deep water.
Once on the other side of the creek head left. It’s rocky underfoot and there is no set path, but it’s flat and pretty easy going. You’ll reach the water again after around 100m and 50m further on you’ll reach the next pool.
Pools three and four
This is the part of the creek where things truly feel wild. You are only a few hundred metres from a maintained track but it feels very remote. There is a large sandy beach and the cliff rises high above the gum trees creating a majestic backdrop to the pool.
The river is a deep green and you can walk in off the sandy beach. It doesn’t look it from outside the water, but it’s deep enough to swim, with some sections being very deep. The beach, cliffs and beautiful pool were such a surprise, leaving us very glad we’d gone wandering off on a hunch.
Continue along the sand and you’ll come to another larger pool 100m later (just over 1.6km from the car park).
Again, you can walk in off the sand bank and this one is even better for swimming, especially when you get to the far end where the water is very deep.
It’s a truly special place and one we’ll be back to explore further when we get the chance.
When you’re ready to leave the pools you simply retrace your steps back to the car park, or if you’re looking for a longer walk, you can make a circuit which includes a hidden cave and some great waterfalls (recent rain permitting).
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the national park, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Parking for the Peridot Pool Walk
The closest car park to the trailhead is at Martins Lookout, located in Springwood in the Lower Blue Mountains, you can see it here on Google maps.
The car park is a decent size though there are no facilities. If you wanted to do the circuit walk you can park at Batman Park, 1.7km before you reach the car park at Martins Lookout.
It’s around a 40 minute drive from Katoomba and an hour from Sydney.
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