Pheasants Cave is a rainforest oasis in the middle of Mount Wilson. The easy walk to get there is incredibly scenic, taking you past giant overhang after giant overhang and offering spectacular mountain views. It’s hard to believe as you walk the cliff tops that not far below you lies a little patch of pristine rainforest.
As this walk is not particularly well known, it’s likely you’ll get it all to yourself which only adds to the whole experience.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Pheasants Cave.
The walk to Pheasants Cave
The stats
Distance: 1.9km loop
Elevation gain: 120m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
The walk to get to the cave is fairly easy. There are some uphill sections but no climb that lasts very long. The walk is not as well maintained as trails managed by the parks service, so expect it to be a bit more uneven and rustic.
Having said that, the path is for the most part in pretty good shape and there weren’t any bits that were slippery (on a dry day). You may want to save or take note of our map below, as whilst there are some arrows, the cave is not signposted.
The walk took us an hour - primarily as we stopped a lot at the views and enjoyed the shady cave on a swelteringly hot day!
Starting the trail at Du Faurs Rocks
We began the walk at Du Faurs Rocks, but there isn’t room for many cars to park here. If you find yourself out of luck, you can park close to the fire station and just walk down the road which is pretty flat and won’t add much time to the trail.
From Du Faurs Rocks (a pretty lookout) the trail begins on the left side of the road, you’ll see a little pink cross spray painted on a tree stump and an obvious path.
It’s a narrow sandy track and takes you along the cliff top for the next 230m. This section is almost entirely flat and offers some lovely scenic views.
From here the path heads down a few stairs and the epic overhangs begin.
Along the overhangs
The Blue Mountains have so many great overhangs, but the ones along this trail were some of my favourites, particularly the one at the end of this stretch of track, which was huge! The photos don’t do them justice.
The flat path along the overhangs lasts for 170m and then you begin descending. Sometimes it looks like there can’t be a path ahead and then you get to the end of the trail and see a staircase leading down.
As the trail descends it does get bushier, but you can always see where you’re going and it’s by no means a bush bash. Whenever you might need them, there are little arrows guiding the way.
At the 600m mark you get to an arrow pointing right and this bit leads up a little dirt path which has some loose soil. It only lasts a minute and as you are going up rather than downhill it’s not a problem.
Over the next 300m there are several more signposts which mark the way before you come to a junction. At this point you need to follow the path straight on, if you head right you’ll loop back round to the car park and miss the cave.
Descending to Pheasants Cave
We were treated to some amazing Flannel flower displays along much of the track, but this next section was on another level. It’s easily the most (white) Flannel flowers I’ve ever seen - way more than on the Central Coast’s Flannel Flower Trail which we’d walked specifically to see them!
It was absolutely beautiful and made the pretty track all the more special.
From the junction, the track has a few flat sections but it mainly descends all the way to the cave. After 200m you’ll come to a steeper section where steps have been cut into the rock.
There’s a handrail here to help, but in dry weather it was nice and grippy.
The track does get a little rocky and un-manicured after this bit, but it’s not too tricky and after 150m you’ll be standing in a stunning rainforest gully.
You can immediately feel the temperature drop which is bliss on a hot day.
You’ll pass over a tiny creek and through the dense forest for 50m before you come to Pheasants Cave. There’s a tree down here, but it’s massive and easy to duck under and then you’ll be standing in a giant overhang.
Depending on recent rainfall there could be an impressive waterfall, or it might be quite subtle like it was for us.
The cave is not the kind you can really climb up into - or maybe you can, but it would be a make your own path type adventure and it looked a bit slippery - but it’s a great spot to sit on the boulders and relax.
It’s cool and shady and the huge walls feel dramatic.
The waterfall trickling in the background also adds to the atmosphere. It’s a serene spot and judging by some of the webs we had to pass through to get here, not visited that often!
It definitely has that wild hidden away feel that we love!
The walk back
Once you’re ready to leave, you retrace your steps back to the junction, which is just under 500m away. It’s mainly uphill but it doesn’t take long.
At the junction you take the path on the left which heads up the stairs. You’re then just 100m from the Du Faurs Rocks and your car, assuming you could get a space at the lookout. There are a couple more stairs to climb before the track flattens.
If you had to park close to the fire station, when you hit the road you head left back to your car.
Du Faurs Rocks Lookout at Sunset
If you are staying around Mount Wilson, then we highly recommend either timing your walk to finish at sunset, or coming back to Du Faurs Rocks Lookout later. This spot is beautiful during the day, but it is particularly lovely at sun down.
As the lookout is only a few steps from where you park, it’s very easy to access. There are plenty of rocks to sit on and take in the huge sweeping view.
Getting to the Pheasants Cave trailhead
The trail to Pheasants Cave is located in Mount Wilson, in the Blue Mountains. The walk technically begins at the Du Faurs Rocks Lookout, but there is limited parking. You can also park down the road close to the fire station.
The drive from Sydney is roughly 125km and two hours or it’s 40km and 40 minutes from Katoomba.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, that we will earn a small commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase. This helps towards the costs of running our website. Thanks for your support.
