Shaws Creek Pool is hidden away down an un-signposted track in the lower Blue Mountains. It’s a beautiful swimming hole with deep green water, picturesque cliffs and gentle cascades. It’s surrounded by dense bush, which keeps it perfectly secluded and offers lots of shade.
It’s basically a wild swimming lover’s dream, but it does require more effort to reach than many of the other swimming holes in the Blue Mountains. Not in terms of distance, but terrain. Those willing to put in a little extra effort will very likely be rewarded with their own spectacular private pool.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Shaws Creek Pool.
The walk to Shaws Creek Pool
The stats
Distance: 1.05km each way
Elevation gain: 150m
Difficulty: Moderate
The walk to Shaws Creek Pool does involve a short, but steep descent, at times on slippery track. The final approach to the pool involves walking a few minutes on rough track with rocks and tree roots.
Accessing the water is easy but getting out requires a little upper body strength - more on that later!
Starting the trail: into the forest
The start of the trail to Shaws Creek Pool is very easy. It’s along a wide well maintained path in the forest, which smelt wonderful after the recent rain.
After approximately 120m you need to look out for a path on the right.
There are two paths very close together, it’s the second of the two, and the one that is most obvious (the first is slightly overgrown).
From here the track narrows and is a bit bushier. I would recommend grabbing a big stick for web clearing because even on a sunny Saturday afternoon in summer this path was pretty webby!
It descends gently downhill and after roughly 420m comes to an opening. You’ll have some nice views out over the surrounding bush. Up to this point the track is all very easy.
Onto the steep part!
The next part of the walk continues after you pass through one of two rock chutes. We checked out both and you could use either, but we thought the one on the far left looked the easiest and took that option - it’s the one with the tree right beside the opening.
You need to scramble down the chute which is straightforward and has no exposure. You’ll emerge at a little overhang and see several walking sticks propped up against the wall on the left.
If you don’t have walking poles and you’re not a fan of slippery terrain, I would grab one because the next section is steep.
The first 200m are the steepest and the thick leaf litter makes it quite slippery. I was grateful for the stick and would also recommend stepping on the big rocks where possible to minimise time on the leaf litter.
Personally I hate steep slippery descents, so this was a little challenging for me, but I know some people would just run down without a second thought!
After 200m the trail continues descending, but less steeply and I didn’t find it too bad.
There are a couple of rocky sections and then the trail almost flattens for the final few minutes before the pool comes into view.
Arriving at Shaws Creek Pool
The trail becomes a little rougher just before you reach the top of the pool, but it only really takes a minute and is not too bad when dry.
You can then walk on the rocky ledge beside the cascades above the pool, which is a great spot to relax pre or post swim.
The cascades are gorgeous and the water below looks inviting. You’re also surrounded by dense bush which offers lots of shade.
We couldn’t believe we had this whole area to ourselves for hours, despite the fact we visited on a sunny Saturday afternoon!
Swimming at Shaws Creek Pool
The easiest way to access the water is from the overhang underneath the rocky platform. Getting on to this ledge is easy, but take care if it’s been wet. It wasn’t slippery when dry.
You can then just slide off the end and into the water (you can’t touch the bottom from the ledge). There was a submerged log here, but it’s not really an issue when you’re just sliding off.
The pool does have some shallow areas at the southern end, but otherwise it’s deep and perfect for swimming.
There weren’t many obstacles and the water was cool, but not as cold as I was expecting given the fact it was so shady.
It’s such a beautiful setting with the rocky ledge and gorgeous little waterfall. It’s a wonderful place to swim and feels delightfully tucked away from the outside world.
The only difficulty is getting out the water. At the risk of sounding puny (which let’s face it, I am) I couldn’t get out the water the way I got in.
Those with upper body strength will be fine, or if you have someone to give you a boost, but for me it was a no go.
You can simply walk out the water onto the bank on the other side of the pool, but then getting back onto the walking track involves a short scramble up the cliff edge.
It might be short, but it’s not really the safest option and the first bit requires quite a hefty leg stretch. I’d definitely advise getting out the way you got in and if you’re a bit lacking in upper body strength like me, bring someone that isn’t!
Heading back
The first half of the walk back is pretty steep. The steepest part climbs 110m over a 400m stretch of track. It’s not slippery on the way up though, so I actually found it much quicker than going down.
If you’ve borrowed a stick please remember to put it back at the bottom of the rock chute for the next person.
It is annoying to carry it up as it’s a bit cumbersome and you don’t actually need it, but it makes it much nicer for the next person that might need it!
After you’re past the rock chute, the gradient feels so shallow as to almost be flat all the way back to the car park.
Facilities at Shaws Creek Pool - keep it wild
There are no facilities whatsoever at either the pool or the trailhead. Please carry out any rubbish with you and note there is no toilet at any point along the way. Let’s keep these beautiful places wild and pristine for future generations to come.
Getting to Shaws Creek Pool
Shaws Creek Pool is located in the Blue Mountains National Park, close to Hawkesbury Heights. There is no official car park for the trail as such, but there is plenty of parking on the residential street beside the trailhead at the end of Booker Road.
The trail begins roughly a 1 hour 10 drive from Sydney 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!
