Box Vale Walking Track: The Ultimate Guide (Updated 2024)

The Box Vale Walking Track is one of the most underrated walks in the Southern Highlands of NSW. Located in the Mount Alexandra Reserve in Mittagong, the Box Vale Walking Track is one of the most adventurous and fascinating walks in the area. Whilst, it’s possible to extend your walk to also visit the amazing Forty Foot Falls.

In this guide, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about the Box Vale Walking Track, which also includes details about exploring Forty Foot Falls. After a detailed trail description, we’ll talk about other excellent walks to do in Mittagong.

UPDATE – BOX VALE WALKING TRACK CLOSED: due to damage caused by wild weather, the track has been temporarily closed since late 2022. Hopefully, the track will re-open soon.

Box Vale Walking Track, Mittagong: An Overview

The Southern Highlands has many incredible walks, epic waterfalls and beautiful scenery. Most people will head to Macquarie Pass National Park, Kangaroo Valley, Budderoo and Morton National Parks for the very best of the Southern Highlands. And, rightly so. But there are equally as impressive attractions in the lesser-known parts of the Southern Highlands. We’re of course talking about Mittagong, and more specifically, the superb Box Vale Walking Track!

Also known as the Boxvale Walking Track, Box Vale Track and Box Vale Mine Walking Track, the track follows the historic railway line (AKA the Box Vale Railway), leading to an incredible disused tunnel. Whilst, as mentioned, it’s also possible to extend your walk to reach the incredible Forty Foot Falls.

In this guide, we’ll mainly include information about combining the Box Vale Walking Track with the Forty Foot Falls Track. Personally, that’s what Beck and I did. But, for thoroughness, we’ll also briefly include information about the other options, including:

• doing the trails separately – in case you just want to do a single walk to just one attraction.
• the Box Vale Loop – a more challenging trail for more experienced walkers.

So, if you have explored the main walks of the Southern Highlands and are looking for something new, round up your mates and head to Mittagong. In Mount Alexandra Reserve, you’ll not only find the immense Box Vale Walking Track and Forty Foot Falls but other mindblowing attractions, waterfalls and viewpoints.

Where Is the Box Vale Walking Track?

The Box Vale Walking Track is located in the Mount Alexandra Reserve in Mittagong in the Southern Highlands of NWS. To help get your bearings, please click here to access an interactive map of the area.

Box Vale Walking Track Stats and Map

 (includes Box Vale Tramway Tunnel and Nattai Gorge Lookout)

• Type: One-way
• Distance: 9km
• Time: 3 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 235m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Mount Alexandra Reserve Car Park
• Box Vale Walking Track Map: AllTrails

Box Vale Walking Track Description

Alongside the Box Vale Walking Track, you’ll find many side trails and adjacent management trails in Mount Alexandra Reserve. When hiking your way through to the main attractions of this track – the Box Vale tramway tunnel and Nattai Gorge Lookout, there are a few different trails you can take on the way. So, it can get a bit confusing.

But, the most simple way is to just follow the Box Vale Walking Track from the very beginning. It weaves its way around Nattai and Kells Creeks, following the old tramway trail, leading you through the epic tunnel, heading towards Nattai River. Otherwise, to save time, it’s possible to use the Nattai Creek Fire Trail initially, before joining the Box Vale Walking Track.

Either way, you’ll start on uneven dirt management tracks, so watch your footing. Assuming you’re following the Box Vale Walking Track from the start, you’ll pass Nattai Creek and then Welby Reservoir. From here, the trail becomes more sturdy and stable as leaf-littered floors are created by the dense bushland. The initial sections are calming as you’ll feel remote and removed from the nearby suburbs. But all the same, the scenery is nothing overly spectacular.

Tramway Track (The Old Tram Lines)

After following the 1.8km kilometre spur track, you’ll arrive at the junction for Forty Foot Falls. It’s totally up to you, in what order you want to do these Mittagong walks. You’re more than welcome to head to the waterfall first. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll detail completing the Box Vale Track initially, and then heading to Forty Foot Falls afterwards. That’s what Beck and I did!

After a largely uninspiring beginning, the Box Vale Walking Track really comes to life. You’ll finally feel like you’re truly following the old tramway line. That’s because you’ll hike in between cliff walls, or boulder cuttings, carved for the tramway. Not only is this a fascinating trail, but the scenery and surrounds start to diversify with more lively plants, ferns and trees.

You’ll walk through a few more boulder cuttings with the height of the cliffs on either side of you, varying as you progress. Covered mostly in tree roots and bush, portions of the cliff walls are a light brown, even an orange clay complexion. Some of the boulder-carved trails are clear, whilst others, require a bit more agility to navigate fallen trees and mildly overgrown areas.

Box Vale Tramway Tunnel (The Old Railway Tunnel)

Nearing the end of the trail, you’ll finally catch a glimpse of the long, imposing tramway tunnel. It’s certainly one of the highlights of all of the Box Vale Walking Track. Even before setting foot in the dimly lit tunnel, you’ll be blown away!

It’s about 100 metres in length, with either end creating a picturesque silhouette of the surrounding bushland. Given its enormity, during daylight hours, the tunnel is bright enough to not require a headlamp. Although, we brought one just in case. Beck and I tried our hand with photography here, finding the lighting quite challenging.

Camera or no camera, you’ll feel quite adventurous hiking the old rungs of the tramway tunnel. After you make your way through the tunnel, it’s time to head to the final attraction of the Box Vale Walking Track.

Nattai Gorge Lookout

Not too far from the tunnel is the Nattai Gorge Lookout. Up until this point, your views of the surrounding landscape would have been mostly hidden. With the increasingly dense bushland, boulder cuttings and even a tunnel, you’ll feel pretty closed-in for much of the trail. This concealed and covered feeling is one of the trail’s best features, but it actually amplifies and brings a stronger sense of contentment when you finally reach a viewpoint.

With some imposing landforms and bush-covered cliff walls in the forefront, you won’t have the most sweeping of views. But, the lookout reminds you that you’re truly in the Southern Highlands, even if in a less frequented part of it. With that said, the lookout is a decent way to finish the ‘out’ part of the out and back Box Vale Walking Track.

The Box Vale Walking Track Loop Option

Of course, if you intend on completing the Box Vale Walking Track and Forty Foot Falls as a loop, you’ll actually continue the walk down a steep decline (actually called the ‘incline’). You’ll then literally follow the creek back down and around to Forty Foot Falls. But, don’t expect much in the way of signage, whilst hiking creekside can get quite muddy and boggy.

Additionally, given the steepness of the trail, you’ll need to guide yourself down with a series of metal chains. So although the loop is shorter in distance than doing the proposed two out and backs (11km as opposed to 12km), it takes a lot more time to navigate the tricky terrain and chains (5–6 hours as opposed to 4 hours). But it does look fun! Well, maybe next time for us!

Here’s a map of the Box Vale Walking Track Loop option.

Please note that most official tourism boards (such as Destination Southern Highlands) discourage the use of this alternate track as they deem it dangerous.

Forty Foot Falls Track Stats and Map

• Type: One-way
• Distance: 4km
• Time: 1.25 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 110m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead: Mount Alexandra Reserve Car Park
• Map: AllTrails

Forty Foot Falls Track Description

Whether you do the combined out and backs or loop, it’s time for Forty Foot Falls – arguably one of the best waterfalls in the Southern Highlands. In terms of the combined out and backs, you’ll remember that there is a turnoff about 1.8km into the Box Vale Walking Track. This yellow Forty Foot Falls Fire Trail sign very clearly marks the turnoff for the waterfall.

If you’re visiting during spring, look out for wildflowers. Even being close to a couple of creeks, most of the bushland here looks arid, dry and harsh. So the mix of vivid colours littered along the somewhat barren trail, in the form of wildflowers, is a bright change of scenery.

The fire trail leading to the waterfall seems mostly flat, and is fairly even, despite the loose rocks. Other than the pretty wildflowers, the trail is nothing extraordinary up until the waterfall. Very clearly marked, is a sign pointing you to the right to access the falls. Even though there is no further signage, there’s an obvious trail that descends to Forty Foot Falls.

After an initial set of steep dusty steps, you’ll arrive at a flat platform, which seems to split into a T-intersection. From here, you should notice a rock overhanging a metal step ladder to your left. Similar to the metal step ladders on the Overcliff-Undercliff Track in the Blue Mountains, they’re fun and add something adventurous to an otherwise tame trail, up to this point. There were plenty of spiders and cobwebs on the ladder and below, so keep an eye out!

Forty Foot Falls

Once you descend the ladder, you’ll find a faint trail leading you towards Nattai Creek where the waterfall is located. The trail initially leads you to the left-hand side of it, where you get your first unimpeded view. It gorgeously drops from, what we assume is, a forty-foot cliff overhang, onto a fallen log, wedged into the creekbed. As you look around, you’ll feel immersed in a bush-covered amphitheatre, where the waterfall gracefully spills and steals the show.

With a bit of agility, you can even navigate over some other fallen trees and overgrowth to walk behind the waterfall. But be careful as it’s mighty slippery. Instead, we backtracked and found a faint side trail leading down into the creek. By following this trail, you’ll be able to get a front-on view of the waterfall, facing it directly. You’ll need to watch your step as you negotiate wet rocks. Again, it’s quite slippery down there so don’t rush.

Of course, Forty Foot Falls isn’t one of the humungous waterfalls of the Southern Highlands. If you’re after the tallest and most voluminous waterfalls, head to Budderoo and Morton National Parks. But, there’s no doubt that Forty Foot Falls is one of the most picturesque, quaint and charming waterfalls in the area. After you’ve hung out with the local duck and skink residents, it’s time to head back out of the naturally created amphitheatre.

The hike back to the fire trail from Forty Foot Falls is a little tough. It’s not technically difficult, but physically challenging, as you emerge from the base of the falls and struggle back up the stairs.

Boxvale Walking Track & Forty Foot Falls Track Summary

• Type: 2x Out & Backs
• Distance: 12km
• Time: 4 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 335m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead: Mount Alexandra Reserve Car Park

Certainly, it makes sense to complete the Box Vale Walking Track and the Forty Foot Falls Track together. Once you hike the initial section, you do an out and back of each track, to their respective attractions.

Other Mittagong Walks

Other than the Box Vale Walking Track and Forty Foot Falls, there are other excellent walks in the Mount Alexandra Rserseve in Mittagong. The two other best walks in Mittagong include the Sixty Foot Falls Track and the Katoomba Lookout Track. Let’s look at these two other Mittagong walks below.

FYI – it’s possible to combine both the Sixty Foot Falls Track and the Katoomba Lookout. That’s what Beck and I did and is reflected below.

Sixty Foot Falls Track

• Type: One-way
• Distance: 3.5km
• Time: 1 hour
• Accumulated elevation gain: 200m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead: Mount Alexandra Lookout Road
• Map: AllTrails

After some lunch at the picnic tables at the Mount Alexandra Car Park, Beck and I head over to the other side of the Hume Highway for the Sixty Foot Falls Track. Similar to the Box Vale Walking Track, you’ll be hiking via a tunnel. This time, it’s the Coke Tunnel! It’s much smaller, but we’re sure you’ll agree that any tunnel brings its own appeal and intrigue to a trail.

From the car park, a sign labelled ‘Green Tramway Track’, signals the beginning of your hike. Almost immediately, you’ll enter dense bushland as you slowly descend towards Coke Tunnel. The tunnel’s ceiling is quite low, so you’ll need to duck or bend forward to get to the end. But it’s only around five metres in length, so your awkward shuffle is only short-lived. In the 1870s, the tunnel was used to transport coal from the Nattai Gorge to the local ironworks.

Immediately following the tunnel, is some interesting orange cliff overhangs with incredible ripples and patterns in the ceiling. Soak up the beautiful geology, as the next section of the hike is the trickiest.

The trail becomes quite steep and with many a loose rock underfoot, you may find the terrain slippery. Watch your footing and slowly make your way down to the fire trail below. Don’t worry, there’s a much flatter and safer trail ahead!

Sixty Foot Falls

Once you’ve reached the bottom, keep notice of the yellow ‘Falls View Fire Trail’ to your right. Follow this, and soon enough, you’ll find another yellow sign labelled ‘Sixty Foot Fire Trail’, again to your right. These signs are hard to miss and will lead you towards Sixty Foot Falls!

Once you’ve passed a small creek, you’ll then arrive at a fork. Admittedly, Beck and I struggled to find information online about how to proceed further. Assuming you could reach the falls going either direction, we chose to stay left at the fork, following a flat winding trail. By doing so, after 200–300 metres, you’ll arrive at a rock platform and essentially, a river bed, that forms the top of the waterfall.

Your views of the waterfall are minimal from the top, so it’s best to carefully rock scramble your way down to the base of the waterfall. On a dry day, this is safe to do. We don’t recommend attempting this if it’s been, or, is raining, as the rocks would be too slippery. So better save the Sixty Foot Falls Tracks for a nice dry day!

Once you’ve reached the base, you’ll have unimpeded views of this small, but pretty waterfall. There’s a small and seemingly shallow swimming hole where the falls gently plummet, but we didn’t stop for a swim.

Admittedly, we found Forty Foot Falls more mesmerising and charming. Plus, hearing the sounds of nearby traffic certainly took away from the ambience and peacefulness at Sixty Foot Falls. You can even see large trucks pass by on the Hume Highway when looking over the top of the falls, above the bushland!

Katoomba Lookout

• Type: One-way
• Distance: 1.5km
• Time: 30 minutes
• Accumulated elevation gain: 75m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Mount Alexandra Lookout Road
• Map: Google Maps

Once you’ve re-emerged from the base of Sixty Foot Falls and returned via the Coke Tunnel, there’s one more of the Mittagong walks to complete. From the same car park, you can check out Katoomba Lookout. Admittedly, this small trail is the least exciting and enjoyable of the Mittagong walks mentioned so far. At 750 metres to the lookout, it’s not as if you need to invest a lot of time into the walk. But the mostly ascending and unsealed management trail provides quite a disappointing finish.

Almost completely covered in surrounding bushland is the Katoomba Lookout. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with the Aussie bush! But for an actual named lookout, there should be some ongoing maintenance or clearance to make it worthwhile visiting. By doing so, we’re sure this would help promote tourism in the area.

So for a quick smash-and-grab walk and a decent workout, we can recommend this short trail. Whilst, you’re going to be at the trailhead anyway for the Sixty Foot Falls Track. So, you might as well do it! But, don’t specifically come here for the Katoomba Lookout, expecting, well, a lookout! At the very least, you’ll have a calm and quiet hike to finish your day.

Sixty Foot Falls Track & Katoomba Lookout Summary

• Type: 2x Out & Backs
• Distance: 5km
• Time: 1.5 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 275m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead:  Mount Alexandra Lookout Road

Box Vale Walking Track and Mittagong Walks Recap

The Southern Highlands remains one of our favourite places to explore in New South Wales. But, alongside the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands can get pretty busy on the weekends. Thankfully, Mittagong and the Box Vale Walking Track is a far less known hiking area. So if you like to avoid the crowds, doing the Box Vale Walking Track and the other Mittagong walks mentioned will help fulfil your hiking needs without the hoards of tourists.

Read about the best waterfalls in Sydney and our Bungonia National Park Guide

Getting to Sydney, Australia

Of course, you’ll need to fly to Sydney to do this trip from abroad. If you’re travelling to Sydney from overseas, use Skyscanner to search for the cheapest flights. When flying abroad, we always get the ball rolling with a Skyscanner search. Check out cheap flights to Sydney today!

To find out more about booking the cheapest flights, read our Skyscanner review.

Getting to and From Mittagong

Located next to Bowral in the Southern Highlands, Mittagong is located as somewhat of a halfway point between Canberra and Sydney. For Canberrans and Sydneysiders alike, you’re looking at around a two-hour drive.

Reaching the trailheads for all of the Mittagong walks is much easier with your own set of wheels. Otherwise, it’s about an hour’s walk to and from these trailheads from Mittagong train station. So if you need a car, use DiscoverCars.com. It’s a fantastic search engine for finding the cheapest car hire. Search for cheap car hire in Sydney today.

To find out more about renting a car with Discover Cars, read our Discover Cars review and Discover Cars Insurance review.

Where to Park

For the Box Vale Walking Track and Forty Foot Falls Track, follow directions to Box Vale Walking Track (Box Vale Road), and that’ll take you to the main car park of Mount Alexandra Reserve.

Alternatively, it’s possible to shave some time off each hike, by parking at the end of Morris Road. But, we are unsure of the quality of this road. Besides, the car park at Mount Alexandra Road is spacious, accommodating probably 20–30 cars, whilst it has a nice picnic area.

For the remaining Mittagong Walks – Sixty Foot Falls Track and Katoomba Lookout, you’ll find parking at the end of Mount Alexandra Lookout Road. The initial sealed road is very steep, ascending to an unsealed, bumpy and rocky car park. With a 2WD, you’ll only be able to access the right side of the car park. Altogether, there’s probably enough space for a dozen cars or so, but only half of those can a 2WD be able to survive unscathed!

SIDE NOTE: The end of Leopold Street is an alternate start for the Sixty Foot Falls Track. It’s a much flatter and easier trail, but you’ll miss out on the fascinating Coke Trail!

Where to Stay in Mittagong

Mittagong is certainly an underrated part of the Southern Highlands. By staying in Mittagong, you can comfortably do all of the walks mentioned in this guide over a weekend. Below, you’ll find the best accommodation options in Mittagong.

Hiking Gear Essentials For Mittagong

To find out more about all of the gear that we use and recommend, read our guides about our favourite hiking gear, travel gear and camera gear. Otherwise, read our comprehensive travel packing checklist.

Trail Navigation

Trail navigation is fairly straightforward for all of the Mittagong walks described in this guide. But, it’s useful to have trail navigation for the Sixty Foot Falls Track, where directions can get a tad confusing near the end of the trail, around the waterfall. Whilst doing the Box Vale Loop is partly off-trail, so you might benefit from trail navigation.

For those not so prepared, if you’re needing navigation help during the hike and don’t have any phone reception, consider using Maps.me. Although you need to have at least downloaded the map of the general area beforehand.

Box Vale Walking Track Bonus Tips

• Extended Mittagong Walk option: from Forty Foot Falls, it’s also possible to hike to Sixty Foot Falls! So, in total, doing all of the Mittagong walks combined (Box Vale Walking Track, Forty Foot Falls Track and Sixty Foot Falls Track) would be around 20km or so. Admittedly, it’s difficult to find precise information online about this longer option of combining all of the trails together. But, it’s possible!
• Make a weekend out of it: close to Mittagong are so many more wonderful hikes, waterfalls and attractions in the Southern Highlands. Read our Best Southern Highlands Waterfalls Guide to help plan your itinerary.
• The Box Vale Walking Track allows dogs: yes, it’s a dog-friendly track. A short walk that is dog friendly in nearby Bowral includes the Cherry Tree Walk.
• Other walks in the Mount Alexandra Reserve: consider the Mount Alexandra Walking Track or Southern Highlands Three Peaks Walk.
• Check the weather: getting to the base of Sixty Foot Falls can be dangerous in wet weather. Only attempt in dry conditions. In saying that though, these waterfalls can look a bit worse for wear during drought. So it’s good to organise a trip to Forty and Sixty Foot Falls after some decent rainfall for fuller-looking waterfalls, once the terrain and trails have dried up again!
• Break up your journey: if you’re looking for a way to break up the journey from Sydney to Canberra or vice-versa, stop in at Mittagong for one or more of these fantastic hikes.

FAQs

Below, we’ll answer the most frequently asked questions about the Box Vale Walking Track.

Why Do the Box Vale Walking Track?

It’s one of the best and most underrated walks in the Southern Highlands of NSW.

How Long Is the Walking Track at the Box Vale?

The approx. 4.5 kilometre walking track (9km return walk) takes around three hours to complete.

Why Is the Box Vale Walking Track Closed?

It closed due to track damage during wet weather in 2022.

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We acknowledge and respect the First Nations people as the Traditional Custodians of the land/water that we visited and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.