Hardest day hikes around Sydney

[irltylerdurden]

Hi!

Pretty new here and I'm trying to challenge myself! What is the hardest physical day hike you have done?

Canoelands ridge trail is probably the hardest I have done. Although it was the first decent length hike I have done during summer so I think I would crush it this time of year!

[ribuck]

The Mt Solitary circuit, Katoomba to Katoomba, is a solid day. So is Mt Victoria to Blackheath via Blue Gum Forest.

There are those who do the "Double Yoyo": descending into the Grose Valley, climbing out the other side, then reversing it.

If you can arrange transport, you can do the Six Foot Track in a day, or Kanangra to Katoomba in a day.

Far eclipsing those are "tiger walks" such as the Three Peaks: Cloudmaker, Paralyser and Guouogang, done in 24 hours Coxs to Coxs.

[Grabeach]

What is the hardest physical day hike you have done?

A few more details would help. On or off track? Recognised walks that go to a particular place or exploratories picked off a map? Hard as in distance and hills only or including pushing through scrub as well?

[Lith]

The hardest day walks are ones where we've finished earlier than expected and decided to go for another lap. A good example would be the Mitchell's creek pass off narrowneck where we decided to go again immediately but in the opposite direction. Make sure to have someone reasonable in your party so you never do this.

For actual set walks I'd recommend building up. The solitary traverse in a day mentioned above in a fantastic starting point to get into harder day walking, 20km and >1000m climbing is a good litmus test to see if you'll enjoy it. From there it's all about making challenges for yourself. I'm a fan of a walk of my own creation (possibly) I call "the Jamison 5" which involves doing 5 of the Jamison passes in a day, typically the golden stairs, the furber steps, the giant stairs, Copeland pass and kedumba pass. I like this one because it mostly covers built track so you can focus on the walk rather than the lawyer vine.

[johnw]

A few more details would help. On or off track? Recognised walks that go to a particular place or exploratories picked off a map? Hard as in distance and hills only or including pushing through scrub as well?

I agree, and it is relative to experience/fitness/ability and expectations. I've done the Canoelands Ridge Trail mentioned in the OP, as an overnighter. Even with a full pack I'd regard it as easy/medium at best, only because it's longish and has a couple of moderately steep hills. Some nice views here and there, but it's just a walk on a firetrail, there is nothing technical or difficult.

Off the top of my head, a few things that might be a step up from that:
In the same general area I've walked from Berowra to Hornsby via GNW/Galston Gorge. Longish with a mix of good tracks/trails and enough up and down.
I've made up any number of walks via the GNW/Berowra Valley/Kur-Ring-Gai Chase NP to a desired length. With good planning it is usually possible to get the train back to the start or vice versa.
If you wanted a significant challenge in that locale you could replicate the 100km Oxfam Trailwalker course, or part thereof. The actual event took me a bit longer than 24 hours but YMMV.
In the Blueys another good one is the Lindeman Pass, albeit some time since I last went down there. You need competent navigation skills in parts of it.
You could also try Bruce's Walk, which I've been exploring myself in recent months.
I've occasionally done some exploratory off track in Royal NP and even some of that can be challenging. Try a traverse of Kangaroo Creek between Karloo Pools and the Engadine Track. The trackless part is probably only about 3 km but likely to keep you busy scrambling and route finding for some time. And you need to add the entry and exit tracks which are reasonably steep.
There are potentially lots of other ideas but it would be good to know more about you.

[LachlanB]

Try a traverse of Kangaroo Creek between Karloo Pools and the Engadine Track. The trackless part is probably only about 3 km but likely to keep you busy scrambling and route finding for some time

That's certainly a fun walk! Some lovely swimming holes, but I was too busy swimming in the scrub and flood debris to give them a go...

A suggestion to the south: the tracks down to the Shoalhaven level at Bungonia generally knock the stuffing out of me on the way back up. Try going down the Efflux Track, rockhop as far up Bungonia Creek as you can safely without ropes (the big, circular pool on the 300m contour), turn around and head downstream. Plenty of exit routes for you to tailor the walk to your preferred difficulty (Efflux Track, eastern Red Track Terminus, White Track, Bee Box Track).

[Rob Gosford]

with my aged age and below par fitness/health (40 years of smokes !) tuffest AREA i've done over the years is thru Berowra Valley Regional Park along the GNW..........especially Berowra Waters thru to Cowan. Cowan to Brooklyn isn't a stroll either.

but the one that comes to mind - and I've done it 3 times - is a relatively shorter hike up to Heaton Lookout from Freemans Drive at the Watagan Forest Petrol/Motel stop......9 klms return. Crikey, its a climb and a half UP to the Comm Tower but then a nice flat 'stroll' along to Heaton Lookout - where the views east north and south are breathtaking. There are WARNING signs on Freemans Drive at the commencement warning of the steepness of the climb.

for me yes, that's the tuffest i've done............

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[RainbowSpirit]

I can vouch for the Heaton Gap climb, I came down it doing the GNW late in the afternoon and at the end of a 28km walk across from the Barraba campsite. I hadn't been expecting the descent, and my knees were somewhat stuffed, even with poles it took me an hour and I ended up finishing it in the dark.