Glow Worm Tunnel Road
The main forest road across the Newnes Plateau, from Lithgow to the Glow Worm Tunnel carpark, through pine plantation, native forest and pagoda country.
Blue Mountains 4WD tracks and unsealed drives
Forest roads, gravel plateau drives and proper 4WD trails around Lithgow, Oberon and the upper Mountains, each with a route map, surface notes and an offline GPX.
The best driving in the region is on the edges: the Newnes Plateau and Gardens of Stone above Lithgow, and the high country south of Oberon. Some of these are graded gravel a careful 2WD can handle in dry weather. Others need high clearance, low range and a second vehicle.
Each page says plainly what vehicle you need. Conditions change fast after rain, so check the official links on each page before you commit.
Kanangra Walls Road
Thirty kilometres of gravel through snow gum country to Kanangra Walls, the most dramatic lookout in the southern Blue Mountains.
Mount Hay Road
A rough dirt road north from Leura across open heath to the Lockleys Pylon and Mount Hay trailheads, with Grose Valley views most of the way.
Ben Bullen Trail
A proper 4WD trail along the Great Dividing Range through Ben Bullen State Forest into Gardens of Stone National Park, ending near Baal Bone Gap.
Oberon-Colong Historic Stock Route
A 4WD touring route south from Oberon along a 19th-century stock route through Kanangra-Boyd and Blue Mountains national parks to Mount Werong.
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Common questions
Can I drive to the Glow Worm Tunnel in a 2WD?
Usually yes in dry conditions, slowly. Glow Worm Tunnel Road is about 35 km of unsealed forest road and gets rough after rain, when high clearance is strongly recommended.
Where can I go 4WDing near the Blue Mountains?
Newnes State Forest and the Ben Bullen Trail north of Lithgow, and the Oberon-Colong Historic Stock Route south of Oberon.
Do I need a permit?
No permit is needed for public roads in State forests and national parks, but vehicles must be registered and drivers licensed. NPWS campgrounds need a booking.