An hour from Australia’s largest city lie 2.8 million acres of World Heritage-listed wilderness in the Blue Mountains, a favorite Sydneysider destination for day trips and weekend getaways. This is nature writ large: sheer sandstone cliffs, rainforest-clad valleys cooled by waterfalls, and dramatic gorges with Aboriginal art dating back tens of thousands of years. This is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, offering hikes ranging from heart-pounding full-day explorations along remote escarpments to hour-long strolls among dramatic rock formations.

Katoomba is the largest town, but dozens of other historic hamlets await discovery, including deciduous-tree-draped Leura; Blackheath, near the mountains’ highest point; and Wentworth Falls, gateway to some of the area’s most spectacular trails.

From the airport at Sydney’ (SYD) the drive northwest to the Blue Mountains takes an hour. Having your own transportation is ideal, allowing you to explore at your own pace the region’s villages and attractions, some of which are inaccessible via public transportation.

The alternative is train. From the airport, take the short ride to Central Station, where you’ll change lines. From here, it’s about two hours to Katoomba, where public buses service major attractions, including a loop route to Echo Point (gateway to the Three Sisters) via Scenic World. Or board the hop-on, hop-off Blue Mountains Explorer Bus, with multiple stops in and around Katoomba and Leura.

Regional temperatures are cooler than Sydney, and the higher into the mountains you venture, the greater the drop in degrees. If you’re a hiker, mark fall (March through May) in your diary, with easing summer rains and cooler temperatures ideal for working up a sweat outdoors; this is also the season for leaf-peeping, with deciduous trees transforming the countryside in fiery shades. Come spring (September through November), cool-climate gardens burst with the color of a thousand blooms.

Summer rains (December through February) and daytime temperatures around 64 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit mean landscapes are green and lush, and waterfalls tumble from most clifftops. Peak season, however, is winter (June through August), with average daytime temperatures in the low 40s, when some mountains are dusted with snow, ideal for hiking or cozying up beside a fire in your cabin.

Three Sisters Walk

This 45-minute, family-friendly paved loop is the Blue Mountains in a snapshot. From Echo Point Visitor Centre just outside Katoomba, the Jamison Valley unfolds before you, with views extending to Mount Solitary and the soaring sandstone turrets of the Three Sisters, named after Aboriginal tales of their formation. The surrounding national parkland boasts 400 species of animals and birds, including lyrebirds and crimson rosellas.

Scenic World Blue Mountains

Here you’ll find the world’s steepest passenger train, traveling from the clifftop 1,017 feet down into the forest on a 52-degree rail incline. At the base, a web of trails explores the Jamison Valley rainforest. Take the train’s return trip, or catch the 1788-foot Scenic Cableway back. You can also choose to observe the Three Sisters and Mount Solitary from the glass-encased Scenic Skyway aerial cable car, gliding between clifftops 886 feet above the valley floor.

Jenolan Caves

Some 300 caves comprise Jenolan, the largest cave system in Australia, and the oldest of its kind in the world. Nine grottoes are open to visitors on a range of guided experiences ― think night tours, and walks revealing Aboriginal legends and mysteries ― taking you through a labyrinth of limestone chasms carved over millennia by underground rivers. Whether guided by daylight or headlamp, you’ll glimpse soaring chambers, pass enormous stalagmites and stalactites, and be dazzled by passageways glittering with crystals.