The Glow Worm Tunnel is magical. There’s no two ways about it. The 400m long tunnel contains thousands of glow worms which glow like constellations in its deep dark depths. It’s a phenomenal sight. It’s also incredibly easy to access and can be enjoyed in the middle of the day. Whilst we love our night time glow worm adventures, it’s definitely a treat to get an experience like this during the day.
There are two ways you can access the tunnel depending on how far you want to walk. We’ve done both so we can give you a first hand account of each to help you choose which one is best for you. The quickest route is an easy 2.8km return stroll and the longer, a 9.6km circuit with fabulous scenery.
Here’s what to expect in the tunnel, on both trails, and an extra secret adventure you can have nearby!
Tips for visiting the Glow Worm Tunnel
The tunnel is very popular, if you can’t visit on a weekday, aim for early or late in the day on a weekend. If you visit when it’s crowded we’ve heard tales of people shouting and not turning their torches off, trust us that’s not how you want to experience this really magical place.
You will see more glow worms during wet periods, if you can time your visit after some decent rainfall it will be even more impressive.
Give your eyes time to adjust, it takes at least five minutes with no light to be able to pick up the majority of glow worms, and the longer the better. We stayed for over an hour and saw more and more and more, until it didn’t even feel like the same tunnel we had first entered!
The middle of the tunnel, where the light can’t penetrate is where your eyes will pick up the most glow worms.
If you’re like me and you want to sit down and relax to enjoy the spectacle, look for the logs along the floor of the tunnel. They may be a tad damp but it won’t bother you when you see thousands and thousands of glow worms surrounding you!
If you want to take pictures, you will need a tripod. You don’t need any light whatsoever, but you will need a tripod and the right camera settings.
The Glow Worm Tunnel the easy way
The stats
Distance: 2.8km return
Elevation: 50m
Difficulty: Easy
The easiest way to get to the Glow Worm Tunnel is along the aptly named Glow Worm Tunnel Track. It is almost entirely flat and suitable for anyone who can manage a couple of staircases.
Happily it’s also a really pretty walk, with gorgeous forest surrounding you the whole way. You even pass above a small lake and walk on a staircase sandwiched between the cliffs.
In around 20 minutes you’ll arrive at the entrance to the tunnel, which is absolutely beautiful. It feels dramatic and wild, surrounded by numerous tall tree ferns.
It’s also the only place where the path deteriorates. The last few metres into the tunnel can get waterlogged, but there are a few rocks and logs to walk over if it does.
It’s not a smooth path in the tunnel either, but tread carefully and it won’t be an issue.
Make sure you walk the full length of the tunnel and then head over the little bridge you can see directly opposite the tunnel exit.
Walk for just a few hundred metres and you will be in an amazing area of tree ferns! It’s absolutely fantastic and well worth the short detour.
If you’ve already decided this is the route for you, you can skip over the next section to see our tips for inside the tunnel itself.
The Wolgan Valley Circuit
The stats
Distance: 9.6km circuit
Elevation: 275m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
If you have the time to spare we highly recommend taking the longer Wolgan Valley Circuit Track to get to the tunnel. Hardly anyone seems to do this trail, leaving it blissfully quiet and peaceful. You feel like you have the entire forest to yourself, it’s definitely one of our favourite walks in the Blue Mountains.
It’s a really gorgeous and varied walk, and doesn’t have very much in the way of climbing to do either. The majority is flat and relaxing.
You’ll pass through a landscape dotted with pagodas, before walking along the cliff side with great views out to Wolgan Valley.
The last 3km to the tunnel has some slightly rougher terrain in parts, but nothing difficult.
You get even better views of the valley, before entering what can only be described as a tree fern wonderland.
The temperature drops and the dry bushland is replaced with lush greenery, including so many tree ferns, giving the walk some real wow factor.
After you pass through the tunnel you then walk the Glow Worm Tunnel Track as described above, which is a lovely and easy finish to an absolutely fantastic hike.
You can read our full trail guide here.
Note that you can also start this hike from the Wolgan Road (click here to see the location on Google Maps) which covers almost all the Wolgan Valley Circuit, but having done both, we prefer the circuit that also covers the Glow Worm Tunnel Track.
What to expect inside the Glow Worm Tunnel
The tunnel is 400m long and does get very dark as soon as you get a few minutes in from either end. Unlike the glow worm tunnel in Byron Bay which has even railway sleepers, you will need a torch (the one on your phone will do fine) to make your way through the tunnel because the ground is uneven.
It’s rocky, with the odd log and also has water running through it. We visited after quite a bit of rain and in places the water would go over your boots if you weren’t looking where you were going!
For some of the way you can avoid the uneven ground by walking along the wide smooth ledge along the right-hand side of the tunnel - which is perfect because the majority all the glow worms are on the left side so you get a fantastic view!
In order to experience a true glow worm galaxy you need to stop regularly and turn your torch off. Only in total darkness will you truly appreciate just how many there are and how incredible it is.
For the majority of the tunnel (bar the light sections on either end of the openings) there are dense glow worms all the way along the left wall as you head through, (right side when you return). And I mean dense!
It’s very special.
There is also one long stretch of ceiling which is covered in them too. In other places on the ceiling you will see small patches in the nooks, but not a dense covering.
We have walked the tunnel several times and if the right hand side is damp you will find them there too, but the left side generally appears to be wetter.
Glow worms love the damp, so wherever there is the most moisture is where you’ll find them in droves. That’s why nooks and crannies are full of them, as well as the underside of ledges.
We’ve heard people say that the Glow Worm Tunnel is disappointing because there are so few glow worms! That couldn’t be further from the truth - but you must have darkness to see them and let your eyes adjust.
You need at least five minutes in total darkness to see a fraction of what is there. Let your eyes adjust and you will see more and more popping up like magic!
We stayed in the tunnel for over an hour and the numbers in there were just out of this world!
Please look after the glow worms!
Please look after the glow worms. Do not shine light directly on them, to move through the tunnel shine the light at the ground and then turn it off to stand and watch - or sit on one of the logs which was my favourite spot!
Glow worms don’t like light and will stop glowing. Please don’t touch them or make loud noise either, let’s make sure this wonderful experience can be enjoyed by generations to come.
The secret adventure close by - Dry Canyon
Just a 10 minute drive from the Glow Worm Tunnel car park you can enter another otherworldly environment - a stunning slot canyon! Not many people outside the Blue Mountains canyoning circles know about this little hidden gem.
It is easily combined with a trip to the tunnel, making for a full day action packed adventure.
After walking through a forest lined with pagodas, you’ll arrive at the entrance to a narrow slot canyon. Wandering through the towering canyon walls feels like you’ve entered another world.
Some of it is relatively open and some has so little light coming through that it’s dark even in the middle of the day! It’s a fantastic experience and the kind of walk where you’re glad it’s not a circuit so you get to go through the canyon all over again.
It’s an easy walk but for one very short scramble down into the canyon itself - which isn’t difficult by any means but something to note if you’re not keen on climbing down rocks (there’s a rope to help you down if you need it).
The route to the canyon is not signposted and after some severe bushfires and flooding, the path is no longer obvious. We have you covered turn by turn in this detailed guide to Dry Canyon.
Getting to the Glow Worm Tunnel
There are a couple of different ways you can get to the tunnel. We’d recommend heading to the Glow Worm Tunnel Track car park because the road there is usually better - you can find it on Google Maps by clicking here.
You’ll still have to drive 30km of unsealed road, but it’s in pretty good condition. There are some potholes and ruts, but it’s not too bad and it doesn’t seem to suffer from the terrible flooding that other roads off Glow Worm Tunnel Road do.
At time of writing, you do not need any kind of high clearance, but take it slow to avoid as many of the potholes as possible.
The second way of reaching the tunnel is to park on the Wolgan Road. We haven’t used this route for quite a few years, but the last time we did the road was not as good. We also prefer walking both the short and longer track the way we mention above.
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