Cascade National Park

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Overview

Cascade National Park, only an hours’ drive from Coffs Harbour, is ideal for a day trip. Rainforest, walking tracks, car touring and excellent cycling opportunities await.

Read more about Cascade National Park

Cascade National Park is a magical environment. Made up of temperate and subtropical rainforest, its 3,700ha is home to plants and wildlife of all kinds. The elegant lyrebird lives here, as do several types of rare frogs who inhabit the forest leaf litter.

A great day trip from Coffs Harbour, visitors usually begin at the village of Cascade, at the park’s centre. From there, you can go walking and cycling along trails through the rich rainforest environment, go car touring or birdwatching, or view the historic remains of the logging tramways.

The natural beauty of Cascade National Park is sure to inspire and charm the entire family, so pack a picnic and spread out a blanket for a relaxing day out. Moonpar Forest drive is a great way to combine the sights of Cascade National Park with nearby Nymboi-Binderay National Park.

Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/cascade-national-park/local-alerts

Contact

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about Cascade National Park.

Map


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Getting there and parking

Get driving directions

Get directions

    From Dorrigo:

    • Head north via Hickory Street and Vine Street
    • Follow the signs to Megan (14km) via Coramba Road
    • Continue onto Megan­–Briggsvale Road
    • Turn left just before Megan Hall and continue along Megan–Briggsvale Road for another 7km before arriving at Cascade

    By bike

    Check out the Bicycle information for NSW website for more information.

    By public transport

    Cascade National Park is not accessible by public transport.

    Best times to visit

    There are lots of great things waiting for you in Cascade National Park. Here are some of the highlights.

    Autumn

    Mild conditions are great for walking, and you'll see brightly coloured fungi everywhere.

    Spring

    Conditions are dry and perfect for mountain biking through the forests.

    Summer

    The wettest time of the year and a great opportunity to see the rainforest at its best, with fungi and fruits on show.

    Winter

    It's cool, but rug up for walks through the misty rainforest with hardly anyone else around.

    Weather, temperature and rainfall

    Summer temperature

    Average

    17°C and 29°C

    Highest recorded

    28.3°C

    Winter temperature

    Average

    5°C and 22°C

    Lowest recorded

    4.2°C

    Rainfall

    Wettest month

    March

    Driest month

    August

    The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day

    388.2mm

    Maps and downloads

    Safety messages

    However you discover NSW national parks and reserves, we want you to have a safe and enjoyable experience. Our park and reserve systems contrast greatly so you need to be aware of the risks and take responsibility for your own safety and the safety of those in your care.

    Mobile safety

    Dial Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Download the Emergency Plus app before you visit, it helps emergency services locate you using your smartphone's GPS. Please note there is limited mobile phone reception in this park and you’ll need mobile reception to call Triple Zero (000).

    Prohibited

    Pets

    Pets and domestic animals (other than certified assistance animals) are not permitted. Find out which regional parks allow dog walking and see the pets in parks policy for more information.

    Smoking

    NSW national parks are no smoking areas.

    Nearby towns

    Dorrigo (17 km)

    Dorrigo is a serene country town and the gateway to Dorrigo National Park. Its close to the edge of the escarpment above the Bellingen Valley.

    www.visitnsw.com

    Bellingen (45 km)

    Bellingen is a laid-back, tree-lined town with a New Age vibe. It's set in a luxuriant valley beside the Bellinger River.

    www.visitnsw.com

    Coffs Harbour (59 km)

    Coffs Harbour is a coastal city on the North Coast, packed with things to do. It's surrounded by lush forests and national parks.

    www.visitnsw.com

    Learn more

    Cascade National Park is a special place. Here are just some of the reasons why:

      Rich with biodiversity

      Land Mullet (Bellatorias major), Cascade National Park. Photo: A Harber

      The rainforest in Cascade is busy with birds and animals, both day and night. During daylight hours, you may see lyrebirds, brush turkeys, and bowerbirds to name a few. The brightly feathered wompoo fruit dove, with its green belly blends, camouflages itself within the forest canopy. Wallabies can be seen early and late in the day. And rare species including sphagnum and pouched frogs, spotted-tailed quolls and red-legged pademelons also call Cascade National Park home.

      • Box Ridge walking track The short, gently undulating Box Ridge walking track, just an hours’ drive from Coffs Harbour, shows the diversity of the rainforest, including huge brush box trees and wildlife including lyrebirds and wallabies.

      Get active, or simply relax

      Box Ridge walk, Cascade National Park. Photo: Rob Cleary/Seen Australia

      For those who like mountain biking, get yourself to Cascade ride. If walking is more your style, take a walk beneath the ancient trees on either Box Ridge or Mobong tracks. There's also a driving route that traverses both Cascade and the southern reaches of Nymboi-Binderay national parks. And be sure to bring your binoculars for birdwatching, and a picnic for when you're ready to relax. There's a full range of adventures, from the gentle to the more active, in Cascade National Park.

      • Cascade mountain bike trail Enjoy a scenic cycling route through the rainforest on Cascade mountain bike trail, only an hours' drive from Coffs Harbour, and spot lyrebirds, reptiles and other wildlife along the way.

      Cascade's logging past

      Moonpar Forest Drive, Cascade National Park. Photo: Barbara Webster

      At the beginning of the 20th century, all over Dorrigo Plateau, the land was being opened up for dairy farming and cropping. Soon after, red cedar and hoop pine was targeted by loggers. A rail line was opened in 1924 to Glenreagh, and a network of tramlines carried timber from the forests to the mills at Cascade. Although logging no longer takes place here, the four rail lines and logging relics can be seen in Cascade National Park and nearby Nymboi-Binderay and Dorrigo national parks, in particular, around Cascade village and along Moonpar Forest drive.

      • Mobong walking track The delightful walk along Mobong walking track, only an hours' drive from Coffs Harbour, takes in magnificent rainforest, a historic logging tramway and picturesque waterholes.

      A natural palette of colours

      Mobong walking track, Cascade National Park. Photo: Rob Cleary/Seen Australia

      Cascade National Park combines warm temperate and subtropical rainforest filled with coachwood, crab apple, booyong and even hoop pine. Antarctic beech can also be found within its boundaries. In December, Dorrigo waratah blooms, showing off its spectacular red flowers. In the wet eucalypt forests, brush box, tallowwood and Sydney blue gums flourish.

      • Box Ridge walking track The short, gently undulating Box Ridge walking track, just an hours’ drive from Coffs Harbour, shows the diversity of the rainforest, including huge brush box trees and wildlife including lyrebirds and wallabies.

      Education resources (1)

      What we're doing

      Cascade National Park has management strategies in place to protect and conserve the values of this park. Visit the OEH website for detailed park and fire management documents.