The park features World Heritage listed rainforests, wilderness areas and rapid rivers.

Barrington Tops is located 38 km west of Gloucester, 40 km north-west of Dungog and 65 km east of Scone, and access is mostly along unsealed roads.

The upper part is a mountainous plateau, rising to around 1600m. The lower part includes subtropical rainforests, clear-water rivers, rapids, waterfalls, and forest walks.

In between the plateau and the rainforests, at around 1000m, are Antarctic beech forests, with mosses, lichens and tree ferns. The mountains are often snow-capped in winter.

This rugged park is full of contrasts. Carved out of an ancient volcano, it rises from near sea level to over 1500m. In the lower valleys, you'll find World Heritage-listed subtropical rainforests. Up on the plateau, there is subalpine woodland which regularly sees snow in winter.

Most of the area is declared wilderness, and it's a well-known destination for bushwalkers.

The park's varied environments are home to a wide range of plants and animals, and it protects more than 50 rare or threatened species. In this area, many northern and southern plants meet the limit of their range.