Mt Bogong West and Cairn Creek Hut trail?

[pkbiggs]

Hi

We're planning a 3 day walk from this Friday 27 Feb up and around Mt Bogong.

We're thinking of spending a night at Mt Bogong west. Does anyone know where the nearest water is currently available to this site? Are Bogong falls accessible for water, or maybe we need to bring water over from near Cleve Cole?

Also, has anyone recently headed down Horse Ridge/Granny Spur to Cairn Creek Hut, and then out to Quartz Ridge and back up again? We're contemplating doing this as a round trip from Mt Bogong, with lighter packs. Any thoughts or advice on this would be really useful. We've read the track from Cairn Creek hut to Quartz Ridge may have been cleared a year or so ago, true?

Thanks all.

Phil

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Hi
Let me know how you get on. I am interested in walking in that area esp. the Cairn Creek /Tim's Spur /Quartz ridge area.

[andrewp]

Hi Phil,

Sorry I missed your original post, so this information is too late to be any use to you. I walked this way last Easter. Horse Ridge/Granny Spur is relatively open except for the last section down to the creek. It is a bit overgrown and very steep. We came down to Big River right opposite the hut. You might try coming out closer to Cairn Creek. When we headed out the next morning it was pretty thick scrub climbing up to the ridge. Once on the ridge we came upon the track that had been very recently cleared by Parks. Presumably they have completed it right down to the hut by now. They should know at the Mt Beaty Parks Office. Anyway we had a much easier/faster walk to Quartz Ridge track that expected.

Please let us know how you got on. I am interested to know if they have completed the task.

Regards
Andrew

[pkbiggs]

Hi guys

We decided against the Cairn Ck Hut walk as we just weren't sure about the undergrowth and the track, though thanks Andrew, looks like we'll tackle it next trip.

We camped in the saddle between Bogong and West peak and it was fabulous. Amazing views across the ranges to the North at sunset and sunrise. We found pretty good water from a soak just off the track near the top of the Staircase Spur track. A steady trickle that filled up 2 or 3 litres in 15 or 20 mins, but a boil made sense.

The conditions up there were absolutely beautiful, we had a super 3 days. Here's a pretty special shot late in the day from just near Cleve Cole Hut.

Phil

[SimWalks]

Has anyone headed out were Phil originally planned - Headed down Horse Ridge/Granny Spur to Cairn Creek Hut, and then out to Quartz Ridge and back up again?

I know the track on Quartz Ridge has recently been cleared. What about Horse Ridge/Granny Spur and from Cairn Creek Hut back to Big River Fire Track ? How overgrown are these ?

Thanks.

Regards,

Simon

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Horse ridge and Granny spur are never subject to any kind of track clearing as far as I know. They are best left for heroes and masochists.

[peregrinator]

Track clearing? What track?!? Big Kev has an excellent report on a March 2016 trip that included Granny Spur and Horse Ridge.

http://goinferalonedayatatime.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/mount-bogong-twice-alpine-national-park.html

[bigkev]

Horse ridge and Granny spur are never subject to any kind of track clearing as far as I know. They are best left for heroes and masochists.

Ha ha I reckon masochist is pretty close to the mark

[JohnR]

I went down Horse Ridge (starting at Tadgell Point) and Granny Spur in April 2016. From the top of Granny Spur on it was very heavy going - no track whatsoever, very overgrown and near impossible to follow a bearing. I was crawling in spots. As it was getting darker and darker I had moments when I thought I was never going to get out of there.
I ended up in a creek (Beckrath Creek I think) which I waded down until I hit Big River. From there I was about 1km downstream from the junction of Big River and Cairn Creek, which meant walking / wading up the middle of Big River until I stumbled on Cairn Creek Hut (which is hard to see from the river - I nearly missed it in the dark). Also lots of deer down there.

The track from Cairn Creek Hut up to Quartz Ridge is mostly marked and easy to follow. It is a little bit scetchy and overgrown for the first 200 metres coming up from Cairn Creek and on to the ridge, but from then on the track is obvious.

Cairn Creek Hut would have to be one of the most remote / elusive huts in Vic?


Cheers,

[paidal_chalne_vala]

The track to Cairn Creek hut from Big River Saddle has been cleared as of 28-10-23.