Cairn Creek hut access

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Hi
Is the track to Cairn Creek hut in the Mt. Bogong area clear and trek able these days?. Is it is better place to camp than the old Helipad/ Big River saddle area? I am planning my Green season hikes already and have never been up the Quartz ridge to Mt. Bogong .
One foresees starting at Howman's gap and either taking the Grey Hills track or the Timm's spur route down to the old Helipad and camping in the area for one night before slogging it up Mt. Bogong.

[JohnR]

I did a similar walk to this in early April.

I left from Howman Gap, up to Ropers Hut (good lunch stop), across Timms Spur to Bogong Creek Saddle (great place to camp). Day 2 was up Quartz Ridge to the top of Mt Bogong, down Granny Spur and a massive bash to Cairn Creek Hut for night 2. Day 3 up to Mt Arthur and then out along the Grey Hills track back to Howman Gap. I would highly recommend this way of doing Mt Bogong - much less crowded than Staircase Spur and extends it to 3 days.

The Saddle / old helipad is a better camping spot than Cairn Creek.

The track from Quartz Ridge down to Cairn Creek is pretty easy to follow. It gets a little sketchy in the last 300m or so as you descend down into Big River. The hut is very close to the junction of Big River and Cairn Creek. Around the hut is the only clearing for a tent or 2.

Cheers,

JohnR

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Hi
Thanks for the Information. I will pass on the Granny spur scrub bash .
My route might look like
Day One .Howman's Gap / The Grey Hills/ Helipad : camp for first night.
Day two : The Quartz Ridge/Summit/ CC Hut: camp second night
Day three: Howman's Falls, Summit and descend via the Staircase to Mtn. Ck.
A car shuttle would be utilized.
What are the Pros and cons of the Grey hills track versus Timm's Spur track ?. Timm's Spur looks longer but with a more humane gradient , less sore knees etc.

[Xplora]

What are the Pros and cons of the Grey hills track versus Timm's Spur track ?. Timm's Spur looks longer but with a more humane gradient , less sore knees etc.

I have done both and my personal view is do the Grey Hills. Timms spur is a road and boring (and seems to go on forever). Yes there are some ups and downs on the Grey Hills but they are not huge ups and only one steepish down that I can remember. Lots of biting ants on the Grey Hills so careful where you stop and sit but still the better walk. Good views on the Grey Hills as well. You will see the start of Big River clearly as waterfalls. The track from Spione Kopje to the Grey Hills is a bit hard to find so when you see them just walk a line through the heath. Also going the Grey Hills will save a fair bit of time and distance and you may have enough time in the afternoon to investigate Cairn Creek Hut from camp at the saddle.

[JohnR]

Agree with Xplora. Grey Hills is a much more pleasant walk than Timms Spur.

Also a good idea to miss the bash off Granny Spur unless you're in to that type of a challenge. It was heavy going and near impossible to follow a bearing. I ended up about 1.5 km 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.