Parson & Clerk (Gunns Marsh Road Access)

[Crawfinator]

Am looking at walking up Parson & Clerk from Gunns Marsh Road sigling past gunns and little lake, as opposed to from the bottom south east access described in the abels.

Just wondering if anyone could give me some info on the access road in - assume there is no boom gate, is the road 2 wheel driveable?

Any assistance would be appreciated!

Cheers

[Tortoise]

Hi Crawfinator,
We went that way in April last year. iirc, you need to time it to be IN trout season (gate open), and OUT of deer/duck hunting season (gate closed). I think it's the one marked on LISTmap as soon as you leave Poatina Rd.

I confess I was a little nervous on the way in in my old Subaru Forester, because of the size of the rocks on the road. Much bigger than a normal gravel road, and I didn't know if it would get worse/if there'd be anywhere to turn around if it did. Went very slowly on the 'tricky bit'. On the way out, I kept looking for the 'tricky bit', but didn't find it! I guess that once I knew it was navigable, I was in a more optimistic frame of mind. I was a bit worried re punctures, but in fact had no problems. If you're used to rough roads in your 2wd, I'm guessing you'll have no problems.

The walk was a doddle. Funny, I was only talking about it a couple of days ago, with someone who did it the hard way and was jealous!

[Crawfinator]

Thanks, great info! Cheers

[bluewombat]

Be very interested in your experience of both the road and the track via this access Crawfinator as I am planning on going up P&C in the next few weeks
bw

[Crawfinator]

Did you get up there bluewombat?

I didn't end up making it, but may have a go this coming weekend pending weather,,,

[bluewombat]

I had a go at it , but my Mondeo would not cope with the last 5 kms of road. Any 4wd would be fine I think
cheers
BW

[Tortoise]

I had a go at it , but my Mondeo would not cope with the last 5 kms of road. Any 4wd would be fine I think
cheers
BW

Was it the rocks, or have ruts developed - or something else?

[bluewombat]

They have put large chunks of blue metal rock on that section of road, the 4WDs have compressed the edges and the central ridge has effectively become too high, my Mondeo is pretty low and it bottomed out quickly on that last section. Having pulled a few bits off the underside of my car in the past I turned back
BW

[Tortoise]

Bummer. Thanks for the update.

[Haydynb]

Thanks BW. We are looking at heading in there next weekend, if i may ask re the road... do you reckon an SUV, like an outback or Tiguan would manage the road.. they are that bit higher i guess...and is the road overgrown at ..?

Thanks!

Haydyn

[Crawfinator]

I hoping to go in tomorrow morning in my ranger (pending final wife approval) - will update tomorrow if i make it up.

[Haydynb]

Awesome Crawf! Look forward to wifel approval and road update!

[bluewombat]

I am sure any SUV would be fine, the road was not at all overgrown in the section (ie the majority) I traversed
cheers
bw

[Rai]

Bummer. Thanks for the update.

The ground clearance of a Subaru Forester is 220 mm compared to a Ford Mondeo's ground clearance of 128 mm. The Forester's ground clearance is actually higher than that of Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (219 mm). These specs are for current models. Based on these specs, the Subi is a very capable vehicle for gravel roads imo.

[Haydynb]

Awesome. My Tiguasn has around 200mm...hopefully enough. Thanks to all for the feedback.. look forward to Crawfs report...

[Crawfinator]

Just returned, after a really good walk/jog up Parson and clerk Mountain.

We were both surprised at how pretty the area was, some great camping spots up there.

Both of us agreed too that we would be more than happy to take a lowish 2wd all the way in with no problems, with care. Potholes can all be avoided and the section blue wombat refers to is short and not really an issue, road gets better after it.

A recommended walk.

[Haydynb]

Thx Crawf!

[Mowser]

Just returned, after a really good walk/jog up Parson and clerk Mountain.

We were both surprised at how pretty the area was, some great camping spots up there.

Both of us agreed too that we would be more than happy to take a lowish 2wd all the way in with no problems, with care. Potholes can all be avoided and the section blue wombat refers to is short and not really an issue, road gets better after it.

A recommended walk.

Yep, a very enjoyable jaunt! Will head back soon. Some awesome alpine landscapes up there too! The cushion plant communities were plentiful!

[L_Cham_67]

An update for the Gunns Marsh Road access to Parson and Clerk mountain.
A bridge has been damaged at Tumbledown Creek, and fording isn't an option, as the creek was as deep as the car! If you want to access Parson & Clerk from this route, add on 5-6km of road each way I reckon. (we didn't bother so went to Sandbanks Tier instead )

[gatesy]

Quite annoying for a 2 hour + drive to find this, unfortunately just not up for the road walking today.

I guess you could say the bridge tumbledown

[Cloudstone]

The bridge over Tumbledown Creek has been repaired. We drove through to Gunns Lake yesterday to walk Parsons and Clerk - in a Subi Forester. There are some big not very deep potholes on the road - any car with a bit of clearance should be able to get through. The only other obstacle is the gate at the beginning of Gunns Marsh Road - it was open yesterday even though the sign said closed from April to August - thankfully it was still open when we drove out.