Front country - easily accessible
Out and Back
Undulating, some big hills
Native bush
Riverside
Open farmlands
Open tussock/grasslands
Easy Single Track
Moderate Single Track
Technical Single Track
Average Uphill Gradient: +12.6%
Average Downhill Gradient: -12.6%
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3:00
Slow
2:15
Moderate
1:30
Fast
The first 2.7k is a nice warm up on easy single track following the marker poles. Once through the second deer fence you enter the beech forest and undulate alongside Fern Burn to reach a footbridge. Once over the bridge the gradient steepens dramatically and the trail gets very technical in places.
Once above the bush you enter tussock country within a gorged section of Fern Burn. The final couple of kms sidle above the stream, mostly climbing but sometimes descending to reach Fern Burn Hut.
Once you've taken a breather on the deck of this beautifully positioned hut and drunk in the views start re-tracing your steps and enjoy the mostly downhill run back to your car.
A beautiful section of native beech forest, open tussock country and great views.
Plenty of parking on opposite side of road to trailhead. Also a toilet and information board.
15 km
16 minutes
Unknown
No
Moderate.
Make navigation of this route super-easy by using the Capra app on your phone. View on Capra .
The trail is generally well marked, just keep a close eye out for the red triangle markers on trees in the bush section
Very patchy.
Long-sleeved thermal top, Seam-sealed waterproof jacket, Gloves, Beanie/thermal headwear, Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), Whistle, First aid kit, Extra food for emergencies, Cellphone, Map, Crampons / microspikes (for winter conditions).
The water in Fern Burn is fine once in the bush or higher up. Also water at the hut.
Muddy after heavy rain, can be icy in winter particularly if starting early.
Nothing more than the usual hazards associated with technical trail. Take care if not confident on root/rocky stuff.
Trail Legend
Fastest Known Times (FKTs)
You and Fern Burn Hut
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Beautiful trail, mixture of all sorts of terrain, did it after heavy rain which did not really affect it. The forest section is gorgeous and the location of the hut is awesome. Great little run
May 29
These overlap with this trail to some degree. You may wish to combine them but please note that to qualify for FKTs on these runs you should record a separate activity for each.