Last Updated: 21st Sep 2023
Hacket Chromite Mine Loop
Last Updated: 21st Sep 2023
Grunt Factor: 14 ?
Gnarl Factor: 62 ?
9.3km
295m
295m
290m
Last Updated: 21st Sep 2023
Last Updated: 21st Sep 2023
Grunt Factor: 14 ?
Gnarl Factor: 62 ?
9.3km
295m
295m
290m
Front country - easily accessible
Combo
Undulating, some big hills
Dog Friendly
Native bush
Plantation/exotic forest
Riverside
Farm Road / 4WD Track
Easy Single Track
Moderate Single Track
Technical Single Track
Average Uphill Gradient: +11.6%
Average Downhill Gradient: -10.6%
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2:00
Slow
1:30
Moderate
0:50
Fast
This is a nice grunty little circuit you can do in the popular Hacket Valley and in summer there's nothing better than finishing off with a plunge into the large deep swimming hole beside the carpark.
Follow the Hacket Track along the old forestry road, which is a nice gentle run, cross the Hacket Swingbridge then keep going up the valley until you will come to a junction with the Chromite Track - this is the other end of the loop and whilst you could go up here its slightly easier to carry on up the Hacket Track to the Chromite Mine Track.
Once you've reached the turn off turn right onto the Chromite Mine track and it climbs quiet steeply in places passing old mine shafts before levelling out on to an old road that the Nelson Mountain Bike club has cleared to form a loop back down to the Hacket Track.
To add distance you can include a run to the Hacket Hut first and turn off on the way back to add in a bit more vert.
Follows old Cromite Mine trail past two mines. Riverside along Hacket Stream.
Good size DOC carpark popular place in summer for walkers and picnics with large swimming hole beside carpark.
16 km
22 minutes
Yes
No
Easy.
Take a map as it can be easy to accidentally bypass the first track Junction.
Non-existent.
Short-sleeved thermal top, Windproof jacket, Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), Whistle, First aid kit, Extra food for emergencies, Cellphone, Map
The Hacket Track has plenty of streams for water. The Chromite has some too but not in drought conditions.
This valley gets very hot in summer and blinking cold in winter.
This is a popular valley and dogs and mountain biking are allowed so keep an ear and eye out.
Trail Legend
Fastest Known Times (FKTs)
You and Hacket Chromite Mine Loop
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Fantastic route. Nice easy warmup leading gently upwards until the junction. It looks like you can cross the river and ignore the swing bridge if it's busy, but you can't - blackberries and gorse too thick. Trust me, we tried and then had to retreat back up to the bridge and patiently wait for a large group to cross. The Chromite track is definitely steep, but the flat(er) bit to the top and the downhill is great running. Not sure if it's a route I'd want to do too often - only when a certain type of suffering is required!
April 16, 2022
Superb route. The first 2km along the river is easy and pleasant. The 1.2km grunt uphill is a tough climb but worth it for a very technical and fun descent. It’s a great route for dogs, with plenty of water available. On a nice day bring a picnic to enjoy by the river at the end but watch out for sandflies!
December 22, 2021
Ignore the average uphill gradient...260m elevation gain is within 1km, fortunately after 2.5km of easy warm up trail for the legs. Only a goat would be able to run up this section so I'm surprised this doesn't have a goat rating! Thankfully the downhill is not as steep and if my knees weren't poked this would be quite enjoyable for the most part! Very grateful for the devine swimming hole at the start/end as the cooler overcast day turned sunny and hot while I was out on the trail. Not a great trail for views but lovely along the river for the 1st 2.5km and final 3.5km.
January 2, 2021
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.
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