Suggestions: Snowy Mtns base camp within 4 hrs of car

[ribuck]

Does anyone have a suggested route that includes the following? Any ideas gratefully accepted.

• Walk 4 hours from the car to a place to camp for 2 nights, preferably where a wood fire is possible
• A circuit of say 20km on the second day
• Return to the car on the morning of the third day

I've done lots of overnight walking in the Blue Mountains and the Budawangs, but my last overnight in the Snowy Mountains was about 30 years ago.

Thanks!

[kjbeath]

Maybe a little short and not a circuit but the walk in to Oldfields Hut, then a daywalk to Bimberi is very nice.

[north-north-west]

Drive into Pockets, walk to the Blue Waterholes area, spend the next day exploring (plenty of tracks), walk back out. Or Round Mountain to past Derschko's , explore Jagungal, Strawberry Hill, Grey Mare Range, whatever takes your fancy in the area. From Guthega, into Schlinck Pass via whichever route you want, and do a loop to Gungartan, down Kerries to Mawson, along the Valentine River to the hut and back via the track.
Options are only limited by your imagination and your physical capabilities.

If you're going in summer, be aware that the entire KNP can be declared a Total Fire Ban zone if the weather gets warm and dry enough.

[ribuck]

Thanks kjbeath and north-north-west, those are great suggestions and I appreciate your comments too.

Usually I just go and explore, and I camp wherever I get to. But this time my wife is accompanying me, and she likes to have a destination already in mind.

[rcaffin]

Strongly recommend that you do NOT light wood fires in any of the alpine region, unless in a hut. I am not sure it is even legal: a lot of it is fuel-stove only zone.

Cheers
Roger

[ribuck]

Strongly recommend that you do NOT light wood fires in any of the alpine region, unless in a hut. I am not sure it is even legal: a lot of it is fuel-stove only zone.

I will double-check before I go, but I seem to recall that wood fires are legal below the treeline in KNP provided there's not a total fire ban or a park fire ban. (On a separate note, I was disappointed to discover that there is a park ban for the whole of this summer on wood fires for most of Wollemi NP.)

[LachlanB]

Even worse, not only is there a fire ban for Wollemi, but there's one out for all the NPs managed from Mudgee too. NPWS's stance regarding campfires is getting absurd.

[Zapruda]

Strongly recommend that you do NOT light wood fires in any of the alpine region, unless in a hut. I am not sure it is even legal: a lot of it is fuel-stove only zone.

Cheers
Roger

Roger is correct. Thankfully, no wood fires allowed outside of designated fire pits in KNP, especially not in the backcountry and above the treeline.

[tom_brennan]

Park fire bans effectively rule out camping away from water, even if you're using a gas stove. I don't imagine most people are carrying the equivalent of a bucket of water to their high camp!

"Visitor-owned gas and electric barbecues and cookers are permitted as long as:
- They're under direct control of an adult
- The ground within 2m of the barbecue is cleared of all flammable materials
- There's an adequate supply of water (minimum of a bucket)"

[north-north-west]

Strongly recommend that you do NOT light wood fires in any of the alpine region, unless in a hut. I am not sure it is even legal: a lot of it is fuel-stove only zone.

Roger is correct. Thankfully, no wood fires allowed outside of designated fire pits in KNP, especially not in the backcountry and above the treeline.

Good.

[ribuck]

Unfortunately we chose last weekend to go, a poor outcome on account of the extremely heavy rain. The weather was so poor that we decided to walk to the Kosciuszko summit from Charlotte Pass instead of camping overnight. Not surprisingly we saw absolutely no views along the way or at the summit. Having plenty of rain gear and warm clothing, we then walked along the main range and down past Blue Lake, intending to loop back to Charlotte Pass. Not surprisingly we saw no views, and got blown and pelted hard. There was plenty of snow to cross too, including one large and steep drift that required kicked steps.

And, not surprisingly, the Snowy was an un-crossable torrent. So, despite the car being only a kilometre away, we had to retrace our steps, making it into a 40km day.

My KNP overnighter will have to wait for another time. I can't believe it's over 30 years since I visited the Snowies, and it was great to be back. Now that I have the scale of the country back in my head again, it will be easy to plan future trips. Thanks again for the help in this thread.

[johnw]

And, not surprisingly, the Snowy was an un-crossable torrent. So, despite the car being only a kilometre away, we had to retrace our steps, making it into a 40km day.

I feel for you. Know that circuit well and in good weather absolutely love it. I'd find it soul destroying to be confronted with no other option in the situation you describe. You showed great character and judgement to turn around and not be tempted to try and cross.

[ribuck]

You showed great character and judgement to turn around and not be tempted to try and cross.

Oh, we were tempted I can assure you. It was already 4pm. But we knew if we lost our footing it wouldn't have had a happy outcome. We got back to Charlotte Pass as the last of the twilight faded, but we were well equipped and could have done the return leg in darkness if necessary.

[Mark F]

Good on you for turning back. One tip when doing a circuit is to do it in the direction that gets over any major obstacles early on.

[Lizzy]

Big day! Marks suggestion is a great one.
Hope you get back there in fairer weather

[puredingo]

This thread and it's suggestions has been good for me too. I've never been to the snowies myself but have been toying with a walk there early next year.

What's the weather like in March, is snow prevelent around that time?...Will I be walking with the masses?

I would have definitely crossed that river ribuck, my laziness drives me on in short, sharp bursts.

[Zapruda]

This thread and it's suggestions has been good for me too. I've never been to the snowies myself but have been toying with a walk there early next year.

What's the weather like in March, is snow prevelent around that time?...Will I be walking with the masses?

I would have definitely crossed that river ribuck, my laziness drives me on in short, sharp bursts.

The weather in March is great with warmish days and cool nights. It can snow any time of the year but its unlikely in March.

The masses!!! yes, no, maybe. It all depends where you walk. Between November and June, the Main Range loop or the platforms from the Thredbo chairlift to the top of Kosciuszko can feel like Bourke street.

I would suggest, where applicable a mostly off track loop that looks something like this: Guthega - Consett Stephens pass - Mt Tate - Mt Twynam - Mt Kos - South Ramshead - Kangaroo Ridge - Blue lake - Guthega. You can add in all the goodies along the way like Mt Tate, Mt Townsend, Lake Albina, Ramshead, Twin humps etc. This could take you 2 days or 6 days, its up to you.

I have marked a VERY ROUGH route on the map in red here - http://maps.ozultimate.com/?lat=-36.383 ... 2445358988

good luck

[ribuck]

One tip when doing a circuit is to do it in the direction that gets over any major obstacles early on.

For sure. When walking off-track I do that every time, almost automatically. But with this path being so heavily engineered all the way around (stone paving, metal gangways, gravel diamonds, brick pavers, etc), it never occurred to me that they hadn't put a footbridge over the Snowy River while they were at it.

[rcaffin]

The track work is not to help the masses do the walk under any conditions; it is to protect the environment. Very different.
Cheers
Roger