Snowy North

[bluewombat]

Hi all
just enquiring if anyone has been up Snowy North recently, if so how overgrown/open is the standard route
cheers
BW

[weetbix456]

Fairly well defined and taped track. Similar to other rough tracks/routes down SW. Can be a little confusing at points in the forest depending on where you start. There is an abrupt dogleg 90’ turn (approx 850m contour, above park boundary) which is necessary not to continue upwards towards Pluto Bluff if starting from the access along the road further east.

[Blue Jacket Hiker]

Gday Blue Wombat - a mate and I came down the track at the end of a south - north Snowy Range traverse on Tuesday.

Despite studying the "dogleg" thoroughly following many stories of people getting lost on their way up, we found on the way down that the tape heading effectively straight down (north direction rather then east) was easier to follow and just took us to an old forestry road which met up with Ted Ransleys only a km or so from where our car was anyway.

I'm heading back to go up Snowy North in a couple of weeks and will be taking the straight up option as I've logged it on my GPS now. Up to the "dogleg" elevation the track is well marked and through fairly open forest on a steady incline. Above that there is the thick Pandani (once again very well taped) and then the very thick and very steep scrub working up to the ridge (once again well marked).

All quite hard going on the way up I would imagine!

[north-north-west]

It's actually a pretty good track up to the plateau. Narrow and overgrown through the scrub, but clear underfoot. Steep going, but a good little walk.

[bluewombat]

Thanks very much for the info. Blue Jacket I would be interested to hear more of your Snowy South to North traverse trip, how was the terrain, scrub and did you spread it over 2-3 days.
cheers
Bw

[Blue Jacket Hiker]

Gday BW, we actually did the full 22kms or so from Lake Skinner to Ted Ransleys in a day a few weeks ago. We are pretty keen bushwalkers who dabble in a bit of trail running. The going was pretty good up until Wetpants peak and then north from there we just trundled the open stuff and picked our lines through the harder scrub carefully. Took us about 8 hours with a short break for lunch.

That South to North efffort was a reccy for our a 24hr "Adventure Race" (completely made up) we did last weekend, incorporating mountain biking, running down rivers, the traverse and kayaking the weld, from Maydena to Tahune Airwalk about 120kms that took us 25hrs. The North to South (this time) traverse was a highlight with amazing views in the late arvo/evening as we climbed Snowy North. Beyond that we were making incredible headway until about 11pm when the misty clouds rolled in making our GPS delay/play up and rendering our expensive bright head torches designed to light up the next km or so useless due to the fog! My average Navigational skills with map and compass, with low visibility made for a very slow and zigzaggy boulder hop from Snowdrift Tarns to Snowy South between 2 and 4 am! Awesome range and experience though, loved it!

[Blue Jacket Hiker]

Another couple of snaps sorry so big...
Nevada in the distance as the cloud slowly rolled in...


Sun setting around Scrivens Cone somewhere...


Tough going at night!

[phATty]

Beautiful country. I've only been to Snowy South (although my partner and I seemed to enjoy Lake Skinner a bit more than the "main" attraction), looking to explore both Nevada and Snowy North as an overnight.

Wondering if anyone could pm me a description or some GPS coordinates to point me towards the start of the track? We'd need to shuffle cars that's all. I suppose if starting from Nevada it wouldn't be a huge deal to leave the car on Ted Ransley's, chuck that in the GPS or mark it on the map and follow the Snowy North track until it spits us out somewhere, could find our way back I suppose, but info on access would be useful to avoid the road walk.

I've heard there's some random logging coupe to follow or something? and a stick in a bunch of rocks? Confusing... haha.

[north-north-west]

The route described in the Abels book for Snowy North is good. Either walk up Styx South Rd until it becomes Waterfall Creek Rd, continue past the sign, take the first spur road on the right and keep going up around the corner just after it flattens out until you reach the open area with the old snig track. Taped from there, albeit rather overgrown, and you have to watch very carefully for the spot you step off (again, to the right) the snig track. Or, if your car (and driving) can cope, follow Waterfall Creek Rd (the gate seems to be permanently unlocked) until the abovementioned spur road, and etc. Ignore the tracks shown on ListMap - neither will work as well unless you really want to push through some absolutely godawful scrub for hour after hour.

Nevada road access is via the road to the Skinner track, just continue past the spur road until you reach another just before the closed bridge. Some extra road walking was involved last time I checked it out, as a culvert on the spur road had collapsed, but the track is OK.

[bluewombat]

I went for a walk up Snowy North yesterday. Waterfall creek road is open from the Styx road end but you cannot quite get to the spur road NNW mentions as there is a washed out culvert and a road closed sign. You can park at the junction with Ted Ransley road about 700m before the spur road (which is too overgrown in sections for a car in any case). I did not try coming up Waterfall creek road from the South Styx road end. The route description in the Abels is good and the track is taped but following it, particularly in the open forest and particularly around tree fall, requires your attention. There are plenty of direction changes in both the open rainforest and the pandani forest to watch for and the section above this to the plateau is steep. There is no track from the plateau edge to the actual summit.

[phATty]

Successful in traversing Snowy South - Snowy North last weekend. The pad is very much intact and very well cairned once you pick it up from the edge of the plateau (we had to initiate a little bit of a search for it, low cloud did not help). Had no issues in following it right down to the spur road.

[Lostsoul]

Has anyone been in the Styx road/Waterfall road way recently?Just seeking info where to park and gates etc.Also anywhere to car camp in the area,near a creek or river as planning to do Mueller while I’m down that way.

[north-north-west]

Has anyone been in the Styx road/Waterfall road way recently?Just seeking info where to park and gates etc.Also anywhere to car camp in the area,near a creek or river as planning to do Mueller while I’m down that way.

The Big Tree parking area on Styx Rd has a dunny. If you don't require that level of infrastructure, there are heaps of little spots you can use. Short walk down to the river, nice little loop track through the forest.

There were no closed gates on the eastern road access (Waterfall Ck Rd) last time I was there, but there is one low on South Styx Rd. But Waterfall Ck Rd is narrow and a bit awkward in places, and degenerates once you're past the junction with Ted Ransleys. There is a good parking area at that junction and it's no more than 1km to the spur road the walking track takes off from.

[Lostsoul]

Has anyone been in the Styx road/Waterfall road way recently?Just seeking info where to park and gates etc.Also anywhere to car camp in the area,near a creek or river as planning to do Mueller while I’m down that way.

The Big Tree parking area on Styx Rd has a dunny. If you don't require that level of infrastructure, there are heaps of little spots you can use. Short walk down to the river, nice little loop track through the forest.

There were no closed gates on the eastern road access (Waterfall Ck Rd) last time I was there, but there is one low on South Styx Rd. But Waterfall Ck Rd is narrow and a bit awkward in places, and degenerates once you're past the junction with Ted Ransleys. There is a good parking area at that junction and it's no more than 1km to the spur road the walking track takes off from.

So you don’t go in on South Styx road past Maydena?Go in on Styx road from Karanja end?is that right?Then on to Wayerfall road?

[north-north-west]

You go in from Maydena. Keep going past the South Styx Rd turnoff (unless you want to walk up it). Through the Big Tree Reserve. Turn right up Waterfall Creek Rd. Ignore all side roads un til you get to the Ted Ransley Jn. If you have a 4WD you should be able to continue on to the spur road. If not, it's best to park at the Ted Ransley Jn and walk in from there.

#1 is the South Styx turnoff.
#2 is the Big Tree Reserve - good parking, short walks, toilets.
#3 is the Waterfall Creek Rd turnoff.
#4 is the Ted Ransley Rd Jn.
#5 is the Spur Rd Jn.
#6 is the big hairpin/turnoff on the spur road.
X is roughly the spot you leave the spur road.

Ignore the walking tracks marked on ListMap - neither version is accurate. Follow the instruction in the Abels book or earlier on this thread.

[Lostsoul]

You go in from Maydena. Keep going past the South Styx Rd turnoff (unless you want to walk up it). Through the Big Tree Reserve. Turn right up Waterfall Creek Rd. Ignore all side roads un til you get to the Ted Ransley Jn. If you have a 4WD you should be able to continue on to the spur road. If not, it's best to park at the Ted Ransley Jn and walk in from there.

SNorth.jpeg

#1 is the South Styx turnoff.
#2 is the Big Tree Reserve - good parking, short walks, toilets.
#3 is the Waterfall Creek Rd turnoff.
#4 is the Ted Ransley Rd Jn.
#5 is the Spur Rd Jn.
#6 is the big hairpin/turnoff on the spur road.
X is roughly the spot you leave the spur road.

Ignore the walking tracks marked on ListMap - neither version is accurate. Follow the instruction in the Abels book or earlier on this thread.

Awesome,cheers.Was just trying to find a viable option for doing both Mueller and Snowy North with a night of car camping as I’m coming from the north west coast and wanted it to be worthwhile driving so far

[north-north-west]

Easy enough and a good plan. Snowy Nth is the longer walk, but they aren't that far apart, so unless the weather goes apeshit or they've gated Mueller Rd you'll have lots of fun.

[Blue Jacket Hiker]

GPX of Snowy Range Traverse, including access to the 'newer' taped section we followed of the Snowy North track (rather than the older version that went further East on Ted Ransleys). This was Feb 22 and we drove up Waterfall and parked at the junction with Ted Ranselys - it was 2WD accessible (if you dont mind the risk of scratches from overgrown foliage).

[doogs]

There's a large myrtle over waterfall creek road, marked with a pin. The other pin marks the start point of the direct track which passed through some lovely forest..

[Lostsoul]

There's a large myrtle over waterfall creek road, marked with a pin. The other pin marks the start point of the direct track which passed through some lovely forest..

I’ve cut the tree off the road this morning.There is now enough space to drive a car through.
Said tree was a Wattle btw lol

[JnT]

Went up Snowy North Today, Styx Road 400m beyond the Big Tree walk is blocked by a giant euc that will need more than a chainsaw to remove.

Ended up parking by the gate on South Styx and walking from there.

[lefroy]

Good thing your car is on the right side of it!!!

[north-north-west]

Good thing your car is on the right side of it!!!

Nah, it''s a great excuse for not getting in to work on the Monday.
As long as the car isn't under it.

[Myrtle Danielle]

Went up Snowy North Today, Styx Road 400m beyond the Big Tree walk is blocked by a giant euc that will need more than a chainsaw to remove.

Ended up parking by the gate on South Styx and walking from there.

Hiya - do you remember how much time/km was added by having to walk from the gate? We are looking to head there this week and suspect the tree may not ahve been cleared as yet