Distance: 0.8 km (0.5 DOC hours) - Benched track - Easy terrain
Altitude: 250m to 281m. Gain: 57m. Loss: 48m . Gradient: 8 deg (Gentle)
Skills:

Benched track (3/9)
Benched, maintained, marked tramping track or pack-track

Primary, mapped (1/5)
Formal route, on maps, principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Easy (difficulty: 1/5)
Grass / prepared surface

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

None (difficulty: 1/6)
No unbridged river crossings

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

A bridge 100m upriver from the hut provides dry access to the western bank. Here an old forestry road heads briefly downriver before swinging west. Shortly after the corner, look out for DOC triangles heading north through the pines - the track down the Hacket Valley.

After wandering through pines for a bit, the track starts to sidle the valleyside - a good benched walking track. A small slip has led to a short deviation on a rough, marked bypass track above the original track. Once past this the track is a good benched track descending steadily to the confluence of Hacket Creek and Browning Stream, where a signpost marks the junction with the Browning Hut track.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Upriver from the Hacket / Browning track junction, the Hacket Hut track climbs steadily up the western face of the Hacket Valley, gaining some 80m and sidling through pine trees. A slip 200m before the hut has caused a brief, marked detour above the track. 100m before the hut, the track joins a forestry road and drops back to the valley. A bridge 100m upriver provides a dry crossing to Hacket Hut.