Routes
Huts / campsites
Roadends
Summits
Passes / crossings
Scenic features
Junctions
DOC Land
Altitude: 846m to 1633m. Gain: 786m. Loss: 933m . Gradient: 11 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Occasional scrambles (3/7) - Occasional rivers (3/6)
Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey
From the Steele Creek track at the crossing point of the west branch, head up the western branch either in the stream bed or in open bush on the true right. Travel is very easy, it is only 20 minutes to reach the start of the big scree slopes that drop into the stream from above the true right. The west branch went underground here, old mossy boulders fill the stream bed the rest of the way up to the lower lake, but travel in the stream bed remains simple. The lower lake is reached in less than 40 minutes from Steele Creek track! There are camp sites available beside the west branch near the lake outlet, and at a small grassy beach at the southern end of the lake. In late February the lake level was low and it was a simple task to walk around the rocky western side of the lake to reach the lake head. Unfortunately a dense scrub belt extends from the lake up the valley. Travel in the scrub is very slow, with the stream not much better with slippery rocks and thigh deep pools. Battle your way upstream on the true left or in the stream itself until about the 980m contour where crossing to the true right, the scrub thins to about knee hight and some animal trails can be followed upvalley. The stream doglegs across the valley and requires crossing and recrossing again at about the 1000m contour. There are some old boulder fields in the scrub where if you can push through to them there is much easier travel uphill hopping on the rocks. Push through the last of the scrub and rocks to reach the mid valley flats which extend up to vast scree slopes beneath a waterfall at the 1300m contour. The flats are large and flat with loads of excellent camp sites, about 2.5 hours from Steele Creek track. The stream is underground on the grassy bit here but can be found above ground to the west of the tounge of scree at the head of the grass. Continue up valley on the scree, approaching the waterfall and bluffs which guard the upper valley. The route up the waterfall zigzaggs in a "Z" shape up ledges on the true left (east) of the falls. Ascend an obvious tussock/scree slope well to the east of the falls until hard under bluffs, and then sidle left (west) across a small patch of scree under small rocky bluffs towards the falls. Overlooking the falls, a tussuck ramp leads up to the left briefly before a narrow rock shelf is climbed back to the right (east) up through the small rocky bluffs until again hard under the main bluffs. Finally head back left (west) again, across a patch of wet rock that might be quite dangerous in cold/icy conditions. Scree and grass leads to the very top of the falls and the upper valley beyond. Follow the true left of the stream to the large upper lake. The lake outlet is subterranean for about 20 metres before emerging in a large deep pool with excellent swimming. There is flat grassy camping with room for about 5 or 6 tents on the true right of the stream, just south of the pool, about 50m from the lake, about 3.5 hours from Steel Creek track. Make your way around the lake. The western shore is all sidling on scree but has an interesting scree peninusla jutting into the lake to check out. From the head of the lake follow an obvious valley to the north. Scree slopes drop into the valley, with a series of bluffs in the middle. You can probably go up either side of the bluffs on the scree to reach the saddle at Pt1623, but I went up the western side. It was firm scree until the "corner" where you turn to the north, past the bluffs, where the scree got rather loose. Still, its a straight forward scramble to the saddle. Cross the scree of the saddle to where a gully begins the drop away to the north. The views are quite extensive up here. Drop down into the gully and follow the slopes down the hill. At about 1400m large bluffs guard the western side of the stream which continues on down into the Caples. There are some grassy slopes just uphill of the bulffs which provide access to the tops to the west beneath Jean Batten Peak. Sidle across to reach the slopes and climb them to reach the rolling country west of the bluffs. Heading west, you travel through various rocky outcrops, tussocky basins and numerous tarns. There's loads of camping up here and amazing views out over the mid Ailsa, Livingstone, and Humboldt Mountains. McKellar Saddle and Caples track is visible far below. As you head westwards the terrain starts sloping downwards and you want to start heading more to the southwest. A stream drops down to the west under a scree slope which you should connect with, the stream becoming the one on the topo map dropping down to the 2 small lakes on the eastern side of McKellar Saddle. However, you dont want to follow this steam down to the saddle as it bluffs out lower down. Instread there is a parallel gulley to the east of the stream which is the correct route down. At about the 1340m contour look for a line of bluffs which forms the eastern side of the gully. Descend into the gully and carefully pick your way down it. It is very steep. Lower down, the gully splits in 2, with the eastern side becoming choked with scrub. Instead, climb into the western offshoot and continue to descend until out of the gully and onto the open slopes which drop down to the bush line. The slopes are scrubby the closer you get to the stream on the topomap so pick your way down as best you can. Plunge into the trees and follow the natural slope of the hill down through quite dense bush. You should hit the Caples track only a hundred metres or so down from the bridge over the Caples River at the extreme eastern side of McKellar Saddle. If you've drifted to the left (west) during the bush descent you will hit the river before the track! Steele Creek Hut to Steele Creek west branch: 1 hour
Steele Creek track to lower lake: 0.5-1 hour
Lower Lake to mid flats: 1.5-2 hours
Mid flats to upper lake: 1-1.5 hours
Upper Lake to Pt1623: 1-1.5 hours
Pt1623 to McKellar Saddle: 2.5-3 hours