Distance: 9.5 km (7.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 869m to 1098m. Gain: 319m. Loss: 109m . Gradient: 3 deg (Gentle)
Skills: Alpine weather (2/7) - Occasional rivers (3/6)

Unmarked route, clear (7/9)
Unmarked route, follows obvious geography (river, spur, trail, etc)

minor (5/5)
A viable route, not widely used

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Moderate (difficulty: 3/5)
Low scrub in open or bush / river rocks

Alpine weather (difficulty: 2/7)
Tramp on open tops, exposed to alpine weather

Occasional rivers (difficulty: 3/6)
Occasional rivers - impassible after heavy rain

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

Cross to the true right to avoid boulders before following the true left of the northern branch around the head of Cascade Creek. Thickly scrubbed side creeks require short bursts of effort to get past. Head south into the southern branch and cross to its true. Cross swampy terrain on the saddle to pick up the Eginton East Branch which is best followed close to its river bank. Gorges lower down can be avoided on the tussock slopes, although nore scrubbed side streams are encountered.

As you near the large river flats cross to the true right to avoid scrub. The flats themselves are tussock covered and periodically swampy. There are good camp sites at the bush edge. Cross the eastern tributary to reach them.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From your camp spot in the East Eglinton river flats flats make your way to roughly where the eastern tributary joins up with the main wast branch of the Eglinton. Cross to the true right to avoid scrub at the head of the flats and continue up river for about 1km before crossing back to the true left. Continue up valley as the river drops through a gorge at about CC09 135 093. The upper valley is all tussock with numerous thickly scrubbed side creeks but there is decent travel close to the main river.

Eventually reach the low, swampy saddle that separates the East Eglinton from the southern branch of Cascade Creek. Keep to the west side of the valley to avoid swamps and eventually drop down to the thickly scrubbed southern branch of Cascade Creek and cross to its true right side. Sidle around the head of Cascade Creek and make your way up the true left side of the northern branch crossing scrub filled side creeks. A large boulder field at CB09 148 163 is best avoided by crossing to the true right. Carry on up the creek until clear of the boulders and return to the true left. There is camping in the creek bed, the flat ground outside of the creek was swampy in December 2019. To carry on to the Duck/Cascade Saddle follow a spur on the true right up to the obvious low ground at the Duck Creek/Cascade Creek saddle about an hour further on.