Distance: 12.7 km (8.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 1121m to 1953m. Gain: 1637m. Loss: 1294m . Gradient: 13 deg (Moderate-hard)
Skills: Prolonged scrambles (4/7) - Streams (2/6)

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

Secondary, unmapped (4/5)
Route not on maps, an alternative recognised access to hut or along range / catchment

Moderate-hard (difficulty: 4/5)
Continuous moderate climbs

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

Prolonged scrambles (difficulty: 4/7)
Scramble, frequently on exposed ridges, spurs, faces

Streams (difficulty: 2/6)
Small streams, danger only in extreme weather

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

Note: The sidle from the large basin at the head of Pine Creek to the ridge line overlooking Lochnagar is extremely steep and exposed and almost entirely on snow grass. You have to go through two sets of bluffs. A slip would be serious. Only attempt this crossing in perfect conditions and carry an ice-axe or other means of arresting a fall.
From Lochnegar Hut, follow the lake shore north and cross the lake outflow. Climb the spur on the other side. Going is scrubby at first but once the spur becomes more clear a good ground trail exists. Follow the spur upwards until the left (western) side starts to become bluffy, and then sidle left (west) off the spur, round the base of a brief bluff and into the gully west of the spur. Follow this gully up to the saddle between pt1865 and pt1896. The climb is steep in places, but generally good going with only brief scrambles.

Cross the saddle onto the faces above Pine Creek to the north. Sidle the faces above Pine Creek NW for 200m until going becomes difficult due to bluffs descending from pt1896. Descend approximately 20m down the snow-tussock spur just before (SE of) the tricky bluffy section and sidle into a basin below the bluffs. This is a very steep descent on slippery snow-tussock with exposure to serious falls - take care and use an ice-axe.

Sidle the steep faces above Pine Creek at your current altitude north past pt1896, past the next saddle until a scree terrace appears below you - just before you come level with pt2000. Descend to this terrace early, before impassable bluffs develop below you. This is another steep scramble down.

Follow the screen terrace east of pt2000 and into the basin at the head of Pine Creek. These are broad desolate gravel and ice flats. Once int he basin you can drop to Pine Creek and follow the TR of it north up to the saddle at pt1950.

Beyond pt1950 is the vast Snowy Creek valley. Several spurs appear from the top to be good routes down, but most bluff out at their base, so follow the route described here. Head north from the saddle for 2-300m, crossing a small but steeply incised creek flowing west. Follow the spur to the north of the creek west and down into the Snowy, passing a cairn marking the start of the descent. One set of bluffs at 1800m can be avoided by dropping south of the spur towards the creek, and then sidling back onto the spur once beneath the bluffs. From there it is an easy tussock descent to the Snowy, with amazing views of the hanging glacier opposite the whole way.

Follow the Snowy downstream - the entire descent can be made easily on the southern (TL) bank, though crossings would be easy enough in low flows. Just prior to the Rees Saddle the Snowy enters a gorge. Do not follow it into the gorge - which Moirs says is impassable. Instead, climb the faces to the south to the easternmost saddle of the three visible. Here you will find a small tarn, and the Rees Dart track 50m beyond it.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

Note: The sidle from the large basin at the head of Pine Creek to the ridge line overlooking Lochnagar is extremely steep and exposed and almost entirely on snow grass. You have to go through two sets of bluffs. A slip would be serious. Only attempt this crossing in perfect conditions and carry an ice-axe or other means of arresting a fall.

From Rees Saddle climb to the southeast past a couple of small tarns (good camping) and make your way to where you can observe the stream shown on the map. Moirs talks about climbing up high, but the area above the stream is covered in fearsome looking bluffs. Instead, you can drop down to the northeast down a very steep snow grass bank between a smaller line of bluffs. The bank drops you down to Snowy Creek and in dry conditions is relatively straight forward. Follow the true left side of Snowy Creek up valley to the the base of the spur under the 570 grid line on the topomap.

Climb the spur up moderate sloping snow grass almost to the top. The top of the spur bluffs out but simply sidle to the right beneath the bluffs until around them and then climb straight up on steep scree. The slope soon eases off and it's a further gentle climb on up the broad ridge around Point 1950. Peaks 2182 and 2223 both beckon as appealing side trips if you have time. Overlook the large rocky basin at the head of Pine Creek. By early February the snow shown on the map is almost all gone so it is an easy descent. Follow the infant Pine Creek around the basin and as it begins to exit the basin through a gorge leave the stream and climb gently to the southeast up the only easy slope north of Peak 2000. Take the flatish ground out of the basin and follow the terrain as it begins to drop down the hill. A small bluff to the south needs to be climbed through to reach the snow grass slopes of the sidle beyond, a narrow rocky ledge is the easiest route through.

Sidle the very steep snow grass slopes around the top of Pine Cree, keeping high as you negotiate small gullies and the odd scree slope. Pay attention to the line of bluffs dropping down from Peak 1896, there is only 2 obvious breaks in the bluffs, themselves separated by a small bluff. Take the uphill one. It looks almost impossible until you are right upon it where a narrow snow grass ledge leads you into the bluff and straight through. The ledge leads to easier terrain on to the saddle between Peaks 1896 and 1865 where Lochnagar can be viewed.

Descend snow grass towards Lochnagar. Scree slopes lead to a dry stream bed which provides good travel down for several hundred meters (the stream bed later becomes the stream shown on the map at CA11 525 536 which drops to the lake although in Feb 2016 it was dry the whole way down). Angle more and more leftwards (east) as you descend. The ridge line shown on the map dropping south from Peak 1865 is very rocky and bluffy higher up, keep to its edge on the grass. As you start to encounter the scrub band sidle southeastwards onto the ridge where a good animal track (Feb 2016) drops down it to the lake. Follow the animal track all the way down to the lake outlet. Cross on boulders here and then climb the slope to Lochnagar hut.

There is fantastic camping at small exposed beaches at the southern tip of the lake, 20 minutes from the hut, at about CA10 519 521. Cross rocky/scrubby/grassy terrain above the lake and drop down to the very small northern most beach. From here, simply rock hop around the corner on the lake shore to reach the 2nd beach or around a further corner to reach the 3rd. Both the 2nd and 3rd beaches have flat grassy areas to pitch tents on.