Distance: 8.7 km (7.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Moderate terrain
Altitude: 937m to 1348m. Gain: 767m. Loss: 995m . Gradient: 12 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Alpine weather (2/7)

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 (difficulty: 3/5)
Occasional moderate climbs

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

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

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

No description

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From the saddle at Foster’s Clearing the ridgeline route to Mt Royal is signposted. It’s a very good route through mature, widely spaced beech as far as the clear tops of Mt Baldy for more views. The descent west of Mt Baldy is a bit scrubby, but mature beech resumes for the rest of the ridgeline until the treeline at Mt Royal is reached. This is a well-travelled route, and except for the descent off Baldy is easily followed.

The bare scree tops of Mt Royal are the first glimpse of the ‘other face’ of the Richmond ranges – it’s not all trees, and rock sections and rewarding views will become more common as you head west.