Distance: 1.9 km (3.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Hard terrain
Altitude: 680m to 1078m. Gain: 398m. Loss: 0m . Gradient: 12 deg (Moderate-hard)
Skills: Prolonged scrambles (4/7) - Occasional rivers (3/6)

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

Hard (difficulty: 5/5)
Thick scrub-bash / continuous river boulders, waterfalls, or gorges

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

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

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

A steep 'boulder-scramble' takes you up the lower Smyth from the Wanganui to the head basin. Boulders are 2-3m tall and there's a lot of tough scrambling involved. Route is normally done with multiple crossings of the Smyth, but parties report a TL (east) only route with lots of scrub bashing when the river is up.

Do not be tempted by 'good tussock faces' on the TL once above the falls. They are neither tussock (scrub) nor good. Stick with the riverbed and boulder hopping.

The route to Smyth Saddle turns off 700m below the Bradshaw / Smyth forks. The route is up the small stream shown as a dry gully on the map, tucking round the east side of the knob which overlooks the Smyth/Bradshaw forks. Heading upstream, this is the last gully before the valley gorges out again below the forks. The turnoff is marked with a cairn.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

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