Distance: 3.3 km (1.3 DOC hours) - Road - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 1014m to 1072m. Gain: 20m. Loss: 69m . Gradient: 2 deg (Flat)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6) Winter - Snow/ice underfoot (2/7)

Road (1/9)
Formed road, 4WD track, etc

Primary, mapped (1/5)
Formal route, on maps, principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Flat (difficulty: 1/5)
Flat

Easy-moderate (difficulty: 2/5)
Tussock / river-gravel / open bush / cut track

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

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

Snow/ice underfoot (difficulty: 2/7)
Snow/ice likely on track

Travel down the South Branch Ashburton from Top Hut is either on gravel river flats or on faint 4WD tracks on either bank. 2km below Top Hut a good 4WD track commences on the northern bank and runs down terraces to the DOC boundary. The private Wild Mans Hut is 100m west up the sidecreek on the down-river side of the boundary fence.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From Wild Mans Hut, follow the 4WD track up terraces on the northern bank of the South Branch Ashburton River. The track becomes faint after 2km, and you can either follow it or the river to Top Hut, just before the next confluence. Top Hut is visible on the opposite (southern) bank. The river was knee deep in low March flows when I visited but could easily be impassable after rain.