Distance: 4.4 km (1.3 DOC hours) - Tramping track - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 400m to 578m. Gain: 240m. Loss: 128m . Gradient: 5 deg (Gentle)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

Tramping track (4/9)
Cut, marked tramping track: natural, rough ground surface

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

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

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

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

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

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

A poled track runs up the north side of Spotts Creek from the DOC carpark on the Wanaka-Cardrona road. The start at the carpark is signposted and then poled across farmland before joining the farm track up Spotts Creek. After 4km a major fork in the creek is reached and the track swings north up the north branch and starts its climb to Mt Alpha.

For those heading into The Stack CA without climbing Mt Alpha: 20m before the fork in Spotts Creek a farm track drops to the forks via a locked deer gate. At this point we are within the marginal strip and can thus legally follow the track down to the forks. Land north and west of the forks is in The Stack CA.

0.75-1.5 hrs

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From the fork in Spotts Creek, a farm track follows the north side of the river downvalley to flat farmland below. Once on the flats the poled track leaves the farm track, crossing farmland to the DOC carpark on the Wanaka-Cardrona road.

0.75-1.5hrs