Distance: 6.1 km (3.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Easy terrain
Altitude: 632m to 734m. Gain: 176m. Loss: 77m . Gradient: 2 deg (Gentle)
Skills: - Streams (2/6)

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

Primary, unmapped (2/5)
Route not on maps, but is principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Easy (difficulty: 1/5)
Grass / prepared surface

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

From the forks, either head up the riverbed, crossing three times through the initial gorge, or pick up the high-water track that starts 200m downriver of the confluence, marked by a triangle. This takes you over a swingbridge and deposits you on the northern bank of the Huxley 500m upriver.

Once on the Huxley flats, head upriver on the flats on the true left. A few minor sidestreams need to be forded, and these can flood in extreme weather. After 2km, the river cuts under the northern bank, and you must either cross the river, or pick up triangles on the northern bushedge and follow a sidle track which climbs the valleyside above the river. Either way, you return to the valley floor / true left 1km upstream and do not need to cross again before the hut. Huxley Forks Hut sits on terraces, back on the bushedge at the forks in the Huxley.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

From the Forks Hut, head downriver on terraces on the northern bank on a well-travelled but unmarked route. After 2km the river undercuts the northern bank and you must either cross the river, or look out for triangles on the bushedge marking the start of a sidle track which climbs the valleyside. 1km downriver you can return to the valley floor on the true left for another 2km over open grassy flats to the top of the gorge at the valley mouth.

The gorge may be passed in the river (3 crossings) if the flows are low, or a sidle track climbs the northern valleyside 200m before the gorge, then drops to cross the river on the swingbridge, climbs the southern valleyside, and exits at the Dobson.