Distance: 6.6 km (2.0 DOC hours) - Road - Easy terrain
Altitude: 287m to 556m. Gain: 482m. Loss: 329m . Gradient: 7 deg (Gentle)
Skills:

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

Primary, mapped (1/5)
Formal route, on maps, 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

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

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

A forestry track, Back Road, leads from Summit on the Rimutaka Incline railtrail to SH2 just west of the Rimutaka Hill Rd summit. This track is open to walkers and mountainbikes, but not vehicles.

Following the railtrail 100m north from Summit station, take the signposted back road right. This winds briefly up then descends sidling through pine forests into the next valley north. A few tracks turn off back road, but are all dead ends.

After a couple of kilometers the track has reaches the valley floor, where it passes a track on the right and crosses a creek. 300m beyond, a signposted junction is reached, with the straight (left) option heading back to the railtrial and the right turn heading to SH2.

Turning right, the track initially sidles the valleyside, before climbing to the ridge to the east in a couple of switchbacks. New topomaps have these tracks completely wrong. Once on the ridgeline the track sidles its east face, crossing a saddle and dropping slowly towards SH2 which it hits at a locked gate 500m below the summit. There is some parking available at the gate. Access on into the Tararuas is at the summit, 500m up the highway.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

500m west of the Rimutaka Hill Rd (SH2) summit, a parking area and a locked gate on a corner mark the start of Back Rd to the Rimutaka Railtrail. This forestry track is open to walkers and mountainbikes, but not vehicles.

The track climbs from the highway, crosses a saddle and sidles a face onto a ridgeline, before descending in a series of switchbacks to reach the creek and a junction after about 2.5km. Turning right takes you straight to the railtrail, some 500m away. Alternatively head left and follow Back Road which climbs steadily to a saddle before descending to the railtrail summit where camping and a picnic area is found.