Camp Saddle Track

This long walk follows 6.7 km, near Sheffield in Canterbury.

The easiest way up to Camp Saddle, and the gentler half of a walk we already carry as a full loop. Drive up Broken River Road off SH73 until it ends at the locked gate and carpark where the road crosses Camp Stream; that is as far as cars go. Walk about a kilometre on up the ski field road to the signposted track, opposite the ski club tractor shed, then turn uphill. DOC describes it as a wide four wheel drive track that narrows as it climbs steadily, through mountain beech forest at first, then out into open tussock where poles carry the route the last stretch to the saddle. DOC gives the climb 1 to 2 hours; it is about 3.4 km from the gate to the saddle, 6.8 km there and back, with roughly 500 m of height to gain. The saddle itself is a proper reward, a tussock notch under Hamilton Peak with the Craigieburn Range at your back and the Waimakariri basin spread out below. Lucass and Koda sent this one in. Dogs are allowed here on DOC’s own current words: "Dogs allowed. Keep dog under control at all times." That is the rule DOC publishes for this track, and under control matters more than usual in this park. DOC’s Craigieburn hunting page records that kiwi are present in the forest here, so a dog that ranges into the bush is a real risk to them; keep yours on the track and in sight, and put the lead on if it is having a big day. Two more Craigieburn rules to hold on to. DOC sets dog access in this park track by track, so check the DOC page before you try a different line (the Avoca Valley Track in this same park is marked no dogs). And dogs are not permitted in the operational areas of the ski fields in winter while the fields are open, because loose dogs interfere with the training and work of avalanche rescue dogs; in the ski season the road you walk in on serves Broken River Ski Area, so this one is best kept for the warmer months. Snow is the other reason to pick your season. DOC warns that there are avalanches in this area in winter and early spring, May to November, and recommends choosing another track at those times; the top half of the walk is open tussock faces with the range above it. In summer that same openness means no shade and no water after Camp Stream, so carry some for the dog. The track ends at the saddle in the sense that matters: DOC is blunt that there are no tracks or marked routes beyond it, and the ridge line onward to Lyndon Saddle is a navigation exercise over scree for experienced trampers only. If that is your kind of day, it is on our Camp Saddle Loop via The Luge Track page, which Anna and Gordo walked; for everyone else, the saddle is the turnaround, and the descent back down the way you came fills the afternoon nicely.

It sits at the hard end and gains roughly 504 m, and takes about 2 hr 11 min to walk.

Dogs are welcome here. This walk is on the map because Lucass & Koda suggested it, and we checked it against the source above.