Old Ghost Road

The trail is named after the spirits of the old miners and track builders that seem to loom over the route as it passes through seven ghost towns.

The first 17.5km of The Old Ghost Road, from the Department of Conservation (DoC) campground at Lyell to the Lyell Saddle, is rideable. Mountain bikers and trampers will now find a well benched trail winding in and out of valleys at a four percent gradient past ghost towns, small mountain streams and through the giant beech forests of the Lyell valley. A new 12-bunk hut at the Lyell Saddle will be opened for public use in 2012. At 35km return – the second half of which is entirely downhill - this provides an excellent taste of what is to come.

The current phase of work takes the track from the Lyell Saddle up Bald Hill, above the bush line to the high point on the Lyell Range, down through the Stern Valley and into the open flats of the Mokihinui South Branch. This work is anticipated to take two years and will be completed in 2013.

Ultimately the Old Ghost Road will form a 160km circuit encompassing two mountain ranges, three river systems, and seven ghost towns, connecting the Mokihinui to the Lyell via Seddonville, through Charming Creek, the Stockton and Denniston plateaus and the Mackley Road.

Accommodation is in the DoC campground in Lyell or several back country huts along the way (all yet to be built except for the completed Lyell Saddle Hut).

This is serious back-country outing that will provide an iconic outdoor experience. Be prepared for any weather or circumstance on this trail.