Lagoon Saddle: day tripping in Arthur's Pass...
I went for my first day tramp for 2015 on the 10th January, I followed the
Lagoon Saddle Track up to the shelter and returned on the same route. The Lagoon Saddle Track is just outside the boundaries of Arthur's Pass National Park (about 1 kilometre...), it is actually in Craigieburn Forest Park. I'm including it here as it is a good alternate destination if it is raining further to the west.
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Lagoon Saddle Tarn from flank of Mt Bruce, Craigieburn Forest Park |
It was an excellent
day, beautiful weather and a nice six hour walk. The larger Cass-Lagoon
Saddle track is a fantastic 2-3 day trip, the section from Cora Lynn
station to Hamilton Hut is also a section of the Te Araroa Trail (TAT).
Part of the Cass-Lagoon Saddle Track: 10kms, 4 hours return
The traditional way to walk
the
Cass-Lagoon Saddle Track is from the Cass River end, this is a trip I
intend to do once I work out the logistics of getting back to my car
(there is a 15 km distance between the two ends of the track) at the end
of the trip.
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Cora Lynn-Lagoon Saddle Track
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I saw some photos of a
trip from the Lagoon Saddle end of the track and thought it looked like a
great tramp for a summers day. I really like the contrast on this track
of forest, tussock and open country.
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Access to Lagoon Saddle track at Cora Lynn Station |
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Access to Lagoon Saddle track at Cora Lynn Station |
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Access to Lagoon Saddle track at Cora Lynn Station |
There
is an extensive car-park at the beginning of the track, just turn off
the highway at Cora Lynn Station and follow the DOC signs. I recommend
parking in the shade of the beech trees as my car was like a furnace by
the time I got back to it 6 hours later.
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Car-park at start of the Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
There
is a good DOC information panel at the beginning of the track, take the
track timing messages with a grain of salt, I usually find them to be
wrong. In this case it was spot on 2.5-3 hours to the hut.
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DOC info board, Lagoon Saddle Track |
Here
is the start of the climb on the track to Lagoon Saddle, the track is
quite steep to start with but eventually evens out into a long sidle. It
is all up hill though, so slow and steady is the name of the game on
this track.
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Start of the climb on the Lagoon Saddle Track |
There
is an avalanche warning sign near the start of the track, in Winter
there is a significant risk of avalanches at the far end of the track.
T his is just DOC being safety conscious, akin to the
exit sign's you see in the 2 meter by 2 meter bivy's scattered around
the country. There only one exit so it is not really required.
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Warning sign near Bealey Hut, Lagoon Saddle Track |
The track starts with typical open beech forest, the condition of the lower track was good: dry, wide and clear of fallen trees.
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Open beech forest, Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
As
you climb the forest opens up considerably, this is mature beech
forest, cool and shaded on this very hot day (it got up to 29 degrees).
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Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
You
pass some small areas of goblin forest, thick moss underfoot and the
possibility of a dwarf braining you with a club behind every tree!
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Classic goblin forest, Lagoon Saddle Track |
Generally
the track is good, you do strike areas of roots and rough stone
underneath. Walking shoes or boots are probably the best footwear for
this type of track, I saw a lot of people wearing running shoes but I
bet they had cold, sore, wet feet by the end of the day.
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Track conditions, Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
After
about 40 minutes you enter a band of exotic pine plantation. The trees
were planted by the NZFS back in the 70's as a erosion remedy, they are
fully mature, and it is a thick dark forest you see now.
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Entering the exotic plantation, Lagoon Saddle Track |
Below
is the first, not very good view from the track, the forest is so thick
that there are no real views until you reach the tussock area after an
hour and a half or so.
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Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park: first view along the track |
Here
is the end of the exotic band and the start of more beech, the mountain
variety in this case. You are about 20 minutes from breaking out into
the tussock at this point, and half way to your destination.
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Exotic-beech forest margin on the Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
There is a nice benched track through this section, it makes a welcome change to the mud you are about to encounter.....
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Nicely benched track, Lagoon Saddle Track |
Eventually
you break out of the forest to fantastic views over the Upper
Waimakariri Valley, below is a shot towards Klondyke Corner and the
Bealey Valley. You are at about 600 meters at this point.
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View towards Klondyke corner, Bealey Valley |
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Bealey Valley with Arthur's Pass Village in the distance from Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
Here is view looking East towards the Mt White bridge area.
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Waimakiriri Valley from Lagoon Saddle Track |
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Waimakiriri River from the Lagoon Saddle Track |
The
track for the next hour is a long sidle across slopes of tussock and
grass, with the occasional copse of trees. The track was a bit muddy,
water run off from Mt Bruce and the swampy nature of the ground do not
make for dry conditions.
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Tussock transition point on Mt Bruce, the Lagoon Saddle Track |
View towards the Bealey valley, with Mt Rolleston in the background.
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View towards west from Mt Bruce on the Lagoon Saddle Track |
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Alpine daisies on the Lagoon Saddle Track |
Looking
south west we can see the ranges around Browning and Whitehorn Passes,
this is the location of the awesome Three Passes tramp, as you can see
you would need ice axe and crampons even in the Summer to complete the
track.
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View South West towards Browning Pass, Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
Here is a moderate example of the muddy track, it is far worse at some points.
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Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park: Muddy track conditions |
You have great views of Bealey Spur to the West, I
walked this track to Bealey Spur Hut in September last year.
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Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
Eventually
you reach the highest point, and start down towards Lagoon Saddle
Shelter about 300 meters downhill. The area in the foreground of the
photo is Lagoon Saddle itself.
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Lagoon Saddle from the flank of Mt Bruce, Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
Here
is a view looking towards Mt Bruce, this would be a good point for an
ascent of the mountain, it is the apex of the track and there is a nice
easy tussock slope to climb. I estimate it would take at least an hour
from here to get to the top.
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Mt Bruce from the Lagoon Saddle Track |
There's
a wilderness tramp staring you in the face, a quick look at the topo
map shows easy terrain from here heading south-east, there are a series
of tarns further along this range (possible future trip?).
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Lagoon Saddle and tarns, Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
You
can see the tarns on Lagoon Saddle from the track as you descend down
towards the hut, I couldn't see a track anywhere (or I would have gone
down), but it looks like an easy enough bush bash.
There are a series of tarns,
one quite large and several smaller ones around it., it could be a nice
spot to camp.
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Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park: Main tarn on Lagoon Saddle |
Lagoon
Saddle Shelter is a small A frame building close to the tarns. It is
not intended as an overnight hut but could certainly be used for that
purpose, it has just enough space for 2 people. I noticed a small
waterfall (2-3 meters) nearby as well, it is the outflow point for the
tarns. It looked like it would be accessible by following the bush edge.
Natures shower anyone?...Ill bet it is refreshing, if not glacial in nature.
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Lagoon Saddle Shelter, Craigieburn Forest Park |
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Lagoon Saddle shelter...door way and veranda |
As
you can see it is a bit spartan inside, but would be perfectly
comfortable for an overnight stay. There is a bench for one of the
mattresses, the second would need to go on the floor, this is definitely
a two person bivy.
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Interior of Lagoon Saddle shelter: only one bunk! |
I has a small
amount of storage space, an axe, and the usual DOC safety warnings.
Water for the hut would be from the small stream near the hut, or
from another stream that runs from the tarns on the saddle. I would draw
water from up hill of the toilet as it looks too close to the nearby
stream in my opinion.
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Interior of Lagoon Saddle shelter, Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
There is also an older hut (Lagoon Saddle
Hut) within a hundred meters of this location. It is in the forest
fringe opposite the shelter, on the opposite side of the stream draining Lagoon Saddle Tarn. Its basically an unpainted metal shed and has four bunks, a concrete floor and a couple of benches....no heating...basic inside but usable.
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Swampy area surrounding Lagoon Saddle Shelter |
Heading back to the Cora Lynn car park
I stopped at the shelter
for a snack and to write in the hut book, then headed back up the track
to find a lunch spot in the sun. It is much easier walking back towards
the car-park, the lie of the land favours a clockwise direction of
travel.
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View of the tarn from near the Lagoon Saddle Hut |
Lunch of champions: sesame crackers, tuna, peanut M&M's and water!
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Lunch time on the Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
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Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park: view back towards Lagoon Saddle |
I
stopped just short of the apex and parked myself on a convenient
rock so I could eat my lunch out of the wind. The breeze from the
distance mountains was a bit cool, there is still a bit of snow at
higher elevations along the Alps
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Jon on the Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
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Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park: view of Upper Bealey Spur |
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The Waimakiriri River from the Lagoon Saddle Track |
It
was possible to see SE towards the Upper Harper River, Hamilton Hut is
about 6 hours walk up this valley. The official DOC time for the section
from Hamilton Hut to the Cora Lynn entrance is 7-9 hours! I was talking
to a French couple who were planning to walk all the way to Cass Hut,
that is a 12-13 hour trip!
Too far for me, but then I'm not a awesomely
fit looking 20 year old European hiker.
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View South East into upper Harper Valley, from the Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
I wish this track had more of this: board walks over the muddy swampy spots.
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Board walks on Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
In
the distance are the picturesque tarns on Bealey Spur, about 3 km's and
200 meters lower than the Lagoon Saddle Track. I believe you can walk
up one track and down the other by using a long ridge sidle between the
two Spurs.
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Bealey Spur Tarns from the flank of Mt Bruce |
I
passed 17 people on the way back out to the car-park, I started walking
at 8 am so probably was walking before most of them had risen from bed.
Mostly day trippers, although there was one American couple from San
Diego who were staying at Lagoon Saddle Hut for the night. It's
interesting how much info you can share in a 5 minute conversation on
the side of a track.
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View down towards forest, Lagoon Saddle Track |
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Lower Bealey Spur from the Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
There
is Cora Lynn station in the distance, it is obvious to see the
difference that irrigation makes in these high dry areas. At least Cora
Lynn is still a sheep station and not a polluting dairy farm.
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Cora Lynn Station from Mt Bruce, Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
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Bealey Spur, Bealey Valley and Mt Rolleston from Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
About
10 minutes from the end of the track is Bealey Hut, this is a basic 6
bunk hut, with a water tank and toilets. There is plenty of space around
the hut for tents, but no internal fireplace. Inside it was blazing
hot, sitting closed up in the sun.
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Bealey Hut near Cora Lynn Station |
Its
pretty basic inside, but would provide shelter from bad weather if
required. As with all DOC huts close to road ends it is prone to
graffiti and damage as it would get visited by (excuse my language)
complete arse's who don't realize how lucky we are to have these huts.
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Interior of Bealey Hut: some of the bunks |
The
hut is often used by Te Araroa trail walkers as it is the first on this
section of the trail, there is also good accommodation at the
wilderness lodge close to this hut. A quick read of the hut book had 20+
people visiting the hut in the previous 2 week period.
This is the 67th DOC hut I have visited, only around 840 more to go!
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Interior of Bealey Hut: small cooking bench, bunks, table |
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Flat camping area around Bealey Hut, Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park |
Eventually
you make it back to the car-park, plenty of space for cars here and
relatively secure as it is clearly visible to the nearby Cora Lynn
homestead. I would have no problems parking my car here for several days
while exploring the local area.
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Lagoon Saddle car-park, Cora Lynn end of the driveway |
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DOC information board Lagoon Saddle Track |
The
car-park is at the end of this short gravel track, you can see the
changes in the vegetation on the spur from beech, to pine and beech
again.
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Mt Bruce, view of the forest, Lagoon Saddle Track from Cora Lynn Station |
On
the way back to Christchurch I spotted these wild flowers growing in
the dry lake bed of Lake Lyndon. It was a spectacular sight with the
mixture of purple and yellow colours.
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Wild flowers growing in bed of dry Lake Lyndon near Porters Pass |
It was a great day for a tramp and a really nice destination to be heading to, go have a look for yourself sometime.
Access: Turn off SH 73 (Arthur's
Pass Highway) at Cora Lynn Station, drive along long gravel driveway to
fence with Lagoon Saddle Track sign
Track Times: 2.5-3 hours to Lagoon Saddle Shelter, same return
Hut Details:
Bealey Hut: basic, 6 bunks, water tank, toilets: Lagoon Saddle Shelter:
basic, 2 bunks, water from stream, toilet: Lagoon Saddle Hut: basic, 4
bunks, toilet, water from stream
Miscellaneous: Avalanche risk in winter/spring, exposed to weather in all seasons, part of Te Araroa Trail
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