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Mt Salmond - Doolan’s Headwaters Traverse, The Remarkables

Mark Eaglesfield

The broader area. Queenstown’s center is west of Frankton. Scroll down for zoomed-in topomap with route.

This route near Queenstown, Otago, South Island, has no official name. It was a long, impromptu traverse from the vineyard hamlet of Gibbston to the Remarkables ski field parking lot.

  • After parking at the foot of Coal Pit Road in Gibbston, I climbed to Coal Pit Saddle;

  • from there I traversed Mt Edward and Mt Salmond, before climbing to Point 2008;

  • from there I descended into the basin containing the headwaters of Doolan’s Creek Right Branch;

  • and walked west until I crossed into the Remarkables ski field basin near Point 1934;

  • from there I descended to the ski field road, and followed it to the parking lot;

  • and finally hitchhiked down to Frankton, where I took a taxi back to my parked car. (Only visible on the first of the two topomap screenshots.)

Mt Salmond is roughly the halfway point in distance. Point 2008 (purple dot on the below topomap screenshot) is roughly the halfway point in time.

The green dot is where I left the 4WD track. The purple dot is Point 2008. The blue dot is the most challenging terrain, a steep descent. These were the key decision points for continuing west, or returning the way I came.

Screenshots of the NZ topographic map are licensed as CC BY 4.0 by Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ).

Time

From my car to the place where I left the 4WD track (approaching Point 2008) took a bit over 4 hours. From there to the ski field parking lot took a little less than 4 hours 45 minutes. This includes breaks.

Route

I parked in an open space to the left of Coal Pit Road, shortly before a gate. This is probably it. Coal Pit Road would have been awful for driving, but it was adequate for walking uphill to Coal Pit Saddle.

From Coal Pit Saddle, a 4WD track and a parallel impact track through tussock (just to the other side of a fence) both go west to Mt Edward. I used the impact track. From Mt Edward, to Mt Salmond, to the area below Point 2008, is all easy walking on the 4WD track.

My original intention was an out-and-back hike to Ben Cruachan. Point 2008 was a higher and nearer destination, and there seemed to be an impact track ascending toward it (green dot on second topomap), so I made Point 2008 my new goal.

From Point 2008 (purple dot on second topomap), I could see the terrain all the way to Point 1934. I decided it did not look too challenging, so I set off, optimistic about hitchhiking back to my car.

The most challenging portion was a little below Point 2008: descending the steep slope from around 1860 meters to around 1720 meters. See blue dot on map, and photos below. This challenging stretch ends shortly before crossing the first of the Doolan’s Creek headwaters.

Beyond this first stream, I mostly followed an impact track across the basin. Whenever I lost it, it was not hard to plot a route.

Eventually, I aimed for Point 1934, and reached it without much difficulty. It was slow, but not challenging, descending from this ridge into the Remarkables ski field beyond.

I am grateful to the ski field visitors who gave me a lift down to Frankton. Although my Airbnb host had kindly offered to pick me up (when I messaged her from 2000 meters to inform her that my intended route had drastically changed), I decided to take a taxi. It was expensive.

If 1 is an easy track, and 4 is using hands and feet on exposed rocks, I give this track a 3 at its worst. Apart from the descent from around 1860 to around 1720, it was overwhelmingly a 2.

The Remarkables, rising above the ski field. There seems to have been something on the camera lens, because the upper left appears blurred.

Miscellaneous comments

If Point 2008 had a better name, I would put it in this page’s title. I suggest either the traditional Ngāi Tahu/Kāi Tahu Māori name, if there is one, or Doolan’s Peak. Doolan was probably an Irish goldminer.

This was my only time hiking above 2000 meters in Otago. There are not many day-hikes where it’s possible. Mt Shrimpton, near Makarora, and Mt St Bathans, near St Bathans, are future possibilities.

Hunting

The area around the headwaters of Doolan’s Creek is a hunting area. So is the area starting just south of the track between there and Coal Pit Saddle. Hunters are forbidden to “discharge firearms near tracks, huts, campsites, road-ends or any other public place.” I have hiked in more than 30 hunting areas, and only passed hunters twice - this wasn’t one of those hikes.

Here is the DOC topomap with all hunting areas visible.

Nearby hikes

Regional info

The Remarkables name seems to be used exclusively for the remarkable-looking ones visible from Queenstown. Perhaps these mountains are part of the Hector Mountains, even though that name doesn’t extend this far north on maps.

There are competing proposals about what to do with this area:

This hike seen from Crown Range Road

Coal Pit Saddle is the obvious low point below the small cloud near the left. Mt Mason-Mt Rosa rise further to the left of this saddle. The long Mt Edward-Mt Salmond-Point 2008-Ben Cruachan ridge rises to the right of this saddle. Ben Cruachan (1895 meters) appears as the highest peak, just left of center. Point 2008 behind it, is actually higher.

The ridge just to the right of Ben Cruachan, featuring Point 2069, is also higher than Ben Cruachan. Behind the Point 2069 ridge lies Double Cone, the highest peak in the Remarkables at 2319 meters; I’m not sure if Double Cone is actually visible.

Crown Range Road is the high road between Arrowtown and Wānaka. Good views, annoying switchbacks.