Carroll Hut

The track starts from the gravelled car parking area off of SH73. You will need to cross a creek at the beginning of the track, if it has been raining heavily this may not be possible. The track climbs steeply through rātā/kāmahi forest and subalpine scrub. This leads on to tussock grasslands surrounding Carroll Hut on Kelly Range. On fine days there are good views from the saddle behind the hut, looking down the Taramakau River to the West Coast.

Side trip to Kellys Hill

A side trip to Kellys Hill can give great views out to the Tasman Sea on a fine day. It is an unmarked route from Carroll Hut to Kellys Hill, recommended only for experienced alpine trampers. This route should only be attempted in good weather conditions as you will need good visibility to find your way. Bring navigational equipment with you as conditions can change rapidly.

Alternative route: Seven Mile Creek – SH 73 via Kellys Creek

Time: 6 hr

This is a fine-weather-only alternative. From the hut, walk to Seven Mile Creek. This is the last place for water until the tarns on Kelly Range. Follow the creek bed upstream until the banks draw close together. Orange markers and a sign show the start of the track on the true left. The track passes old mining water races and climbs through forest of twisted rātā for about 600 vertical metres. Once at the bushline you are halfway to the hut and there is still a 300-metre vertical climb to the top of Kelly Range. The superb views above the bushline make the long climb worthwhile. The route across Kelly Range is marked with pole markers, which are easy to find on a clear day, but almost impossible to find in low visibility or snow cover. Carroll Hut is situated in a tussock basin east of the saddle. It does not have any form of heating. From Carroll Hut the track runs directly across the tussock in front of the hut to the lip of the basin. A benched section of track descends by sidling down across steep scrub to the bushline. Once in the bush it drops more steeply and emerges at Kellys Creek, 5 minutes from the main road. Time from Carroll Hut to the road is 1 hour 30 minutes. Note: Parties walking into the Taipo from Kelly Range may have difficulty finding the track in poor visibility. From Carroll Hut the poles go past the tarns on Kelly Saddle and run along the north-western side of Kelly Range above Seven Mile Creek. When you get to the large tarns on Kelly Range, the poled route turns and drops down the spur to the track to Seven Mile Creek. The broken and fault-scarped spur is very confusing to follow down the bush track to Seven Mile Creek. Make sure you find the poles to take you down the correct (lower and most northern) ridge.