Ritters Track times and tips

[tasswander]

I was planning to do hike along the Ritters track in the central plateau later this year and was wondering how long people had taken and what the conditions are like

[DaveNoble]

I am not sure if there is an actual "track". If there is, then I have never followed it. I have seen the odd duck (cairn) here and there - but it is not worth the effort in trying to follow them. But it is generally easy and enjoyable country to wander through. No real scrub - but patches here and there, that are best gone around. From Lady Lake to WOJ - generally allow 1.5 to 2 days. You could walk from L Nameless to WOJ in a day (in summer) - but the country is so delightful, and campsites so nice that it is good to take your time and see some of the sights on offer. Its also a bit of a maze or labyrinth - many small and complex lakes to find your way around, small hills, thickets of pencil pines etc. A few years ago, I shot some video on a walk from Higgs Track to WOJ and beyond. The first 4 minutes cover getting to the Walls and show you what to expect.

https://youtu.be/uN63cXlmbuo

Dave

[tasswander]

Thanks for the info Mr Noble.

[Geevesy]

Hoping to do this walk in another three weeks, will you be in before then?

[tasswander]

no probably not. i will be going in there around January

[Maaxxx]

In Feb last year, we followed the line of Ritter's "Track" from Ironstone Hut to around S41 46.134 E 146 24.995, where we turned off towards Turanna Heights heading for the Walls. Visibility was pretty low (less than 100m at times) but we certainly didn't find any track. Just a few well-spaced old cairns, showing their age with beards of lichen blowing in the wind. Incredibly beautiful country but make sure your navigation skills are up to scratch.

[teak]

Today I went for a walk to explore Ritters Track, I started at Lake Mackenzie following the Lake Explorer Track to Ironstone Hut. From the hut head toward the toilet and there is a faint cairned pad heading around to the East of Forty Lakes Peak, follow this around to a wide grassy valley heading south. In this valley you will pick up the first of about 220 large stone cairns marking the route of Ritters Track. I followed the route (no real track as such) for about 1.5 kilometres there are plenty of cairns to follow in this section and if the weather is clear Mt. Jerusalem is easy to see. The ground is very wet at the moment but the walking is easy with little scrub.