3 day 2 Night Mt Bogong

[spainyhk]

I looking to do a 3-day, 2-night hike around and over Mt Bogong. Can anyone please suggest routes and two ideal camping sites.
Many thanks

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Hi
You could consider visiting Cairn Creek Hut.
If you are fit then this route will sort you out!.
Park at the winter gate of the Granite flat spur on the bend where Camp Creek track
and The Hollow way logging road meet.
Take a chainsaw and an AWD car would be good too.
If you have 2 WD then come into the trailhead from the Omeo Highway along the Hollow way .
The road surface is usually okay .
Walk up to The summit from there and over the summit and down the Quartz ridge.
Instead of camping at the old helipad at Bogong Creek saddle , take the turn off to Cairn
Creek Hut.
The track to Cairn Creek hut was cleared in Oct. 2023.
Sections of it may have become unclear again but you will figure it out.

Day two walk up to the summit from Cairn Creek hut and the Quartz Ridge and over to Cleve Cole Hut.
Camp the second night at Cleve Cole Hut.
Day three walk out over the summit ridge via Hell's Gap and upper Eskdale spur.
Return to the car at the bottom of the Granite Flat spur track.
An alternative route could be to skip Cleve Cole Hut on day two and camp at Michell hut on the Eskdale spur.
That leaves you a short walk back to the car on the Granite Flat Spur
winter gate car parking area and sufficient time to drive home without being too fatigued.
You will find water at all the camping areas I have suggested.

[Baeng72]

Hi spainyhk!
Are you looking to stay on/around the mountain, or open to including the Bogong High Plains (BHP)?
I've no idea of your level of fitness, how much of the day you like walking versus hanging around the camp...so take this as starting point.

Day 1. Mountain Creek via Staircase Spur to summit, then to Cleve Cole hut for camp.
Day 2. Cleve Cole hut back to summit, down Quartz Ridge Spur to either Cairn Creek Hut or Helipad near Big River.
Day 3. Back up over summit, down Eskdale Spur and walk along Mountain Creek road back to start.
There are huts along the way on Staircase Spur (Bivouac), and Eskdale Spur (Michell) that provide shelter, water and toilets.

That has a bit of treading the same ground, but the summit isn't a bad place to revisit.

If you're open to crossing Big River and walking on the BHP and a bit more distance/effort...
Day 1. Mountain Creek to summit via Staircase Spur, down Quartz Ridge Spur to Cairn Creek Hut or Big River helipad.
Day 2. Big River fire trail to Roper's Hut then down Duane Spur and either camp at Big River (bushcamp) or if time up T-Spur to Cleve Cole Hut.
Day 3.Cleve Cole Hut to summit ridge/summit down Eskdale Spur and back to Mountain Creek campsite.

[Baeng72]

Ah PCV has posted, he'll set you straight with info on the Big Fella.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Hi spainyhk!
Are you looking to stay on/around the mountain, or open to including the Bogong High Plains (BHP)?
I've no idea of your level of fitness, how much of the day you like walking versus hanging around the camp...so take this as starting point.

Day 1. Mountain Creek via Staircase Spur to summit, then to Cleve Cole hut for camp.
Day 2. Cleve Cole hut back to summit, down Quartz Ridge Spur to either Cairn Creek Hut or Helipad near Big River.
Day 3. Back up over summit, down Eskdale Spur and walk along Mountain Creek road back to start.
There are huts along the way on Staircase Spur (Bivouac), and Eskdale Spur (Michell) that provide shelter, water and toilets.

That has a bit of treading the same ground, but the summit isn't a bad place to revisit.

If you're open to crossing Big River and walking on the BHP and a bit more distance/effort...
Day 1. Mountain Creek to summit via Staircase Spur, down Quartz Ridge Spur to Cairn Creek Hut or Big River helipad.
Day 2. Big River fire trail to Roper's Hut then down Duane Spur and either camp at Big River (bushcamp) or if time up T-Spur to Cleve Cole Hut.
Day 3.Cleve Cole Hut to summit ridge/summit down Eskdale Spur and back to Mountain Creek campsite.

The Old Heli Pad is not that close to Big River. It is closer to Bogong Creek hence its actual name Bogong Creek saddle. It is situated betwixt The Quartz Ridge and Mt. Arthur on the Grey hills.
The Grey Hills are an ant sanctuary in summer!
You could go round in circles on Mt. Bogong but most people find one ascent sufficient .Climbing the massif twice as I have suggested uses a route that is not as well used and will not be
that busy in fair weather.
Cairn Creek hut has no loo so take a digging device for your latrine.The other huts have a pit loo and water. Bogong Creek Saddle has no loo but
water is nearby flowing under the Big River fire trail where it meets the Quartz Ridge hiking intentions book.

[Baeng72]

The Old Heli Pad is not that close to Big River. It is closer to Bogong Creek hence its actual name Bogong Creek saddle. It is situated betwixt The Quartz Ridge and Mt. Arthur on the Grey hills.

My bad. That's not how I remember it. I walked down Quartz Ridge Spur, and I'm sure I pass near the Helipad on the way to Big River. Big River wasn't far, perhaps a km down a bit of zigzagging fire trail.
+10 points for using betwixt!

[Lophophaps]

There's usually water a short way below Stirling Gap near West Peak, with slightly exposed campsites near there. If you can get to Camp Creek Gap (I think it's 2WD via Trappers Gap. Via Mountain Creek is serious 4WD) then the following is a hard three day walk.
1 Over Bogong, Quartz Ridge, Tims Spur, Ropers Hut This has about 900 metres of climbing over about 21 km, a long day.
2 Duane Spur, T Spur, Cleve Cole Hut. About 800 metres of climbing, 12 km
3 Back to Camp Creek Gap, about 200 metres up, 9 km
The first day of full walking is a bit shorter if you go to Michell Hut on the day that you drive up. The hut is about three hours from Camp Creek Gap.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

The Trapper's Gap road was quite rough when I drove up it during Jan. 2025.
There was a huge fallen log on the road and a fellow Bogong Club member cut a way through it with a chainsaw.
Taking a chainsaw up those tracks when
driving on them is very smart.

Any low slung 2 WD would be very slow going on that track.
The side track from Camp Creek Track to Camp Creek Gap is okay for 2 WD but the return ascent can be a bit loose and rocky.
Yes the Mtn. Creek track is proper 4 x 4 terrain. Some of the fords of the creeks requires some proper clearance and power to 4 wheels.
Granite Flat Spur is less exacting than The lower Eskdlae spur is IMHO.
The trail head starts higher too.The winter gate there sits at about 1300 M. ASL which is higher than Camp Creek Gap is for the Eskdale spur.

My favourite route up Mt. Bogong Is Mulhauser spur and Long spur. 2 WD will not suffice for that route and taking a chainsaw is not optional either.
The trail head at Mulhauser camp is situated at 1400 M. ASL so you will have driven up a fair way and saved some hiking /effort/sweat to reach Cleve Cole Hut from there.
Once you are at CC hut then on day two you can do a day walk to West Peak and back.
Day three walk out to Mulhuaser spur camping area via Howman's falls and pick up your AWD/ 4WD car and drive out via Mitta Mitta.
Stop at the Mitta Mitta general store and buy something to eat and support the local community.

[Biggles]

If this is your first time up Mount Bogong, a suggestion is to do it easy: up Staircase Spur from Mountain Creek, walk to Cleve Cole Hut, camp there (or Camp Creek) and have the next day free and lazy to explore rather than more walking, especially if conditions turn against you.

The route down is the same for simplicity, though other routes exist that I have not traversed.

Keep an eye on the conditions once clear of the tree-line. There is no shelter after the treeline, and I can speak from experience in 1988 that waiting out a blizzard at airy Hell Gap was no fun! Of the four subsequent walks (all starting from Mountain Creek), I have based myself at Cleve Cole Hut (or camping at Camp Creek below it) and explored the local environment and the falls nearby.

[Xplora]

It is almost 3 days since this request for information on a first post and no reply. Look back over the last year to see how often we see the same thing. There is so much information on this site about this exact question. Might be better to throw up a link to previous discussions than waste your time providing repeat information to people who clearly do not appreciate the effort you go to. Up to you but I am not going to do that anymore.

For sometime I have thought about how advice on this site is offered to people whom we do not know. We don't know their fitness or experience but the suggestions frequently meander off to the ridiculous and well outside the brief. I am sure most people offer advice with good intention and are genuinely trying to help. Some just want to brag. On the last few (it feels more than few really) occasions where a first poster has asked such a question I have tried to illicit more information but there has been no response. I don't want to discourage people from providing helpful information to those who are genuine either. I just want to see how genuine they are beforehand.

Seriously, if you can't find enough information about a 3 day loop of Bogong on this site you are not trying and just want it handed to you. You might gather I am a bit over time wasters.

[Camminata]

I did yawn when this new topic popped up , I reckon AI can tell you about this ever popular question, maybe even give you a brag experience too.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I have walked all the routes and side trips on Mt. Bogong a number of times over the years including a winter ascent to the summit in clear weather
one year..
I tend to avoid the Staircase . It is PITA.
There is no easy way up the Big Fella but the Long Spur route avoids the very exposed summit area
on the walk into Cleve Cole Hut. So does
The Tee Spur coming from Roper's Hut.
You can get a 2 WD into Big River Sadde from the Omeo Highway and then walk up the whole of the Long Spur.
Do not do this when it is hot. There are limited seasonal water points once you leave Big River Saddle
until you reach the stream at the track junction with the Tee Spur.
There is a charity foot race on at Mt. Bogong in March. Unless you are participating in that event you should avoid that time IMHO.
However I did go up there one March during " The Conquestathon" but came in from Mulhauser camp / Long spur and camped at the Tee Spur/ Long Spur junction.
It was rather quiet and not busy at all on that side of the Massif.

[Baeng72]

It is almost 3 days since this request for information on a first post and no reply. Look back over the last year to see how often we see the same thing. There is so much information on this site about this exact question. Might be better to throw up a link to previous discussions than waste your time providing repeat information to people who clearly do not appreciate the effort you go to. Up to you but I am not going to do that anymore.

For sometime I have thought about how advice on this site is offered to people whom we do not know. We don't know their fitness or experience but the suggestions frequently meander off to the ridiculous and well outside the brief. I am sure most people offer advice with good intention and are genuinely trying to help. Some just want to brag. On the last few (it feels more than few really) occasions where a first poster has asked such a question I have tried to illicit more information but there has been no response. I don't want to discourage people from providing helpful information to those who are genuine either. I just want to see how genuine they are beforehand.

Seriously, if you can't find enough information about a 3 day loop of Bogong on this site you are not trying and just want it handed to you. You might gather I am a bit over time wasters.

Probably a good approach, this site does have a section where you can get info about hikes like Bogong: https://bushwalk.com/j/O4BR65/

I'd seen the post the night before and thought it'd be answered by one of the regular high-country experts (you, Lops, NNW, PCV).
When I saw no post after a couple of days, I thought I'd offer a couple of ideas. I have no idea about their fitness, but if you are thinking of Mt. Bogong, you must have done some other hikes.
I mean, does anybody think about an pretty unknown mountain (I'd never heard of it until frequenting this forum) without having done the usual intro areas like Grampians, Prom, etc?

[Baeng72]

I did yawn when this new topic popped up , I reckon AI can tell you about this ever popular question, maybe even give you a brag experience too.

I wouldn't trust AI? It regurgitates what it was fed. Garbage in, garbage out.

[Camminata]

I did yawn when this new topic popped up , I reckon AI can tell you about this ever popular question, maybe even give you a brag experience too.

I wouldn't trust AI? It regurgitates what it was fed. Garbage in, garbage out.

Same with my comment , it was garbage and then you spat it out