Mount George track (West Coast)

This is a nice short walk, less than 2 Km long, on the West Coast of New Zealand that goes up Mount George. The track starts right on highway 6, a few meters after passing the Ten Mile Creek road, north of Greymouth.
You need to know the exact GPS location where the track starts (-42.33217701, 171.2644386), otherwise is quite difficult to find it since there are no DOC signposts and it's quite hidden by the vegetation. I only found a small sign indicating that poison bait for possums has been spread in the area.

Talking to a local person he tells me this track used to be an official DOC track. Perhaps it used to be a big DOC signpost on the road indicating the start of the track to make it easy for people to find it.
Once we start walking we find a very easy-to-follow track from start to end. There are no DOC orange markers but still you can clearly see which way the track goes. Outside of this track there is so much vegetation that it will be really hard to advance.
As long as there are enough people walking this track it will keep its current condition and will be easy to follow and walk it, otherwise vegetation will take over. The day I did it I found 3 other groups of people doing it.
The local person told me there is a nearby hotel that recommends this track as a little gem. They have taken the track as something valuable and they make sure it's always in good condition to walk it.

Going up is not difficult but there are a couple of places where it gets quite steep. The first one has a rope installed. It's not so difficult that you need the rope but it does help. Further up there is another spot where rocks get narrow. The local person told me they call it Hillary Step. Here you will find another rope and also a fixed metal ladder to help you go up and down. Again it's not so difficult that you can't go up without the rope and the ladder but they certainly help.
I'm not sure if the ropes and ladder are from when the track was maintained by the DOC or it has been the nearby hotel who installed them but I found them to be in good condition.

Once over the Hillary Step we are almost at the top of Mount George.
From the summit we enjoy wonderful views 360 degrees. We can follow the coastline both to the North and to the South.

In summary, the track is short, steep at times and fun and the best reward are the views you will enjoy from the top.



Full description and more pictures at Back from Summit: Mount George