Rock and Pillar Ascent and return
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 12.34 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,474 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 3,474 ft
- Max elevation
- 4,621 ft
- TrailRank
- 32
- Min elevation
- 1,122 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 3 hours 3 minutes
- Coordinates
- 4405
- Uploaded
- January 29, 2013
- Recorded
- January 2013
near Ngapuna, Otago (New Zealand)
Viewed 1973 times, downloaded 2 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
The best way to climb to the top of the Rock and Pillar from the Strath Taieri valley close to Middlemarch but it's quite a grunt! The challenge is the length of the climb. It takes me close to 2 hours to climb. The track itself is mostly excellent (see pics). It gets a bit rocky in the second half but surface is not the challenge. It occasionally gets over a 10% gradient and rarely over 20%. It's a four-wheel drive track. There are no real technical difficulty apart from some steepish section and the fact that it gets steeper in the second half. Physically this is difficult. The downhill is fast and the switchbacks with loose gravels can be treacherous. It only took me 20 minutes to get down.
Once at the top you can connect to other tracks. Just below the top, there is a side track to the left to a hut. At the top there are several tracks. Picnic lunch under the bog rock at the top (the one you can see from all over the valley) is a good option.
Choose a windless day as the tops are extremely exposed and a breeze in the valley can be gale wind on top! The alpine mosses and lichens at the top are magnificent (see picture).
For a full loop to the top, along the tops and back down south of Middlemarch, check this out: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=7308683
Once at the top you can connect to other tracks. Just below the top, there is a side track to the left to a hut. At the top there are several tracks. Picnic lunch under the bog rock at the top (the one you can see from all over the valley) is a good option.
Choose a windless day as the tops are extremely exposed and a breeze in the valley can be gale wind on top! The alpine mosses and lichens at the top are magnificent (see picture).
For a full loop to the top, along the tops and back down south of Middlemarch, check this out: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=7308683
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