Child friendly rating: 0 stars

Distance: 10km

Signposted time: 5-6 hours

Bookings Required? No

Suitable in Winter? No

Camping Available? Yes

4wd required? No

Parking:

Park at the Judah Track carpark off the main road into Glenorchy.

The Track:

There are two ways to get to this hut - which you can walk as a loop. Both are extremely challenging, and have dangers on the track. One way has a swift river crossing, and the other way had very big drop-offs on the very steep track.

Coming in via Judah Track, the track is easy to follow but uphill 4WD track as far as The Junction. Here you turn left and the track gets steeper as you get close to the river. There are a few creek crossings before the main deep and swift river crossing. The main one will result in wet boots and little kids do need to be carried over with how swift it is.

After the crossing the river, the track heads very steeply uphill. The gradient then eases off, but the track is very overgrown in sections, with shrubbery as tall as kids to bush bash through. The track then passes McIntyre Hut.

Eventually it turns back into a 4WD track, but it is very uphill. The carpark is around 400m elevation, while the hut is at almost 1500, plus you drop down 200m into the river to cross it, so a total of around 1300m elevation climb.

While coming this way the climb isn't as steep as the other way, it is a very long very exposed very exhausting climb.

Coming via pt. 1247 on the McIntosh loop track the track starts off with gentle uphill section on the farmland. There are a few creeks to cross, as well as some slightly more overgrown sections.

After around 4km the track starts to head straight uphill. You need to climb up the slippery tussock while pulling yourself up the fence. It is very hard, and hard work whether you're going uphill or downhill.

Once the track eases off in steepness, it becomes very thin with huge drop-offs from old slips. You're walking on a very thin track, and I was very careful with our 5 year old who was walking as I didn't want her to fall. Mum nerves were definitely on edge.

Eventually you join onto an old 4WD track the rest of the way to the hut, and things ease off after this though you've still got a bit of up and down to walk.

With a 1 year old being carried and a 5 year old walking the whole way it took us 11 hours to walk there via the river crossing (Judah Track). The way back via the steep track downhill took 7 hours including all breaks. It was a very hard challenge for all of us to walk.

Hut:

 The hut is a historic old hut - there are actually 2. One is just kind of like a shed. No bunks or benchtop, but space to pop your own mattresses on the floor. The other hut is the main hut with an old kitchen, a dining table, and individual bunks. There are lots of old relics inside like old wine bottles etc.

The views from the hut are even more spectacular than from the other nearby huts, and you can see for miles.

Recommendations:

If you are going to do this loop, I would recommend going up via Judah Track and down the other way. The steep climb is a lot for kids to pull themselves up on the slippery tussock. It is an extremely hard track, and I would not recommend it as a first overnight hike at any age - even for adults.

I'd only recommend after having done a few 1 star child friendly hikes, and if you're still after more of a challenge, and only with kids aged 10+.