Child friendly rating: 3 stars

Distance: 18km

Signposted time: 4-6 hours

Bookings Required? Yes

Suitable in Winter? Yes

Camping Available? Limited paid spots

4wd required? No

Parking:

 Park at the Lyell Campground off SH6.

The Track:

 This track is part of the Old Ghost Road, which is a shared biking and walking track that's maintained to an excellent level. The track is wide enough to hold a childs hand on either side the whole way, and while it's a long uphill walk, it's easy and gently graded.

Due to the length, any child under 5 will need to be carried for sections as the distance is too much to expect of them. A 5 year old who's very capable will make the 18km hike, but if this is a first hike, or even in the first few, I'd stick to the age of 8+ for expecting them to walk the whole way.

While there are no major obstacles or steep sections, the track is uphill almost the whole way.

One neat thing on this track is the kilometre markers every 1km. This is a great way to see progress and can be a good motivator for finding the next one, or just for timing breaks.

With an 11 week old baby and a 4 year old walking over 13km of the 18km, it took us jsut over 8 hours to get to the hut.

See my blog post on the whole Old Ghost Road trip here:

https://www.backtothewild.co.nz/blogs/tramping/old-ghost-road-with-an-11-week-old-4yo

Hut:

 The hut is very modern, and fully equipped with gas, and everything you need for cooking - cutlery, pots, etc. There are even coffee plungers!

Beds are individual bunks.

One of the great things here are the summer sleepouts. These are perfect for families. They are small huts with a double bottom and top bunk, so theoretically sleep 4. It's great for having your own space if you're worried about noise your kids may make in the night. They don't have their own cooking facilities or fireplace - you still need to cook in the main hut nearby. And for this reason also, they're not available for use over winter - summer only.

Recommendations:

If you're heading out on a first hike with a baby, this can be a good one as you'll cover the distance easily as adults, and you can book the summer sleepouts for exclusive use so you don't need to worry about noise the baby will make in the night. It's also a great spot for older kids as while it's long, it is very straightforward and easy. If you've got older kids, I would really recommend walking the whole track if possible rather than just the overnight into Lyell Saddle Hut. The walk is in excellent condition, in beautiful scenery, it just has long days with exposed sections on days 2 & 3 so best for kids aged 10+ to walk the whole track.