Old Ghost Road Part 2: Sunshine, single track, rock slips and steep cliffs

Welcome back to my adventures on Old Ghost Road. This is part 2/2. If you missed the first part, you can read it here.

January 13, 2020

Day 2

We woke to the most beautiful view of the valley, with the mountains peaking through the low hanging clouds. It was even more spectacular than I had hoped, and worth every drop of rain the previous day!

That’s me enjoying said view.

We were eager to get back on the trail, so we packed up quickly and were ready to go by 8:30am (much to the dismay of our sleepy bunkmates).

The descent out of Ghost Lake hut starts the steepest and most technical 4km of OGR.

Ghost Lake Hut. You can see why it’s a tricky ride out.

The delicate alpine ecosystem is also one of the most important to protect. Tight building parameters were used to minimize the environmental impacts including no excavator machines and no dynamite. Excavation through the granite mountaintops was painstakingly cut by hand by a labour crew of up up to 18 people at a time, making the “slowly but surely” advancement rate of 15-20m per day. Thanks to their hard labour, the initial descent out of Ghost lake hut is a mix of pick-axed rugged granite rock beds and wooden bridges built to protect the sensitive ecosystem that lay beneath. 

The resulting descent out of Ghost Lake hut is both steep and technical, with hairpin switchbacks too tight for most riders to corner. The bigger concern is the consequence of misjudging said switchbacks and plummeting off a 300-foot granite cliff.

For those that choose to ride here, there are two additional helicopter landing pads for emergency evacuations (there is also one at each hut). Approximately 20 emergency air evacuations happen from the OGR each year, most of them being from this 4km stretch.

Helicopter landing pad and a quick photo op.

This is why most riders choose to ride the straights and walk the switchbacks, and we were no exception. I was grateful this was not our rain day.

However, rugged terrain is not without its beauty, the highlight being the spectacular Skyline Ridge.

Quite possibly the most incredible 360 degree view I have ever experienced.

Clear skies allowed us a stunning view along the ridge, and we spent quite a bit of time here taking pictures and soaking in the experience.

The final challenge to this interesting collection of technical features is the infamous Skyline Stairs - 302 steps allowing users to descend the 65% grade cliff that boarders Skyline Ridge.

The ride up to the stairs is the most technical section yet, with very steep and rugged switchbacks ending in the Kiln-dried pressure treated wood steps dug into the side of the mountain. These steps are also what prevents cyclists from riding OGR South the North, a problem the trail creators are hoping to solve with future trail development projects.

Once you work your way down the steps, it’s a smooth, flowing, fun descent through the forest all the way to Stern Valley Hut.

This is a very scenic place to stop for a snack, or a good option for a place to stay if you were doing a one or three night trip.  

The ride through Stern Valley itself was lovely.

It ends in a short but persistent climb up the Bone Yard, with some great views, but the recommendation is not to stop.

This region is created by tectonic plates pushing together, making it a high risk earthquake zone. The Bone Yard is dotted with massive boulders precariously placed on the side of the mountain. This is not an area you want to be caught taking pictures in an earthquake, and something I tried not to think about as we weaved our way through the boulders climbing the side of the mountain. 

Will ‘What Could Possibly Go Wrong” Cook had no problem stopping and taking a shot of the spectacular views from The Bone Yard climb.

The climb continues over the saddle, ending once again in a fun and flowing downhill to Goat Creek hut - a very simple hut with minimal amenities that honestly isn’t really worth checking out. We did stop here for lunch, but the creek crossing does not include a bridge, and in times of heavy rain fall (such as we experienced) the creek is knee deep - so much for staying dry.  However, I can’t imagine you can cross this at any time and keep your shoes dry, so enter at your own discretion. 

The remainder of the ride to our second night at Specimen Point hut was easy going. It was quite flat, but still very interesting with loads of bridged river crossings and spectacular views of the mountains behind. The vegetation had changed at this low point in the valley, so the ride continues with some interesting new scenery.

We arrived at Specimen Point hut at 3:30pm. After 7 hours and 38km of riding we were ready to be out of the saddle. Specimen Point hut is incredibly well placed for the surrounding scenery, and is complete with a balcony overlooking the river valley. As an added bonus, there is a nice swimming hole a five minute walk down the trail where you can finally take a fresh water rinse. 

Hut balcony at Specimen Point.

We had a fun evening recapping our adventures with fellow cabin dwellers, and another early night. Our last day will be a quick 17km ride out. 

January 14, 2020

Day 3

The sandflies are notoriously bad at Specimen Point. They particularly like Will.

We woke up to another beautiful sunny day, and were eager to get back on the trail. With only 17km to go and a couple short climbs, I was expecting this last section of trail to be fairly boring. I was wrong. Old Ghost Road continued to deliver spectacular scenery. The remainder of the ride follows the river, giving opportunity for picturesque peaks of the mountain ranges we had come from. I could see the appeal of riding in the opposite direction.

The trail continues along the cliff’s edge, rising at least 100feet above the river in spots. I was consistently awed by the commitment it took to build this trail. Even these last few kilometres were all excavated from the side of a mountain, keeping you along the cliff edge and engaged with your bike almost the entire ride out. 

Remnants of the gold mining days were found during the creation of OGR, and remain scattered along the trail.

The trail ends at the delightful Rough and Tumble lodge (interesting fact: this lodge was actually built first, the idea to turn the old mining route into the trail came later). The lodge is complete with excellent pizza, nachos, and quite possibly the world’s most beautiful outdoor shower. 

View from the outdoor shower.

Free shower passes came with the Buller Adventure bike hire. Thanks Buller!

I can honestly say this whole experience blew my mind. I love New Zealand, and I love it for a lot of reasons. I’ve been there twice, explored much of the North and the South Islands, and this experience may take the cake as my favourite. If you are touring New Zealand, and are ready for an extreme mountain biking adventure, Old Ghost Road is it.

To all those involved in the creation of Old Ghost Road, thank you. You have truly created something special for the world to experience. 

A shout out to Buller Adventures for getting us set up, you guys were great to work with.

Read about the creation of Old Ghost Road in The Spirit To The Stone book available from the Old Ghost Road trail store: https://store.oldghostroad.org.nz/product/spirit-to-the-stone-creating-the-old-ghost-road/

(copies of the book are also located in all the huts so you can read about the making of the trail during your adventure!)