Mount Bogong — Local services in Tawonga

Reached Summit via Staircase spur and down via Eskdale Spur in a total of 5hrs. Conservative 3hrs ascend and speedy 2hrs descend.

Way up is full of continuous climb until you reached the open area; it’s ok to pause and catch a breadth. Do snack along the climb so that you have energy to pace yourself. The final ascend near the summit has some steep climb on both Staircase and Eskdale spur(especially the latter). Once you’ve cleared that part, the final steps to the summit is a walk in the park. The top area has very gentle slopes.

Warning about Eskdale Spur. If you are descending and making your way back to Staircase spur start point/mountain Creek Panic area, the sign at the bottom or start of the Eskdale Spur pointing to the way back to Staircase spur is gone. To the left of where you climb down from is a small path that descend further down, take that. Do not go the wide path straight ahead(used by 4-wheel drive) that slopes up.

Also, the path back from Eskdale Spur start point to Staircase Spur start point can be narrow initially and there are some fallen trees along the way that at one point might “hide” the path. Don’t panic, it just split the path and all you need to do is look and climb over that section of then fallen tree the other side; easy peasy.

That’s not all, there are creek crossing without bridges! I recall at least 3 and one of them is a little wider (3-5m) with constant flowing stream. It’s not very deep but if you were to step in, your shoes would be totally wet and there are at least another 1-2hrs of walk left. Fortunately, there are rocks outcrops on the creek that you could step on to make your way across but be prepared to make a few jumps and be very careful as those rocks are very slippery.

If you are uncomfortable with the risk involved with above path back, I would suggest returning to the panic area via the same way up (I.e Staircases Spur). If you choose this way, I do suggest walking over to the final ascend of the Eskdale Spur and look at the shear beauty of that very steep section; it’s just about 100m from the path split of the Staircase spur.

Ration wise, I carried about 3L of water but used only 2L as the bulk of staircase Spur is shaded unlike Mt Feathertop which is mostly exposed walk and you needed more water.

Food: ate 4 small choc croissant. Brought trail mix nuts but didn’t eat any. So you don’t have to carry too much for this climb.

Start your climb early to minimise the effect of heat if you are climbing in summer. I started at 6am and it was 12 deg(not that cold) and when I reached the summit, it was also 12 deg. Perfect.

Attire: long sleeves non-cotton for sun protection and comfort. I had a Macpac powerdry type and it was perfect. I wore trekking pants though shorts would do the job too. Reason for long is for sun protection and bush bashing protection too. Hat (with hanging side and back cover) is highly recommend or wide brim is also a good option.

Sunnies are highly recommended as it minimise heat fatigue too.

Summary: Bogong is tough but manageable. High level of Fitness is recommended but you can still do it if your fitness is regular. Just allocate more time for the climb (9-10hrs) and take regular breaks to catch breadth and rest your muscle

Remember, reaching the summit is one thing, making it down safely is another. If you legs are already wobbly by the time you reached the top, they wouldn’t be able to safely carry you back down the very steep path. Some sections are so steep and precarious that if you slipped, that would probably be the last of you.

Respect the mountain, others and...

I did this walk on the 25th January. It was one of the best hikes I have ever done.

I did a day walk starting from the Mountain Creek Camp Carpark, up the staircase, and back via Eskdale Spur. The smell of the peppermint trees at the lower altitudes was wonderful. You really do walk through many different environments on the way up. Many reviewers complain about the last part of the walk. Personally I loved it - for about 8km you follow a fire trail, following a slow flowing creek. It was so relaxing the sound and walking through trees which rose 100m into the sky - how beautiful it was. You may get your feet wet crossing the creeks as well. However if you are strategic and have good balance you can avoid it!

There are 3 extremities for this walk: The Length (21.5km for the route I took) The Elevation (1350m accent, 1350m descent) The Weather

The track is easy to follow, you need very little navigation skills for this one. Also there are many people on the trail during good weather - you won't get lost. Only tricky part was at the top coming back via Eskdale - you need to walk along the spur for about 400m, before turning left at the signpost.

I'm reasonably fit mid-40's, but never done a walk to this degree in 1 day. Here are my timings to help you: UP - 3h 25m (including 15min break) 2hr break on top of the world DOWN - 3h 30m (including 10min break)

I would NEVER do this walk with any prediction of unsuitable weather. Even a chance of a shower, do not do this walk. People have died on this mountain, blizzards can come in at any time at the top.

Reviewers complaining about the bugs... cmon this is Australia, embrace the great ecosystem. They are the least of your worries.

Many hikers I passed, talked of seeing snakes. There are a lot around. Do some research and have a plan what to do if you get bitten - bring a bandage just in case. That being said, snakes are on every hike in Australia. You shouldn't have any trouble so long as you are vigilant.

My last advise - take water, but don't take so much it slows you down. 2-3L should suffice for most I think. If you are hiking overnight, pack lightly. The extreme height will make your pack...

I would tell you how long it took me but no one cares. It's roughly 1400 Metres of climbing over 6ks, if you're experienced you know how long it'll take you. Down is 13ks including 8ks of road, again you know how long it'll take you if you've done anything before. Absolutely beautiful mountain, well maintained track. Easily the top two I've done in Victoria.

In terms of steepness it's pretty even the entire way. Once you get to the staircase spur that's basically the same gradient for the entire hike. There's nothing particularly scary or scrambly on the way up. There is a fairly steep section once you reach the Alpine section, but that's pretty short. It's exposed in the alpine section, but there's no real dropoffs to worry about. At its thinnest there's probably 2 meters of ground either side of the track.

I returned by Eskdale Spur. I almost walked past the sign, it's the super obvious one with poles and a literal signpost but the track isn't super well formed. The first 100 meters down is pretty steep, but the rest is pretty cruisey. After a while (1,000 meters I'd guess) it turns into a 4x4 track then it's 8ks home. I actually loved this section, you just chill out and walk. You will have to go through two rivers, so if you have small or bad boots you'll have wet feet. I'm an Alpha chad with big boots so I was fine, thanks for asking.

For newbies: I reckon it's a good newbie mountain. It's steep but it's not super steep, it's exposed in the Alpine section, but compared to other alpine areas it's pretty easy and "safe". Safe in the sense that you'll die if you're actively stupid, but otherwise you're okay. Treat it with respect, always fear the mountain, if you do the Mountain isn't actively dangerous. Just remember that if you haven't actively trained for it (squats) your legs will probably give out and going down will suck. For me mine gave out at 1,000 meters on my first mountain.

Also don't listen to anyone saying X hours and expecting to replicate it if it's your first. Once you do your first couple of mountains you know how fast you climb/descend then you can calculate everything from there. If you're new this is an all day activity, I'm talking get...