Front country - easily accessible
Out and Back
Mountainous
Dog Friendly
Native bush
Open tussock/grasslands
Gravel Road
Moderate Single Track
Average Uphill Gradient: +13%
Average Downhill Gradient: -13.5%
Login as a VIP to see the trailhead information.
3:45
Slow
3:00
Moderate
2:15
Fast
A nice way up Mt Thomas (avoiding the leg wrecking stairs of wooded gully and the unrelenting steepness of the Summit Track). Hardest part of the route is getting to the start of the ridge track itself without getting lost on the logging roads (total lack of signage) - from the car park head west on the main road and take the SECOND turn on the right (which veers off at an angle), follow that road up for 600m and the ridge track starts on the right, initially up thru logged pineforest before entering the beech forest at about 3km. Follow the ridge track up to the top and turn right, following the ridgeline along to the summit of Mt Thomas (at the 8km mark). Easiest option down is to retrace your route, or you can go down the Summit Track (steep but unstepped) or Wooded Gully Track (way too many steps).
This trail includes the peak Mount Thomas.
If you know of any public toilets near the trail start or on the route, please login and then let us know so we can update this section.
23 km
20 minutes
Yes
No
Moderate.
Patchy.
Whistle, First aid kit, Extra food for emergencies, Cellphone, Map
nil - take plenty
relatively high so tends to have plenty of snow in winter.
Wasps can be a major issue in summer
Trail Legend
Fastest Known Times (FKTs)
You and Mt Thomas via Ridge Track
As a VIP member you can record private notes for this trail, see all of your times and more.
Already have an account? Login now
One correction - this is definitely dog friendly and makes up one of the mountains on the Further Faster Mountain Dog Challenge! An awesome route up a great mountain, and I assume great views at the top - yet again I was cursed with about 1m of visibility. Very easy to go the wrong way, so have your wits about you.
January 31, 2020
Fabulous views from the top (I may need to upgrade my camera). I really should have remembered to take the second right, oops! The correct road has orange DOC markers to show you're on the right path.
April 23, 2018
These overlap with this trail to some degree. You may wish to combine them but please note that to qualify for FKTs on these runs you should record a separate activity for each.