Back country - remote
Loop
Very hilly
Dog Friendly
Native bush
Open ridges/tops
Easy Single Track
Moderate Single Track
Technical Single Track
Average Uphill Gradient: +12.2%
Average Downhill Gradient: -12.2%
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5:30
Slow
4:30
Moderate
3:15
Fast
Begin following the route for the Classic Silverpeaks route and the signs to Pulpit Rock and Jubilee Hut.
After Jubilee Hut keep following main DOC markers past ABC Caves to Philip J Cox Hut.
About 500m after the hut turn left down the track to the right. This takes you off the Classic route and down to the new River Track.
Follow this along for nearly 5km and then turn sharp left up Eucalyptus Spur track (signposted). Turn left onto Goldminers Direct track (signposted) and follow that back up to the carpark.
This trail includes the peaks Pulpit Rock and Silver Peak.
Glorious views from Pulpit Rock. An old water race from the early settler days can be vaguely seen on the River Track. There are bits of old gold mine workings but very difficult to find.
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.
Car parking is available at the trail start on the side of the road. Can get busy in weekends but there's usually space.
0 km
0 minutes
Yes
No
Moderate.
Signs are clear to Jubilee Hut. From there look for DoC markers to stay on track to get to Philip J Cox Hut. 500m after the hut the track down to the river turns off the main route. Look out for that - there is a marker but not very clear. To get down to the River Track is a steep windy track through beech forest. Track is well marked from there. Turn off to Eucalyptus Spur is a hard left that can be hard to see if you are going quick.
Very patchy.
Thermal leggings, Long-sleeved thermal top, Seam-sealed waterproof jacket, Gloves, Beanie/thermal headwear, Whistle, First aid kit, Extra food for emergencies, Survival bag, Cellphone, Map
Water is available in the stream by Jubille Hut, at Philip J Cox Hut, at the bottom of the descent to the River Track, and a stream crossing just before turning up Eucalyptus Spur.
Weather can get really wild up there. Snow and ice in winter is common. Can be changeable at any time of the year. Cloud can effect visibility on the tops around Pulpit Rock.
Slippery tracks. Steep tracks.
Inch Bar
8 Bank st, Dunedin
Always a nice Hazy on tap
Trail Legend
Fastest Known Times (FKTs)
You and Silverpeaks Pure
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An improved iteration on the Silverpeaks classic route with the river track presenting a really nice alternative to the mountain road - the most mundane bit of the original track. I've done it in both directions and the clockwise route is probably easier, doing the devils staircase downhill, but in the other direction, getting the gorse of yellow ridge out of the way earlier is good and then finishing with the lovely gradual descent (albeit with undulations) from Silver Peak all the way to the car park is quite delightful. Love having good trails like this, with a bit of everything, so close to Dunedin.
October 31, 2023
CG
Almost 25km of pure single track, in a loop, and so close to Dunedin! Great. I can't compare it to the "Silverpeaks Classic Loop" route as I haven't done that version yet, but I can say I did enjoy the River Track portion of this run, which is what differentiates the two. It's rough and steep for a bit after you drop off the Yellow Ridge route to get to the River Track, but then you're back on runnable track again for most of the rest of the way, with lovely bush and creeks to appreciate as well.
July 17, 2023
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.