Lower to Upper Portals

[gbagua]

There is a distinct track to the right in the saddle just before coming down to Barney Ck camp site. Does that track go all the way to either the top of Yamahra Ck or possibly Montserrat Lookout?

I have put a question mark on the track I saw.



Can anyone confirm this?

Cheers!

[ofuros]

Right turn at the saddle takes you along a ridge, past a camp area to the Cleared Ridge 4wd track, left or right from there
takes you takes to the bottom or top of Yamahra Ck + Graces Hut, either steeply through the bush(left) or steeply down the old 4wd track
(right, then a left at the next junction). From there your on your way to Monserrat.

Option with views.....If you walk through the saddle for 5-10mins until you see a rock cairn, just before the track drops over the edge to Barney Ck Camp, take the right turn along the cliff edge, it'll give you great views of Mt Barney....keep following this & it will rejoin the same track above to the Cleared Ridge dirt rd.

On the return leg if coming back that way...if you follow the ridge & miss the turn offs it will bring you out
just behind the Lower Portals camp area. All downhill.

[gbagua]

Thanks for the info.

How long is the walk to Montserrat lookout from Clear Ridge track?

[ofuros]

Picturing it in my mind ....down the steep dirt track, across the creek, past the cattle yards, short hill climb,
through or over the fence & uphill along the ridge to Monserrat....I'd say roughly about 30- 45mins.
Lets make it an even 1hr...my mind sometimes likes to play tricks on me.

[gbagua]

Thanks again. I will be doing a very long day's loop walk starting from the LP car park, following the ridge line to Cleared Ridge and down Barney Ck (after climbing Montserrat lookout) through the U & LP, so the more details I can gather about timing the merrier.

Cheers!

[WillingYesAbleMaybe]

Could anyone give me an estimate of the time/difficulty to walk in to the Gorge Junction campsite from the Lower Portals carpark? I know, I know... how long is a piece of string? Ha ha ha.

I have walked to Lower Portals from the carpark many times, and know it well. I walk at a pretty good clip, but am planning to take a friend of mine in to the Gorge Junction remote camp - she gets along at an average pace. It is her that I'm "worried" about.

I don't recall anything really steep on the way to Portals campsite, but I haven't personally walked beyond there, to the gorge, via the ridge to the north of the creek. It looks pretty easy on paper (ie. the map) and fairly short - I would estimate about 90 minutes?
I have been up the steep start to the west of LP, then back down onto the creek, then along the creek past the falls to the junction - if I remember, we had to swim a little bit, and go up/along some fairly thin highish rock ledges. This will NOT impress her, and might (from memory) not even be very advisable with packs...

Thanks all,
Nathan.

[ofuros]

From the end of the L.Portals track...it's a short steep climb on a loose slippery surface onto a rocky ridge with views,
with a traverse to a saddle with fallen tree seating.
Through the saddle, over the creek, to clear area on the edge of the Barney creek valley,
then drop down into the camp......roughly 40-60mins depending on your pace.
Before dropping down, side track right for 5mins at a cairn on the edge of Barney ck valley for great views of some of Mt Barney's northern ridges.
Enjoy yourselves.

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[WillingYesAbleMaybe]

Thank you Ofuros.

Sounds like my conservative estimate was in fact, conservative. Cool.
We didn't end up going (yet! I definitely will do) as "life" got in the way of "plans". Don't you just hate it when that happens...

By the way, AWESOME Barney pic. Two big thumbs up

N.

[ofuros]

No worries, consider the pic a motivator....

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