JC’s Track

JC’s Track is an easy out-and-back across grassy flats beside the Bealey River, starting at Avalanche Creek campsite. The mapped path is about 0.55 miles each way, so the return is roughly 1.1 miles; allow about half an hour. No official mileage is posted, and the 10–15 minute estimate in a walk description doesn’t say whether it covers one way or the return. This is a pleasant leg-stretcher for the valley views, not a big hike.

From the campsite entrance, the track crosses an open glade between the river and railway embankment. It’s mostly grass with only a gentle rise and fall. Walk to the end of the signed path and return the same way. Morts Loop is a separate short woodland spur; it isn’t included in this mapped distance. The far end approaches the rail viaduct and tunnel area, but the Otira Tunnel portal and railway corridor are restricted. Don’t cross the tracks or ford the river to get closer.

The open flats give you a broad view toward Mt Bealey, Avalanche Peak and Rome Ridge. From near the river, look for the waterfalls and high cirques on Rough Creek. For a photo, keep a stretch of grassy path in the foreground and frame the mountains across the flats.

The flats once held workers’ baches associated with the Otira Tunnel. About thirty were still standing here in 1986; many had begun as accommodation during the tunnel’s long construction, which started in 1907 and ran into the 1920s. As occupation agreements ended, the land returned to public conservation management. That history adds a human layer to a short walk through an otherwise open valley.