Distance: 8.9 km (2.5 DOC hours) - Benched track - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 680m to 877m. Gain: 279m. Loss: 92m . Gradient: 2 deg (Gentle)
Skills: - Occasional rivers (3/6)

Benched track (3/9)
Benched, maintained, marked tramping track or pack-track

Primary, mapped (1/5)
Formal route, on maps, principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Easy-moderate (difficulty: 2/5)
Tussock / river-gravel / open bush / cut track

None (difficulty: 1/7)
No alpine skills required

Occasional rivers (difficulty: 3/6)
Occasional rivers - impassible after heavy rain

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

An old farm / pack track follows the north bank of the Stanley River upstream, climbing to pass The Gates before dropping back to the valley floor. Several creek crossing follow - the river ankle deep in normal flows but can clearly become impassable in rain. Stanley Vale Hut is located 50m from the signposted junction with the Fowler Pass track and is visible from the track.

2-3 hrs

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

An old farm track / pack track follows the Stanley River south from Stanley Vale Hut. The track crosses the river several times - ankle deep in normal flows but the river can clearly become large in flood. After 8km of criss-crossing the stream on the valley floor the track climbs to pass the spectacular Stanley Gates and then returns to the valley floor below the obstruction.

About 1km below The Gales, the poled DOC track turns off the farm/pack track at an unmarked junction - with the pack track climbing the escarpment towards the start of broad terraces above. This is about 400m upriver of where topo maps show the tracks forking (Topo50 2019).

2-3 hrs