Mountainbiking Nelson > Big Day Out

About 30 minutes south of Nelson this track is readily accessible. 5 km south of Richmond on SH6 turn left and follow Aniseed Valley Rd over the hill to the Hackett picnic area. Here a wooden footbridge crosses the Roding River and follows the Hackett stream up the valley. About 10 minutes up the valley the track crosses a swing bridge and shortly after the single track begins as you enter typical Nelson native bush. There are lots of interesting challenges such as small stream crossings and rough sections to keep you entertained. 15 minutes up the singletrack another rideable track branches off to the left to Whispering Falls. Another 20 minutes or so further on the track to Browning Hut branches off to the left. Continuing to the right the track soon crosses a large slip and another 10 minutes on there is a creek crossing just before Hackett Hut (DoC 6 bunks). From here you can either retrace your wheel tracks or take the link track from the hut across to meet the Browning track after crossing the Browning Stream. This is well worth doing. The options from here are to turn left and head down on easy single track, cross the Hackett Stream and rejoin the track you came up on. For the more adventurous, turn right and take the track to Browning Hut. This will add another 11/2 hours to the ride, but is well worth the effort. The track to Browning Hut soon crosses the stream a couple of times or there is a route that climbs over a bluff that can be taken if river levels are up. The track climbs up a number or rocky steps with ruts, roots and other challenges, many of which you may end up walking. However the whole effort is worth it on the return journey. This is not a ride that should be undertaken if there are heavy rain warnings as the creek crossings can quickly become impassible. The Hackett track is very popular, especially in summer with trampers, hunters and walkers to expect the unexpected around every corner.