Hiking to Woolshed Creek Hut With Kids

Jennifer Parkes, one of Mid Canterbury's local authors and owner of Backyard Travel Family, talks about walking the Woolshed Track.
Touted as one of the best overnight hikes for beginners and family tramps, I had to test this out myself and I am inclined to agree!  The hike to Woolshed Creek Hut is a great hike for kids in Canterbury, or a good half day hike. We loved the variety on the trail, the old historic coal mine along the way and the great mountain views.  The Woolshed Creek hut is a well equipped hut to stay in overnight or a great halfway point lunch stop, as it was for us.  Easily one of the best things to do in Canterbury with kids.If you’re looking for an introductory overnight hike for children or a fun half day family walk with lots of variety, then this is for you.  Our Guide to walking Woolshed Creek Hut with kids contains the following information:

• How to get to Woolshed Creek Hut, Mt Somers

• The 3 routes to Woolshed Creek Hut

• How long will it take to hike to Woolshed Creek Hut?

• What exactly is the hike like?

• What age do the kids need to be to hike this track?

• What facilities does Woolshed Creek Hut have?

• Where else can I walk on the Mount Somers Track

• Overnight Packing List for the Woolshed Creek Hut walk

• Mt Somers Accommodation Options

Please note: this article may contain affiliate links.  These do not cost you any extra but any commission earned goes towards the running of this websiteHow to get to Woolshed Creek Hut

• Drive past Mt Somers Village on Ashburton Gorge Road, heading up towards the Ashburton Lakes

• Turn right onto Jig road, signposted for Mt Somers Track (gravel road)

• As you reach a fork in the road, turn left onto the Woolshed Creek Hut access driveway (small sign on the fence post)

• Follow the road to the end and there is a large carpark.

• Start the Miners Trail to the left of the map board.

3 different tracks to reach Woolshed Creek HutThere are three alternate tracks from the Woolshed Creek Carpark up to Woolshed Creek Hut.

1. The Miners Track with the 4WD detour (easiest)

2. The Miners Track (over the hill)

3. The Rhyolite Track via the Bus Stop (hardest)

The Miners Track with the 4WD detour is the easiest track to Woolshed Creek Hut.  You will reach a fenceline with an open gate (after the mine)  Straight ahead is a big hill (the original track) and to the left you will see a well trodden path through the tussock.(it isn’t signposted)  Turn left here and follow this trail for about 5-10 minutes until you hit the 4WD trail.  Turn right on this 4WD track and follow it all the way to Woolshed Creek. The original Miners Track will lead you up and over the hill, then down a winding narrower track to Woolshed Hut.  It is a steep little climb, but doesn’t last too long.  Do be careful coming down the hill here too.  You could make this a loop to mix up your walk. The Rhyolite Track via the Bus Stop is a much harder track.  If you are a beginner hiker or have inexperienced kids, this isn’t the first track I would try.  From Woolshed Creek Carpark, you cross the bridge and head up a steep hill, full of scree and unstable stones.  There are a number of good climbs up and big downhill sections, so essentially it is undulating all the way to Woolshed Creek.You will pass the famous Bus Stop, cross a couple of creeks, a dodgy one person bridge and you can even take a detour to a waterfall along the way.  This track is much more difficult and will take 4-5 hours one way with kids.  It is however, a much more interesting track covering lots of different terrain so older kids may enjoy this.  You could also make a full loop track, walking in via one track and out via the other.

The rest of this article will discuss the easiest route via the 4WD track to Woolshed Creek HutHow long will it take to hike to Woolshed Creek with kids (via the easiest route)I walked with a 1 year old on my back, and with a 5 and 8 year old, and it took us about 2 hours, 20 minutes to reach the hut, with a few short stops for morning tea and a look around the coal mine.  I think an adult could walk to the Hut in about 90-100 minutes.The return walk from Woolshed Creek Hut back to the carpark took about 2 hours.  I would expect the round trip to take about 3 hours for adults and I would allow 4-5 hours walking with a family, plus a lunch stop.  The Department of Conservation signage suggests it is a 3 hour walk to the hut, but we did it considerably faster, but it would take no longer than this.
What is the Woolshed Creek Hut walk with kids like?

Even though this is recommended as an easy tramping track for kids, it is by no means flat.  The trail itself is easy and it is not difficult to walk on, the terrain is a compacted dirt and bush track, then onto a dirt 4WD track, but it does have a good climb in it.  From the carpark to the top of the hill, it took about an hour.  Then you walk along a 4WD track which is a mild incline and flat, so an easy walk, and you will spend the last 20 minutes heading down into the valley to the Hut.Two thirds of the way up the hill you will come across the old coal mine.  It’s great for kids as they can climb in the old coal cart and see some of the old machinery which is “displayed” on the trail.  It is what makes this walk really interesting and is a great way to break up all the walking. The variety is what makes this a great half day hike for kids. Along the 4WD portion of the track you will be able to get great mountain views and there are a number of great viewpoints along the way.  We tramped this trail on a warm winters day in July, so it was lovely to have snow on the mountains. There were remnants of the latest snow on the track, so if you plan to hike this track in Winter, you will need to be careful of the weather and have good alpine safety.  If you need to know more, check out this awesome guide from the Mountain Safety Council New Zealand here.

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