Cascade Saddle Tramping Tracks

Cascade saddle in New Zealand's Mount Aspiring National Park is an amazing location, it's one of those places you can just sit and admire the scenery for hours. There are a two marked tracks leading to the saddle one from the Dart river valley and another from the Matukituki valley. This article explains how to reach the saddle and what you can expect once there.

The Saddle

Cascade saddle is at an altitude of 1524 metres.  It offers brilliant views. The Dart glacier is nearby rumbling frequently as it gradually shifts.  The Matukituki river winds it's way through the valley some 1000 below, you can see water falls cascading off the near vertical drop to the valley floor.  In the distance you get a superb view of Mt Aspiring on a good day.  At 1500 metres you have to watch the weather ... thick cloud, snow and strong winds are possible at any time of year.  It is possible to camp near the saddle but there are no factilities.  Getting to the saddle involves one of two options, both of which are steep.

Dart Hut - Cascade Saddle

The route from Dart Hut to the saddle is by far the easier of the two tracks. Dart hut is located in the Dart river valley and is part of the popular Rees-Dart track.  It's a three or four hour tramp to reach the saddle.  Most of the way you gradually gain height as you follow the river up the valley, but not long after sighting the glacier the track begins to ascend steeply up to the saddle.  It's steep but easily achievable for anyone with moderate fitness levels. This route is commonly done as a side trip while on the Rees Dart track, the return trip is about 7 hours.  If you're looking for more of a challenge the track from Matukituki side is sure to provide.

Aspiring Hut - Cascade Saddle.

Aspiring hut is located in the Matukituki river valley, 2 and half hours up the valley from Raspberry Creek carpark.  From Aspiring hut it takes about 4 hours of steep ascent to reach the high point of the track at the pylon, this is actually higher than the saddle itself at 1835m.  Once at the pylon you will have climbed over 1000m so fortunately the hardest part is over but there is still another 2 hours to go before reaching the saddle.  This route can be very slippery so great care must be taken.

Whatever way you choose to get there the Cascade Saddle will take your breath away ... that's if you have any breath left to take after the ascent :-)  So choose your route and get into it!