The Old Ghost Road
Also known as: OGR, part of Nga Haerenga NZ Cycle Trail Great Rides
Alpine tops, Ghost Lake, Mokihinui Gorge, four historic ghost towns
Who in your group rides what
Whether everyone in your group gets a day at The Old Ghost Road - the grades on offer, the named zones, and how mixed abilities split up.
NZ Grade 4 (Advanced), Grade 5 in places
Group split - Lyell to Lyell Saddle Hut (18 km each way) out-and-back, or flatter northern Specimen Point-to-Seddonville (17 km) from Seddonville; full traverse best south-to-north
Advanced riders; less-experienced can ride shorter out-and-backs (see Variants); not for beginners
The riding
Benched singletrack, native forest, alpine tussock tops, Mokihinui Gorge; 21 bridges
Exposed benched singletrack 400-600 mm wide; crux 4 km north of Ghost Lake (Grade 5) incl. Skyline Steps (carry ~60 m); up to 8 hr riding/day
Single continuous well-formed trail; remote
Remote and quiet; hut capacity limits numbers
Season & conditions
Rideable year-round but alpine; snow/freeze possible any month; summer sleepouts open Sep-May
~Dec-Apr (summer/autumn)
High wasp numbers Jan-Apr in lower beech forest
Alpine exposure, snow, heavy rain; Goat Creek ford impassable in flood
Getting there & gear
MLBT hut booking required (paid); DOC huts free/first-come
Permits and operators change - confirm before booking.
Lyell on SH6 (Upper Buller Gorge, ~50 min from Westport); Seddonville ~50 km N of Westport on SH67
Vehicle relocation/shuttle - HikenBike, Buller Adventures (also PLB hire), Go Tracks; heli - Heli Charter Karamea. Point-to-point logistics required
Self-sufficient; carry PLB; very limited/no mobile coverage; no resupply mid-trail
Huts (toilets, cooking gear, rain-fed water); Lyell trailhead campground/parking/toilets; Seddonville end Rough and Tumble Bush Lodge (cafe/meals/showers)
Westport hub; Coast Outdoors, Off The Beaten Trail (hire); Buller Adventures, HikenBike, Go Tracks (shuttle)
Hazards & rescue
Alpine exposure/hypothermia, snow, unbridged Goat Creek ford (flood), Irishman's Creek, landslip/rockfall, treefall
Not required; guided option (Cycle Nelson, Off The Beaten Trail)
Only road exits are the two trailheads (Lyell SH6, Seddonville SH67); no mid-trail road access; hut emergency phones to NZ Police; aerial evac via Heli Charter Karamea; hospitals Buller Health (Westport), Grey Base (Greymouth)
This profile is desk research, compiled from public sources - not a first-hand mountain-bike network report. Coordinates are approximate.