Route: Kosciuszko NP Grand Loop

With the opening up of the new extension to the Illawong track from Charlottes Pass to Guthega, this has now allowed a full loop to be put together, to showcase all that is great in the Kosciuszko National Park.

Born is the New Kosciuszko NP Grand Loop Course. The full loop is 110km long and will also include just under 3000m+ of Elevation.

This loop could technically be started at any point throughout the loop as you get to finish up where you started. But for this description, the loop will start at the Sawpit Creek day use Carpark right next door to the Kosci Holiday Park, just inside the National Park on the Perisher road.

This route gives you everything, starting with a lovely 26km run up the Perisher Road to Charlottes Pass. From here you pick up the newly opened Illawong track, that follows the Snowy river down to Guthega. At Guthega, after crossing over the Pondage wall, you head up the Guthega ridge trail to Consett Stephen Pass.

Here you head on the old original AAWT trail that takes you along the entire main range to Kosciuszko, passing a number of peaks including Mt Tate (2068m), Mt Anderson (1991m), Mt Anton (2015m), Mt Twynam (2196m). After Mt Twynam, the trail becomes more distinct as you pick up on the main range walk, which takes you over Mt Carruthers (2145m), past Mt Northcote (2129m) and Muellers pass to just below Mt Kosciuszko at Rawsons pass.

After passing Rawsons Pass, and an opportunity for a toilet stop, you pick up on the main Thredbo boardwalk to the top of Crackenback chairlift. No shortcuts to the bottom here. Head down the Merritts Nature Trail which brings you out at the bottom of Thredbo at Friday Flats.

For the final leg, you will run the entire 35km Thredbo Valley Trail, which follows the Thredbo river all the way down the valley to just before Gaden Hatchery. At the clearing just before the Hatchery, turn left and pick up on the Pallaibo Trail, that will climb over the last 4km of the loop back to the start at Sawpit Creek.

This is one amazing loop giving you the opportunity to be able to run a full diversity of trails and landscapes that the Snowy Mountains is so famous for.

For logistics, there is plenty of places to have crew support or to be able to pick up water along the way if running unsupported from all the alpine streams, and you also pass 7 places that have toilets which are located at Sawpit Creek, Charlottes Pass, Rawson Pass, Thredbo, Ngarigo And Thredbo Diggings Campgrounds and at Bullock Flats.

Enjoy the Experience.