Barnicoat Walkway provides a challenging climb to the top of Barnicoat Range. Beginning near the head of Marsden Valley in Stoke, the popular walkway is usually combined with Glider Road or Involution to form a 1-2 hr long loop. Barnicoat Range Walkway also provides the option to traverse the range all the way to Richmond. The walkway offers excellent views over the city and Tasman Bay.
| Details | |
| Length | 2.1 km Marsden Valley Rd to junction with Glider Road and Widdershins; 14 km Marsden Valley Rd to Easby Park |
| Time Required | 1 hr Marsden Valley Rd to junction with Glider Road and Widdershins; 4-5 hr Marsden Valley to Easby Park |
| Trail Type | 4WD road/Walking track |
| Physical Difficulty | Moderate |
| Uses | Walking and trail running |
| Direction | Either |
| Start Elevation | 150 m |
| Finish Elevation | 580 m |
| Dog Access | Dogs are permitted on Glider Rd and Barnicoat Walkway, but not Widdershins or Involution |
If any layers fail to load, try clearing your cache and refreshing the page.
This elevation profile should be considered approximate. Its accuracy is determined by the quality of data available.
5 min from Stoke
Barnicoat Walkway is a 5 minute drive from Stoke up Marsden Valley Rd. At the end of Marsden Valley Rd there is a small car park on the right, just before the quarry. Here you will find an information panel with a map and details on trail times and distances. There is also plenty of room to park alongside the road.
Logging and high fire risk will close access.
From the car park, cross the footbridge over Poorman Stream and follow the walkway as it connects to Glider Road. You can also take Piwakawaka Track for a slightly gentler gradient. Follow Glider Road for 800 m to the signpost indicating the start of Barnicoat Walkway, which climbs steeply from the left side of the road. The track climbs through pine forest for 300 m before emerging onto a firebreak on a spur, which has been cleared of pine forest, allowing open views of upper Marsden Valley and Jenkins Hill. The track follows the firebreak directly up the spur to the skid site near the top of the range, at 580 m elevation. Enjoy the views north over the city and out to Tasman Bay. The gradient is nearly twice as steep as Glider Road, so it’s more challenging and not really suited to MTB.
From the top of Barnicoat Walkway you can continue all the way to Richmond via Barnicoat Range Walkway. The walkway continues along the top of the range to Richmond Hill, where it descends to Easby Park. The total distance for this trip is about 14 km and will take you 3-4 hours if you’re walking. To do this, follow the road marked by plastic poles, that continues straight up to the top of the range from the skid site, or head right along Glider Road to the paragliding area.
To return to Marsden Valley Rd you can turn right at the skid site and follow Glider Road back down (creating a 7 km loop). Otherwise, follow the signpost at the skid site indicating the start of Widdershins. Follow Widdershins along the range and descend into Marsden Valley via Involution or Scout Track (creating a 9 km loop).
Barnicoat Walkway provides a challenging climb to the top of Barnicoat Range. Beginning near the head of Marsden Valley in Stoke, the popular walkway is usually combined with Glider Road or Involution to form a 1-2 hr long loop. Barnicoat Range Walkway also provides the option to traverse the range all the way to Richmond. The walkway offers excellent views over the city and Tasman Bay.
| Details | |
| Length | 2.1 km Marsden Valley Rd to junction with Glider Road and Widdershins; 14 km Marsden Valley Rd to Easby Park |
| Time Required | 1 hr Marsden Valley Rd to junction with Glider Road and Widdershins; 4-5 hr Marsden Valley to Easby Park |
| Trail Type | 4WD road/Walking track |
| Physical Difficulty | Moderate |
| Uses | Walking and trail running |
| Direction | Either |
| Start Elevation | 150 m |
| Finish Elevation | 580 m |
| Dog Access | Dogs are permitted on Glider Rd and Barnicoat Walkway, but not Widdershins or Involution |
This elevation profile should be considered approximate. Its accuracy is determined by the quality of data available.
5 min from Stoke
Barnicoat Walkway is a 5 minute drive from Stoke up Marsden Valley Rd. At the end of Marsden Valley Rd there is a small car park on the right, just before the quarry. Here you will find an information panel with a map and details on trail times and distances. There is also plenty of room to park alongside the road.
Logging and high fire risk will close access.
From the car park, cross the footbridge over Poorman Stream and follow the walkway as it connects to Glider Road. You can also take Piwakawaka Track for a slightly gentler gradient. Follow Glider Road for 800 m to the signpost indicating the start of Barnicoat Walkway, which climbs steeply from the left side of the road. The track climbs through pine forest for 300 m before emerging onto a firebreak on a spur, which has been cleared of pine forest, allowing open views of upper Marsden Valley and Jenkins Hill. The track follows the firebreak directly up the spur to the skid site near the top of the range, at 580 m elevation. Enjoy the views north over the city and out to Tasman Bay. The gradient is nearly twice as steep as Glider Road, so it’s more challenging and not really suited to MTB.
From the top of Barnicoat Walkway you can continue all the way to Richmond via Barnicoat Range Walkway. The walkway continues along the top of the range to Richmond Hill, where it descends to Easby Park. The total distance for this trip is about 14 km and will take you 3-4 hours if you’re walking. To do this, follow the road marked by plastic poles, that continues straight up to the top of the range from the skid site, or head right along Glider Road to the paragliding area.
To return to Marsden Valley Rd you can turn right at the skid site and follow Glider Road back down (creating a 7 km loop). Otherwise, follow the signpost at the skid site indicating the start of Widdershins. Follow Widdershins along the range and descend into Marsden Valley via Involution or Scout Track (creating a 9 km loop).
Updated 26 March 2020