Mt
Bogong is Victoria’s tallest mountain, which is 1986m above sea level. Located in the Alpine National Park. Hikers can take the Mount
Bogong – Staircase Spur Trail which is the direct route up, beginning at the
Mountain Creek Picnic Area and ending at
the summit of Mt
Bogong. An alternative track is the Eskdale Spur.
The Staircase and Eskdale Spur can both be accessed from a trail that begins at
Mountain Creek Picnic Area. It is also possible to access
Camp Creek Gap on the Eskdale Spur in a 4WD vehicle along Eskdale Spur Track from Trappers Gap. Both trails are of moderate difficulty. Starting from the
picnic area, the Staircase is a 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) return trip, normally taking 6–9 hours return, while the Eskdale Spur is a 20 kilometres (12 mi) return trip, normally taking 8–11 hours return.
The exposed treeless plain of
the summit offers little
shelter in poor weather. Strong winds, fog, freezing temperatures, rain and snow are all common at this altitude. Navigation can be extremely difficult in these conditions.
The Eskdale spur may provide a slightly easier option up to
the summit of
Bogong if you have a 4WD, although if you walk up from Mountain Creek, it is just a longer way to do the same ascent. With a 4WD you can drive from the bottom of the Staircase Spur at Mountain Creek, through to
Camp Creek Gap, from where it is about 2.5 hrs walk to
the summit of
Bogong, and this is the easiest winter access, although occasionally the 4WD track is covered with snow.