[Update] Date changed to January 14th. There’s been quite a bit of rain in Howes Valley and Watagan area in the last 24 hours, and the rain is forecast to continue until later Saturday morning. Let’s try for a date when the tracks will be less slippery!

Join Peter and me (Sarah) for a beautiful, easy drive through Howes Valley and Yengo National Park. Provided it’s dry, this is a good drive for beginners.

We’ll start at the Putty Road entrance to the Howes Valley Trail. The trail gets interesting right away, with a small creek crossing and some nice rocky bits. The forest is beautiful, with high trees and good views across the valleys. We’ll stop for lunch early-ish, at a clearing on the track. (There are no facilities – just the forest.) After lunch, it’s a lovely quiet drive along Yango Track through Yengo National Park. We’ll take the short side track to Finchley Trig Lookout, with its views across the park to Mount Yengo and surrounds.

We’ll air down and say our goodbyes on Yango Creek Road, just before the junction with Great Northern Road.

Max cars: 5. Respond with “Yes” to be one of the 5!

Difficulty: Easy, with some interesting spots. 4WD essential. For some spots of the trail, I’d recommend 4WD low.

Bring: 12v air compressor, tyre gauge, whatever recovery gear you have, CB (UHF) radio if you have one, lunch, chairs, water to drink and to wash hands.

Note: There are no fuel stations nearby. It’s important to fill up before you get past the last fuel station. As far as I know, the closest fuel stations are:
- Colo Heights (76.5 km south of the trail entrance)
- Bulga Server (37 km north of the trail entrance)

How to get there: This is the location on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/16aKnBpFFDi8RJZ49 (coordinates: 32° 51.1071’ S, 150° 50.1635’ E). If you’re driving up Putty Rd from Sydney, the trail entrance is on the right, about 13.9 km beyond Chapman Valley Horse Riding centre. The entrance is just over a crest in the road. Right turn, and stop at gate if closed. Peter and I will arrive early, open the gate, and stand there so that you can see us. If you miss the turn, you can turn around further on and come back.

The photo at the top shows the gate at the entrance to the trail. (The place marker on the map is on the left, but the entrance is on the right if you’re coming from Sydney.)