This excellent track to Lyndon Saddle and Lyndon / Helicopter Hill begins by the shelter at the Craigieburn picnic area (a circuit via The Luge track is possible also). The track crosses the Cave Stream and grassy terraces, and then sidles steeply through dense regenerating beech forest.

The saddle has a four way junction and the track to Lyndon / Helicopter Hill climbs along a steep ridge with open screes between the beech forest. In parts the track is not clearly marked, but the route is obvious.

The top of Lyndon / Helicopter Hill (1262m) is covered with tussock and low herbs and grasses with some stands of exotic pine trees on the lower slopes. This is a superb viewpoint for the Craigieburn and Torlesse Ranges and the limestone landscape of the Castle Hill Basin.

Back at Lyndon saddle an alternative track leads down through low glacial terraces with some tall attractive beech forest, and reaches the Broken River skifield road. It is about 20 minutes down the road and back to the shelter following the meandering Cave Stream.

The track gradually descends to Broken River, which is crossed on a pole bridge.

After crossing the river, the track ascends for five minutes (walking) through mountain beech forest. You then come to a sheltered clearing, called Dracophyllum Flat. It is a popular picnic spot.

Dracophyllum Flat is named after the red-brown Dracophyllum that grows here, along with native tussock and a host of small herbs and ground covering plants.

After crossing Dracophyllum Flat, the track re-enters the bush. It goes through several boggy and muddy areas as well as crossing several small streams.

Once through the bush, the track traverses a tussock area and some more forest and then drops into Timms Stream. After climbing out of the stream, the track arrives at Texas Flat on the Cheeseman Ski Field Road.

All major stream crossings are bridged, except for Cuckoo Creek. This area can flood and become impassable during heavy rain.

Walk along the road for about 700m. The track ascends through mountain beech forest until it emerges in alpine tussocks near the skifields huts and carpark. This track crosses several active avalanche paths in winter (as does the road below it) - it is recommended not to use this track in Winter/Spring. From 1948 until the road was built in 1961 this was the only access to the Craigieburn Valley skifield. All the materials for the early huts and tows were carried by club members up this track. Return via the skifield road or retrace your steps down the track.

This is a mountain tramp and people should be prepared for extremes of weather, take a topographical map and compass.

The track climbs on an overgrown forestry track, zi-zagging it way up the hillside until it breaks tree-line at 1300m. In winter anywhere beyond here is in avalanche terrain!

The trail sidles up and across the hillside to Camp Saddle (1485m).

Apart from the magnificent views this tussock and scree saddle offers many interesting botanical specimens. Growing amongst the rocks are tiny plants that have adapted to the harsh environment - including celmisia, gentians and edelweiss.

From the saddle climb east onto the back of the ridge at the 1550m point (260m), continue following the obvious ridgeline for a further 1km to the 1525m point. From here travel southeast about 400m to a small knob. In good visibility you can make out the forested Lydon Saddle area below you. Descent the scree to the east to bushline, trying to stay near the spur that runs towards the saddle. Once at bushline, follow animal trails to the saddle (about 260m).

From here descend the Luge (3.6km) or Mistletoe (5.3km) tracks back to the Broken River Skifield Road, and carefully walk back to the carpark.

This is a mountain tramp and people should be prepared for extremes of weather, take a topographical map and compass.

The track climbs on an overgrown forestry track, zi-zagging it way up the hillside until it breaks tree-line at 1300m. In winter anywhere beyond here is in avalanche terrain!

The trail sidles up and across the hillside to Camp Saddle (1485m).

Apart from the magnificent views this tussock and scree saddle offers many interesting botanical specimens. Growing amongst the rocks are tiny plants that have adapted to the harsh environment - including celmisia, gentians and edelweiss.

From the saddle drop north down the ever-steepening scree slope. Avoid any vegetation on the scree, as they are likely to be fragile and rare alpine plants! The scree runs for 500m until it meets the Craigieburn Valley Track (The Edge) about 900m from the Craigieburn skifield. From here it is a very long way back to the Camp Saddle carpark via other routes; it is probably best you have some form of vehicle shuttle arranged, or return the same way.

This route is described here starting at the Thomas Bush end. There are two tracks accessing the Hogs Back from Thomas Bush carpark. The normal return track (Hogs Back Track) starts near the end of the carpark. It is recommended that walkers and cyclists should take the "Easy Up Track" to access the Hogs Back track.

From the Thomas Bush carpark, walk about 80m along the Water Intake Road, passing the Hogs Back track entrance sign. The Easy Up track climbs through beech forest onto the Long Spur ridgeline, meeting the Hogs Back track after 2.8km (45 min).

After following the ridgeline, the track then descends across the open flats below Long Spur to the beech forest at Long Creek. A ride through the beech forest is followed by a short climb up the true right of Waterfall Creek. After crossing Waterfall Creek, the track then traverses across to the western side of the Hogs Back ridge before dropping down to Texas Flat (via Ernie's Mistake).

The return ride back to Castle Hill Village can be made either by taking the reverse track route (using the Hogs Back descent track, rather than the Easy Up Track) or by riding 4.7km down the Cheeseman Skifield access road to SH73 and then 2.3km along SH73 back to Castle Hill (note this section of SH73 includes a 90m climb).

This track can also be linked directly with Dracophyllum Flat Track.