The Caples Valley is especially beautiful where it runs through long grassy flats fringed by thick beech forest, beneath the towering battlements of the Humboldt and Ailsa mountains. The walk is easy and varied, with small gorges interspersed by large river flats.

The Greenstone Valley is the entry point for this trip amid dramatic mountain scenery and lush beech forest. A large car park with signage on the north bank of the Greenstone River designates the start point. There is also camping here. 

The track heads directly into the forest and climbs on a benched stock track beside the river. It then enters the lower gorge of the Greenstone and climbs for about 20 minutes over a shoulder before descending to the Greenstone-Caples junction, where you will find a swing bridge and signs to the Greenstone Valley. Follow the track up the Caples Valley on the river’s true left.

It can be quite muddy along this section. The track stays close beside the river on bush terraces alternating with wide grassy flats, with views of the upper valley. The lower flats are still grazed and there may be cattle around.

At about halfway, the river cuts hard against the bank and a number of small, steep tracks climb above it on a gravely surface before the trail descends to the next large river flat where there are small copses of beech trees.

Home Hill, 1610m, on the south bank of the river, provides a dramatic spectacle here with steep bluff faces falling sharply to the river flats. A little further on a derelict hut can be seen on the far bank. The track again enters the bush before climbing through open tussock and over a small knoll above a spectacular slot gorge on the main Caples River. 

The full flow of the river, constricted to a ribbon of boisterous white water by the sheer-walled canyon, passes beneath a short bridge that spans the lip of the defile. It’s a great spot for photos and, as the hut is now close, there are no time constraints. Across the bridge the track climbs into the open away from the forest to the hut on a terrace. 

It’s a grand location with unsurpassed views of the upper valley and the peaks of the Humboldt Range, which rise some 1500m above the valley floor to the northeast. The hut is spacious, with a deck and large viewing windows. 

From here a day could be spent exploring the mid-valley or descending into the beautiful little canyon of Talc Creek just below the hut. Take care here, though.