The Bealey Valley Track is a rugged tramp—don’t be fooled by the “valley” in the name—this is more a rocky avalanche canyon than a Sound of Music valley. The track is a one-hour roots ‘n’ rock-hop up the Bealey Stream to the snow-choked canyon at its head. Besides the majestic towering valley walls and waterfalls, the most interesting feature of Bealey Valley is the vast perennial snowfield that blocks-up the upstream end of the valley. This snowfield is a “false glacier”, meaning that it is avalanche snow that gets packed and squeezed so deep into the bottom of the valley that it begins to act as a flowing glacier. The route up the streambed leads straight into the gaping, dripping, waterfall-gushing maw of this icy marvel. The cave-mouth of this false glacier is wet, slippery, cold…and prone to rocks falling from its ceiling that have been avalanched down with the snow—it’s probably best not to venture in.
But, since it seems somewhat unsatisfying to end this adventure at the glacial snout with its limited views, backtrack a bit and clamber up the left slope for a steep 10 minute scramble to gain a satisfyingly WoW perch overlooking both the glacier and the 60m waterfalls pouring into it. From these higher perches above the glacier you can also see northwards to the entire Temple Basin Ski Area and wispy Twin Creek Falls.
FYI: Temple Basin is a peculiar ski area in that you can’t drive up its too-steep access road—you have to walk! In the winter a lift carries your equipment up, but you have to walk up the roadway slope to access the ski area’s lifts. Whew, hard core Kiwi!
TRAMP: Begin up the signed track as it zigzags up through the forest for 30 minutes. You’ll emerge into the streambed area where the markings stop…but simply continue up the stream’s shoulder until ice blocks the way.
