43.7 miles
Distance
3,143 ft
Climb
-2,813 ft
Descent
06:03:56
Avg time

Acheron Road Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
  • AKA
    Molesworth Station
  • Difficulty Rating
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T1 Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Dirt/Gravel Road
  • Bike Type
    XC, Gravel, Adaptive MTB
  • Direction
    Both Directions
  • Climb Difficulty
    Green
  • Physical Rating
    Extreme
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Season
    Summer 7 am – 7 pm
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
  • TTFs on Trail
    Bridge, Rock Garden
  • Ride in Rain
    Yes
  • Local Popularity
    55 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 5 in Trail Running
    • 5 in Hiking
  • Land Owner

During the summer season, the Acheron Road is open 7 am – 7 pm from Labour weekend Saturday to Easter Monday or the second Sunday in April (whichever is the later date), but may be closed without warning due to weather conditions or fire danger. The Acheron Road status can be checked 24 hours a day by contacting DOC Wairau / Renwick Office (03) 572 9100 or online at www.doc.govt.nz (type Molesworth in the search bar).

Keep to roads and marked routes. These are high‑altitude routes where weather conditions can change rapidly. Always carry wind‑ and water‑proof clothing.

The distance from Blenheim to Hanmer via the Acheron Road is 207 km. Open dates are the same as for motorists. Outside the open season mountain bikers must apply for a permit from Wairau/Renwick Office.

Along the Awatere Road, toilet facilities are provided at the Marlborough District Council’s Blairich Recreation Reserve
(37 km from Blenheim/161 km from Hanmer) and Hodder Bridge Picnic Area (76 km from Blenheim/132 km from Hanmer).

Allow a full day to cycle the 59 km section through Molesworth, camping a night at the Molesworth Cob Cottage before setting out the next morning or — if you are beginning your journey in Hanmer — by the Acheron Accommodation House, 27 km from the township ($ 6.00 per night per adult (age 18+) and $3.00 per night per child (age 5–17)). These are the only sites along the Acheron Road where camping is permitted.

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for Acheron Road multi-use trail trail
  • Altitude change
    329 ft
  • Altitude min
    2,300 ft
  • Altitude max
    3,728 ft
  • Altitude start
    2,502 ft
  • Altitude end
    2,831 ft
  • Grade
    0.1%
  • Grade max
    -21%
  • Grade min
    45.7%
  • Distance climb
    23 miles
  • Distance down
    16 miles
  • Distance flat
    4 miles
  • Avg time
    06:03:56
  • Avg reverse time
    08:27:53
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Apr 3, 2021
Very Dry
no votes yet
Your vote: 0

view (98)
close
3D
Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Partial
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
  • > 96%
  • > 90%
  • > 80%
  • > 70%
  • > 50%
  • < 50%
  • bi-directional trail
  • no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
  • < 2 days
  • < 1 week
  • < 2 weeks
  • < 1 month
  • < 6 months
  • > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
  • Downhill Only
  • Downhill Primary
  • Both Directions
  • Uphill Primary
  • Uphill Only
  • One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
  • Description
  • Photos
  • Description & Photos
  • Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
  • most popular
  • popular
  • less popular
  • not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
cell carrier legend

Radar Time
x Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public ridelogs from the past 6 months.
  • mountain biking recent
  • mountain biking (>6 month)
  • hiking (1 year)
  • moto (1 year)
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public skilogs from the past 12 months.
  • Downhill Ski
  • Backcountry Ski
  • Nordic Ski
  • Snowmobile
Winter Trails
Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
x Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
disable
Only show trails with NO bikes.
enable

Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.

Save
      Directions to acheron-road trailhead (-42.462840, 172.889560)
      update trails status or condition

      Acheron Road Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Apr 3, 2021 @ 6:10pm
      Apr 3, 2021
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 0 rides
      •  
      6 Months
      • 0 rides
      •  
      All
      • 3 rides
      • Last: Apr 25, 2025

      Photos

      no photos have been added for Acheron Road yet, add a photo.

      Reviews / Comments

      No reviews yet, be the first to write a review or ask a question.
      Use trail reports to comment on trail conditions.


      We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!

      Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.

      Videos

      more »
      4K Rainbow Road ASMR New Zealand Bikepacking
      22:28 | 94 | Feb 6, 2024 , Hanmer Springs
      Molesworth and Rainbow - Marlborough and...
      15:30 | 342 | Jan 3, 2021 , Hanmer Springs
      • By YogiNZ & contributors
      • #32235 - 2,527 views

      You must enter a description before submitting.