Slippery Rail

Dogs Off-leash

E-Bikes Unknown

The top of Slippery Rail is generally approached by riding up Escalator to the big skid site then following Oliver Road up and across the gate into Silvan Forest. Follow the continuation of Oliver Road and then double back along Heaton Road, the first road to the right. Keep right at the next fork then across the gate back into Kingsland Forest. The road dips down then forks left up a steep firebreak that is actually Henry Road, to the top of Richmond Hill.

Alternatively, from the Silvan Forest Network of trails, you can climb up to the top of Alpha Toru and then turn right down the road and on to Heaton Road then Henry Road.

However you get to the top of Richmond Hill, you'll easily find the start of Slippery Rail off of a short rocky section of Lookout Road that lasts for about 20 meters. Where there's an obvious track, head through some gorse into the pine forest.

Here there is a section of steep, swooping corners with numerous roots which deposits you down a short drop on to Heaton Road. The track continues below the road, but this middle section down to Fowler Road isn't well maintained and may have windfalls across it. There are several steep, sketchy sections, sometimes off camber, and several trees that command respect.

At Fowler Road, turn right to follow the road and just before the crest of the hill, look for a narrow singletrack on the right descending down through kanuka and native bush. The trail is narrow and rutted in places. The surface is loam with numerous roots and is very slippery when wet. The trail ends with a one-meter drop on to Terminus-Lodestone Gully (the drop can be easily rolled if you get the line right through some roots).