We plan to hike up Gray’s Pass later this month, and camp overnight up at the top before descending the next day.
Can we expect a reliable supply of water at the top in August 2025?
I am guessing there will be water somewhere at the top but you never know.
Any advice welcomed.
This is what I found on another site:
Water:
The Mhlawazini River provides a fairly reliable water source at the base of Gray’s Pass. In summer there is usually water gushing down the path in certain sections of the pass but at any other time of the year, the Nkosazana River on the escarpment is the only other water available.
We’re going up Grey’s Pass next weekend, sleeping up there, then returning down it again. @Snid : Was there water en route from Monks Cowl to Keith Bush? Keith Bush to Grey’s Pass? At the top?
The route from Monk’s Cowl to Keith Bush camp is one of the berg hikes I have enjoyed most in my experience. The view is v impressive.
One week ago, there was plenty of water at Keith Bush Camp (KBC) and plenty of small streams on the way. There is no need to carry much water on your way to KBC.
There is also plenty of water up at the top of Gray’s Pass. Not just a trickle but a strong flow. See pics.
The route up Gray’s pass is dry. It is about 2.2km and took us about five hours of gentle, slow hiking. No streams will be crossed so fill up your bottles at Keith Bush Camp. We took two litres each and it was plenty. You can drink it all because you can refill again at the top. The river froze overnight when we camped on top but there was plenty of water flowing beneath the ice. I recommend using Gaia GPS on your phone if this is your first time going up Gray’s. The route is quite clear but we still strayed from it a few times.
Top tip: If you plan to cook anything outside the tent (top of Gray’s pass), consider how well your stove performs in the wind. It can be very windy so be prepared. We got it done but should have had a better plan.
Thanks for the info. We had a great hike. Very warm weather and we needed 4 litres of water each for the day up Grey’s pass. Inkosazana River on top of the pass was not frozen at all, half our party slept under the stars, the other half in the cave. Despite the warm weather, there was still a wall of snow/ice in the mouth of the cave
