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This section of the St James Walkway in Canterbury follows a natural track through native beech forest around Lewis Pass. The ground is mostly compact dirt and fallen leaves, with grassy patches, roots and the occasional rocky or uneven section making it feel like a proper backcountry trail rather than a maintained walking path.

The walking is fairly gentle here, with no major climbs in the section shown. The forest stays close around much of the track, although there are occasional openings where the landscape becomes a little more open. The full St James Walkway is much more varied, passing through wetlands, river flats, alpine fields and subalpine country, but this part is mainly about the beech forest.

The 66-kilometre St James Walkway runs between Lewis Pass and Boyle Village and is usually walked over four or five days. Starting at Lewis Pass, the route crosses open alpine wetland before entering the forest and descending towards Cannibal Gorge. Further along, it follows the Maruia River through a mixture of forest and open high-country terrain before continuing towards Ada Pass and the Ada Valley.

The surrounding St James Conservation Area is a remote landscape of glaciated valleys, streams, wetlands and tussock-covered mountains. Around Lewis Pass, the contrast between the dense forest and the more open river flats is particularly noticeable, with the mountains rising beyond.

The video is set at around 5 km/h with a 0% treadmill incline, giving it a comfortable and steady walking pace. If you want a little more effort indoors, a 1–2% incline would work well without changing the overall feel of the walk.

At 15 minutes, this is a short virtual walk through just one section of the much longer St James Walkway. The native forest, natural track and occasional glimpses of the surrounding mountains are what give this part of the route its character.