The tenure review process has complicated the issue of access to the middle section of the 34km trail.
A water taxi service is needed to transport cyclists and walkers 12km between the northern and southern sections of the trail. The middle section of the trail covers three properties, two of which are in the tenure review process.
One of those properties is Obelisk Station and owner Alistair Campbell said he was in favour of the trail and was prepared to allow it on the station but needed the tenure review process completed first. He expected the review to be completed next year.
''I think the trail will be a great thing for this area and for businesses,'' he said.
The other property going through that process is Gorge Creek Station but owner James Russell could not be contacted for comment yesterday.
The third property owner, Jack Miller, of the Herrons Station, is adamant the trail will not cross his land as the trust indicated it would like.
He has about 3km of river frontage of which about half is freehold and the rest leasehold.
In some sections, the marginal strip is underwater because it was not reinstated when the gorge was flooded after Roxburgh Dam was built.
Mr Miller said he was not against the trail in principle and would have been happy to have it constructed on marginal strip. Where the trust proposed to build the trail through his property ''was inappropriate for our farming practices'' and would have disrupted stock.
Mr Miller's lease is up for renewal in 2020, which he said was when the trust would be able to look at constructing the trail through his station.
He was aware of dissent in the community and fingers being pointed at him for the boat trip being required, but no-one had complained to him in person.
''This is a symptom of a poorly conceived plan from the trust. It's not the [boat] operator's fault,'' Mr Miller said.
Trail trust chairman Stephen Jeffery said the plan was not poorly conceived, the trust had in-principle agreement from all landowners along the route, as was required to get government funding.
''By the time the funding became available it became clear we weren't going to get access across that land [Mr Miller's].''
He was confident the trail would eventually run through the entire gorge continuously.
