A method and apparatus that provides for determining a packet transmission path for a managed network using Internet Protocol is disclosed. A network management station can use a source-routed IP path tracing operation to determine a packet transmission path for a managed network even when an end-station from which the packet emanates (source node) in the managed network does not support source-routed IP path tracing operation by determining a first gateway used by the source node to reach the packet's destination (destination node). Further, a second gateway is determined based on the first gateway and destination node. The second gateway is used as the first hop from the source node to the destination node when the subnet associated with the source node is identical to the subnet associated with the second gateway.