Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → New Zealand → Otago → Routeburn Track

Location: Mt. Aspiring National Park, Otago, New Zealand

Time Required: 5 hours – 3 days depending on destination and fitness

Distance: 32 km/20 miles total (full route); 18 km/11 miles roundtrip to the Routeburn Falls hut (day hike)

Elevation Gain: 1635 m/5365 ft (full route); 600m/2000 ft to the Routeburn Falls hut (day hike)

Red Tape/Notes: Doing the full route requires a transfer between the Queenstown/Glenorchy area and Te Anau (or vice versa). Usually done as a 3-day hike with overnights at the Routeburn Falls hut and the Lake McKenzie Hut, the route can easily be done in two days (or one, but you also have to account for the 5 hour drive between the start and finish). If you don’t have two days, you can spend a quick couple of hours hiking to the Routeburn Flats Hut and back (this option is kind of boring, but it will only take you around 3 hours total), or go up to the Falls hut and return (this is the recommend day trip option).

What’s Nearby?: Glenorchy Lagoon Walkway, Rees Valley Packrafting, Kinloch, Mt. Judah Track Scheelite Mine

This hike is New Zealand’s second most popular Great Walk (after the Milford Track) and offers beautiful views over alpine terrain. Although most people schedule this as a 3-day trip, you could easily reach the Lake McKenzie Hut in one day from the Glenorchy side of the trail, completing the trip in a day and a half. That day and a half will feature views of jagged peaks, wide valleys, tumbling streams, sparking lakes, and all the other things you’ve come to expect of pure New Zealand splendor. It was unfortunately rather rainy when we were here, so we didn’t get to see as much of those soaring peaks and lovely valleys (what with the clouds and all) but we did have some very nice rainbows, which is a considerable consolation. We only had a time for a quick day hike; we opted to extend beyond the Routeburn Falls hut, but didn’t go all the way to Harris Saddle. We need to come back and do the full route anyway…preferably some time when it’s more clear. But the route was beautiful regardless and the large number of huts make it possible to slice and dice this trip in various ways. You could also extend the trek by linking up with the Greenstone or Caples Track at the Lake Howden hut on the Te Anau side. Either of these tracks will take you back to the Kinloch area, so you can add an extra night or two and avoid the long shuttle associated with the Routeburn.

Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → New Zealand → Otago → Routeburn Track