Routeburn Track – Alpine Bliss On The South Island

The Routeburn Track is a truly spectacular alpine hike on the South Island of New Zealand.  These tips and FAQ will help you plan your hike on this track.

One of the first things that I like to do when I’m thinking about doing a big hike is to learn all I can about it.  I like to look at photos and read stories about the hike.  Then I take some time to learn all I can about the actual planning and logistics of the hike to see how I can make it happen.  Well, here are some helpful tips and info for your Routeburn track planning.  These tips and FAQ will help you take that first step to making it happen.

You can read all about our fun adventure on the Routeburn track here.

New Zealand’s Routeburn Track Planning, Logistics, And FAQ

Is This A Loop Hike, Out And Back, or One Way?  

The Routeburn track is a one-way or through hike.  It starts and ends at two different locations.  One trailhead is located close to Te Anau/Milford Sound while the other trailhead is near Glenorchy/Queenstown.

How many days is this walk?

The Routeburn is very different than the Milford Track, which must be walked over four days in one direction with three nights in huts along the way.

You can walk the Routeburn in either direction and take as many days as you choose.   Some people choose to walk or run the entire track in one day and others choose to go slow and take four days.

Most people will do this walk in three days, staying at the Lake McKenzie hut and either the Routeburn Falls or Flats hut.

How Close Are The Two Trailheads?

The two trailheads are actually quite far apart when driving on roads.  The Divide is located along the road between Te Anau and Milford Sound.

The other trailhead, the Routeburn Shelter, is located just outside of Glenorchy, near Queenstown.

The driving time between the two trailheads is a little over 4 hours.

How Can I Get To/From The Trailheads?

If you have your own car you can drive it to the trailhead and arrange to have some company shuttle it or move it to the other trailhead.

Or you can take a bus. There are excellent, reliable bus services to both trailheads.  You can book your bus to take you to or pick you up from either trail head and to/from Queenstown or Te Anau.

Is It OK to do this walk with kids?

YES!  We did the walk with our kids when they were 8 and 10 and they had no problems with it.  However, we also saw other children on the trail, some of whom were much younger.

There are several huts along the track so you can do like we did and have short days or you can do it fast with longer days.  Some people will even head up from the Glenorchy side to one of the huts on that side for an overnight.

How Do You Book The Walk?

You can book this walk through the Department of Conservation Website here.

This walk can be booked 6 – 10 months in advance and should be if you plan on walking during the Great Walks Season (October – April) because it fills up quickly.

Or you can take a guided walk with a private outfitter.  In that case you don’t need to book so far ahead of time, but it costs much more money.

Can You Camp Along the Routeburn?

Yes, but only at designated campsites and those must be booked in advance.  There are two campsites along the track.

What Amenities Are At The Huts?

The huts are very nice.  During the Great Walks season the huts have mattresses, drinking water, stoves with gas, toilets, fireplaces with wood, and communal cooking/dining areas.

My Insider Tips For Routeburn Track Planning

Bring along a small towel, so that at the end of the day you can jump in a river, stream or lake to wash off and feel refreshed.  It may be cold, but you will be glad you did it and it’s fun!

You must bring a pack cover for your pack because it rains a lot.  Most likely you will get rained on at some point.  Many people also put a plastic bag lining the inside of their backpack to ensure their sleeping bag and clothes stay dry.

Bring along jandals, crocs, or other lightweight footwear to wear at the huts each night.  You can’t wear your muddy boots inside of the huts.

Make sure that you are prepared for any kind of weather regardless of what time of year you are walking.  This is far south it can be cold, snowy, or rainy any time of year.  Bring gloves, a winter hat, a winter coat, and rain gear.  We wore our long johns at the huts and used gloves most mornings when we began walking.

Warm liquids are good.  Throw in some cup a soups, hot chocolate, or other warm liquids.  These are small to carry along, but will help warm you up and revive you along the walk if it is cold and wet.

Be prepared for the sandflies!  They can be bad or horrific.  Bring along some bug spray and have long pants and shirts to cover up as much of your skin as possible.

General Setting And History Of Routeburn Track

This track traverses two major valleys and two national parks.  Starting from the Divide, the track begins at the head of the Hollyford Valley in Fjordland National Park.  It skirts the top of the valley and then follows along it before climbing over Harris saddle and into the Routeburn drainage, in Mt. Aspiring National Park.  The track then follows the Routeburn river down, down, and down to the trailhead.

The Hollyford Valley is a very long valley that starts in the mountains and heads down towards the Tasman Sea.  At one point the valley was a fjord, but after the glaciers melted a load of debris was dumped at the mouth of the fjord, creating a dam.  Now there is about 3 km of land at the mouth of the valley, separating the Tasman Sea and a large lake called Lake McKerrow.

The Maori used this valley to travel from the East to the West coast on their quest to find greenstone. They began near Lake Wakatipu, by Queenstown, travelled up the Greenstone valley, over the Divide and down the Hollyford Valley to the coast.  Once at the coast they would travel up towards some major quarries near Greymouth or Hokitika.