Routeburn Track
Key figures
Length
- Stated
- 33 km, the stated length (Department of Conservation)
- Map line
- 31.5 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track
- Used for
- The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search
- 33km
Ascent · descent
- This trail
- Estimated from the terrain model (≈): no source states them
- How
- Every main stage's climbs and drops between samples 100 m apart
- Keep in mind
- In forests the model reads the treetops, so it reads high there
- estimated: 1,530m ↑1,470m ↓
Difficulty
- What
- How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
- Scale
- Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
- Keep in mind
- It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
- Terrain: DemandingClimbing: ≈ 46 m per km
- Climate: Demanding in Jan–AprCold: 1 °C at night (April)
- Effort: ModerateLongest day: 6 h (stage 3)
- Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Demanding in Jan–Apr; Effort: Moderate
- Suggested
- 2–4days
Per stage
- How
- The 4 main stages' totals over their number
- Source
- Department of Conservation, so the averages come from one source
- Ascent
- The terrain model's estimate per stage (≈): the stages state no climbs
- 8.3km· about 380 m ↑
- Season
When are you going?
The page rates its climate for them.
Landscape
- Source
- ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
- Forest: 72%
- Grassland and shrubs: 28%
- Mostly Forest
Location
- Country
- New Zealand
- Regions
- Otago, Southland, Fiordland
- Start
- Routeburn Shelter
- Finish
- The Divide
- Route type
- Point to point
- Travel hubs
- Glenorchy25 km by road · 39 min
- Queenstown Airport (ZQN)79.7 km by road · 88 min
- Protected areas
- Mount Aspiring National Park; Fiordland National Park; Te Wāhipounamu (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Managed by
- Department of Conservation (Te Papa Atawhai)Official websiteGPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap
- Trail
- Start
- Stage start
- Finish
- Contour lines
Difficulty
Terrain
- Rates
- How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
- How
- Rated over the whole main route.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Path grade
- the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
- EasyT1
- ModerateT2
- DemandingT3
- HardT4 to T6
- Climbing
- ascent of the main stages over their length
- Easyunder 15 m per km
- Moderate15–30 m
- Demanding30–50 m
- Hard50 m or more
- Steep stretches
- share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
- Easyunder 5 %
- Moderate5–15 %
- Demanding15–30 %
- Hard30 % or more
- Natural ground
- share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
- Easyunder a third
- Moderatea third to two thirds
- Demandingtwo thirds or more
Demanding
- estimated T2
SAC hiking scale
- This trail
- T2 (our estimate)
- Basis
- DOC grades the track intermediate in the Great Walks season: river flats and beech forest, then up through tussock to Harris Saddle/Tarahaka Whakatipu (1,255 m, the highest point) and along the exposed Hollyford Face, with rock-fall no-stopping zones, on a formed track. Outside the season advanced and expert, with ice, snow and avalanche risk. Mountain hiking on a good track over an alpine pass (T2).
- Scale
- The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
- Why
- Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
- Keep in mind
- An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
- T1 · Hiking
- Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
- T2 · Mountain hiking
- A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
- T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
- The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
- T4 · Alpine hiking
- Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
- T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
- Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
- T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
- Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.
- Climbingestimated 46 m per km
- Steep stretches18 % of the way
- Natural ground100 %
Climate
- Rates
- How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
- How
- From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Heat
- mean daily high at the lowest point
- Easyunder 22 °C
- Moderate22–27 °C
- Demanding27–32 °C
- Hard32 °C or more
- Cold
- mean nightly low at the highest point
- Easy8 °C or more
- Moderate3–8 °C
- Demanding−2 to 3 °C
- Hardbelow −2 °C
- Wet days
- days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
- Easyunder 10
- Moderate10–14
- Demanding14–18
- Hard18 or more
- Snow
- days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
- Easyunder 1 day
- Moderate1–3 days
- Demanding3–6 days
- Hard6 days or more
- Wind
- mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
- Easyunder 15 km/h
- Moderate15–20 km/h
- Demanding20–25 km/h
- Hard25 km/h or more
Demanding in Jan–Apr
Outside the season (Nov–Apr): facilities may be closed, and the weather is harder to plan for.
- Heat · January18 °C by day
- Cold · April1 °C at night
- Wet days · January16 days
- Snow · April3 days
- Wind · January10 km/h
Effort
- Rates
- How long are the days?
- How
- Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Longest day
- walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
- Easyup to 4 h
- Moderate4–6 h
- Demanding6–8 h
- Hardmore than 8 h
Moderate
- Longest day · stage 36 h
Climate
- Days in season · lowest point
- 13–18°C
- Nights in season · highest point
- 0–5°C
- Wet days a month
- 13–19
- Daylight
- 10.9–15.6h
| Month | Lowest point, day high / night low (°C) | Highest point, day high / night low (°C) | Wet days | Snow days | Frost nights at the highest point | Daylight (h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18.1 / 10 | 12.5 / 4.7 | 15.5 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 15.2 |
| February | 18.1 / 10.3 | 12.5 / 5 | 13.4 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 14 |
| March | 16 / 8.4 | 10.5 / 3.3 | 14.7 | 1.1 | 3.9 | 12.5 |
| April | 12.8 / 5.8 | 7.5 / 0.9 | 14 | 2.7 | 11 | 10.9 |
| May | 9 / 3.1 | 4 / -1.7 | 16.8 | 7.8 | 21.3 | 9.5 |
| June | 5.3 / 0 | 0.4 / -4.7 | 15.5 | 12.6 | 27.7 | 8.8 |
| July | 4.1 / -0.7 | -0.7 / -5.5 | 15 | 13.2 | 30.2 | 9.1 |
| August | 5.3 / 0.4 | 0.4 / -4.5 | 16 | 14.4 | 30.2 | 10.3 |
| September | 7.1 / 1.6 | 2.2 / -3.4 | 17.6 | 14.1 | 26.7 | 11.9 |
| October | 9.4 / 3.2 | 4.4 / -1.8 | 19.3 | 11.1 | 22.9 | 13.4 |
| November | 13 / 5.4 | 7.8 / 0.3 | 16.9 | 5.7 | 15 | 14.9 |
| December | 16.2 / 8.5 | 10.6 / 3.2 | 18.8 | 1.9 | 5 | 15.6 |
Climate by month
- Source
- ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
- Places
- The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
- Bars
- From the mean night low to the mean day high
- Wet days
- At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
- Daylight
- Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
- Shading
- The trail's season
Stages
| Stage | Route | Distance | Ascent | Descent | Elevation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Routeburn Shelter Routeburn Flats Hut | 7.5 km | estimated 330 m ↑ | estimated 100 m ↓ | estimated 470 → 700 m | 1 h 30–2 h 30 |
| 2 | Routeburn Flats Hut Routeburn Falls Hut | 2.3 km | estimated 320 m ↑ | estimated 60 m ↓ | estimated 720 → 980 m | 1 h 00–1 h 30 |
| 3 | Routeburn Falls Hut Lake Mackenzie Hut | 11.3 km | estimated 500 m ↑ | estimated 580 m ↓ | estimated 980 → 900 m | 4 h 30–6 h 00 |
| 4 | Lake Mackenzie Hut The Divide | 12.0 km | estimated 380 m ↑ | estimated 730 m ↓ | estimated 890 → 540 m | 4 h 00–5 h 30 |
Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: ascent and descent and heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.
Terrain
- Highest · lowest point
- 1,306m high471m low
Gradient
- Steepest climb
- 24 % (13°), 121 m up over 500 m, stage 3
- Steepest descent
- −17 % (10°), 84 m down over 500 m, stage 4
- Gradient
- Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
- Keep in mind
- Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
Gradient Angle Feels like 10 % 6° Noticeable on a road 20 % 11° A steep path, slow going 30 % 17° Very steep, often steps 100 % 45° Scrambling - 24% ↑−17% ↓
Steep stretches
- This trail
- 3.4 km up, 2.2 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
- Steep
- 15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
- Why it matters
- Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill
- 5.6km
Surfaces
- Natural ground: 100%, 30.6 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
- Paved: 0%, 0.1 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.
Terrain along the route
- Heights
- Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
- Colours
- Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
- Ground
- The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 92% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)
Landscape
Landscape along the route
- Source
- ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
- Points
- Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
- Groups
- Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
- Keep in mind
- What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there
Sleeping
Wild camping
- What
- Pitching a tent outside campsites. Whether it is allowed, restricted or prohibited depends on the land and the country; the rule for this trail is below the cards.
Restricted
Camping
- What
- Official campsites along the trail. Bring your own tent.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
Campsites · 3 in OpenStreetMap
Huts
- What
- Mountain huts (often staffed, with meals) and unstaffed bivouac shelters, usually on the trail itself.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
Mountain huts · 4 in OpenStreetMap
Hostels
- What
- Dormitory beds for walkers: hostels, hiker lodges and pilgrim hostels.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
None listed
Rooms
- What
- Private rooms, usually in villages near the trail: B&Bs, guesthouses, hotels, farm stays and monastery guesthouses.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
None listed
Wild camping is restricted. Camping only at the two DOC campsites (Routeburn Flats and Lake Mackenzie), booked in advance in the Great Walks season; Harris Saddle Shelter is for day use only.
Places to sleep along the route
- Ticks
- One per place to sleep: 3 campsites, 4 huts, 0 hostels, 0 guest houses
- Counted
- Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
- Shaded
- The longest stretch without any, km 9.1–18.9
- Source
- OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally
Water & Supply
Clean water
- This trail
- 30.6 km without clean water, km 0–30.6, stages 1–4
- Rating
- Frequentup to 10 km
- Regularup to 20 km
- Scarcebeyond
- Counted
- Within 500 m: 0 taps, fountains and drinking springs
- Not counted
- The 6 places to sleep: DOC's huts and campsites have tap water that is not treated; boil it before use. They count as any water
- Source
- OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route
- 30.6kmScarce
Any water
- This trail
- 11 km without any water, km 19.6–30.6
- Rating
- Frequentup to 10 km
- Regularup to 20 km
- Scarcebeyond
- Counted
- Clean water, plus the 0 springs within 500 m and the places to sleep whose water isn't treated
- Keep in mind
- Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer
- 11kmRegular
Shops
- This trail
- 17 km without a shop, km 0–17
- Counted
- 1 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
- Keep in mind
- Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one
- 17km
Water and shops along the route
- Ticks
- One per place along the main route
- Counted
- Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
- Shaded
- Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
- Source
- OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally