Oceania · New Zealand
Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks, Otago and Southland, New Zealand
Hikes / Oceania / Routeburn Track
Public sources, official ones first, each numbered and listed under Sources, checked Nov 2026. Anything they don't give is left out.
Relief map
An alpine Great Walk linking the Routeburn valley near Glenorchy with The Divide on the Milford road, crossing Harris Saddle/Tarahaka Whakatipu. It runs through two national parks, past Routeburn Falls and Lake Mackenzie, and can be joined with the Greenstone and Caples tracks into a circuit.1
Route drawn from OpenStreetMap (GW - 06 Routeburn Track, read Nov 2026). © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (LINZ, SRTM) on AWS. A sketch for planning, not for navigation.
Before you go
When bookings open, from the sources named under each. Dates move: confirm on the official site.
Opens in May for the season starting that November: for 2026-27, 9:30 a.m. New Zealand time on May 15, 2026. DOC announces the 2027-28 dates early in 2027.
Next: about May 15, 2027 (a typical date: confirm on the official site)
Book on bookings.doc.govt.nz.
Source: Kraig Adams's Routeburn Track guide: Booking the huts; Department of Conservation: Great Walks. Checked November 2026.
From the sources
Source 3
Source 1
Source 4
Source 1
From the sources below, checked Nov 2026. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
1 creator so far: Kraig, 2 days, tent.
Hiking the Routeburn Great Walk in New Zealand
Part of his longer trip, Four tracks across New Zealand. Its miles and days count once, in that trip.
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Typical: 2–4 days (the hike's facts).
Planning questions about Routeburn Track, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".
From hikers
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Answered from the data
2–4 days. DOC lists 2-4 days; most walkers take 3 days and 2 nights.
From Department of Conservation NZ, Routeburn Track (official), checked Nov 2026. [1]
20.5 mi (33 km). 33 km one way.
From Department of Conservation NZ, Routeburn Track (official), checked Nov 2026. [1]
Nov–Apr. Great Walks season 1 Nov 2026 to 30 Apr 2027, when facilities are full and hazards fewer; May to late October brings snow, avalanche risk and reduced facilities, for alpine-skilled parties only.
From Department of Conservation NZ, Routeburn Track (official), checked Nov 2026. [1]
Huts and campsites must be booked online with DOC in the Great Walks season; adult hut fees are NZ$88 (NZ) or NZ$132 (international) a night. Off season fees drop to NZ$30-35 for adults; check DOC on whether a booking is needed then. DOC says bookings are open for stays up to 30 June 2027.
From Department of Conservation NZ, Routeburn Track (official); Department of Conservation NZ, Great Walks (official), checked Nov 2026. [1] [2]
The two road ends are 325 km apart by road, so transport is needed at both ends and must be arranged before starting. Routeburn Shelter is up a partly unsealed road from Glenorchy (near Queenstown); The Divide is on the road from Te Anau. DOC points to Southland NZ and Destination Queenstown for operators.
From Department of Conservation NZ, Routeburn Track (official), checked Nov 2026. [1]
Huts and tent. Three DOC huts (Routeburn Flats, Routeburn Falls, Lake Mackenzie) and two campsites, including Routeburn Flats; Harris Saddle Shelter is day use only. Most people stay at Routeburn Falls and Lake Mackenzie huts.
From Department of Conservation NZ, Routeburn Track (official), checked Nov 2026. [1]
4,117 ft (1,255 m). Harris Saddle/Tarahaka Whakatipu, 1,255 m.
From Department of Conservation NZ, Routeburn Track (official), checked Nov 2026. [1]
Emergency: 111 (fire, search and rescue, threats to life in New Zealand). Other DOC emergencies: 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).
From Department of Conservation NZ, Contact us (official), checked Nov 2026. [3]
Facts are written in our own words from these pages; nothing is copied. Rules, fees and closures change: check the official page before you go.