Routeburn track Great Walk (The Divide to Routeburn Shelter) (Includes Conical Hill)

The Routeburn Track is one of the official Great Walks in New Zealand.

The Routeburn Track is not a circular track. It starts in one point and ends in another one separated by a car drive of 325 Km. You can walk it in either direction, start at The Divide and finish at Routeburn shelter (Road end) or the other way around.

Since the track is not circular and there is such a long distance by car from starting point to the end point the most common ways of organizing the hike are:

A relative or friend dropping you at one end and picking you up at the other end.

Public transportation. Get one of the buses that go from Te Anau to Milford Sound and get off at The Divide. Once at the other end you need to organize transport to Queenstown and then from Queenstown to Te Anau.

Key swap. This option is also quite common. You start from one end and a friend or a group of friends start at the other end. Somewhere midway you swap car keys. You have to coordinate this properly to make sure you meet keeping in mind that you cannot use your phone since there is no phone coverage on the track.

Organized trip. Another very common option for walking this track is paying a company to organize all the trip for you. It is quite common to start at Queenstown and they drive you to the start of the track, most commonly The Divide. They will pick you up at Routeburn shelter (Road end) once you are done and drive you back to Queenstown. There is also the option of having a mountain guide walk next to you. It is common to walk the track in 3 days sleeping at MacKencie and then at Falls hut. These companies have their own lodges where you'll probably be able to have a nice hot shower after each day. This is by far the most convenient way of walking the Routeburn Track but also the most expensive one.

Most people take 3 days/2 nights usually staying at Lake Mackenzie hut and Routeburn Falls hut.

I didn't choose any of these options, mainly because I only had two days, a weekend, to walk it and I couldn't get any friend to help me. What I did was, starting from The Divide, walk the whole track on Saturday and, since there is no place to sleep at the Routeburn shelter (Road end), I started walking back towards The Divide. The idea was to get to Flats hut and sleep there but since it was full I had to keep walking 2.7 km more (+370 m elevation gain) until I got to Falls hut where I spent the night. On Sunday I continued walking until I got back to The Divide where I left my car.
Total for Saturday was 44 km, including going up Conical Hill. Sunday was a lot shorter, only 22 Km to The Divide.


This gpx track only shows the walk on Saturday, from The Divide to Routeburn shelter (Road end).
It also goes up Conical Hill (1515 m). This represents an additional 1.85 kilometres to get to the top and back to Harris shelter. +270 meters of additional elevation gain.

To get to The Divide you need to drive 84 kilometres on the road from Te Anau to Milford Sound. At The Divide there is a shelter, some toilets and a big parking area. This is the starting point not only for the Routeburn Track but also for other day walks like the highly popular Key Summit track.

If your only goal is to go up Conical Hill it is better to start from Routeburn shelter (Road end) since there are only 14 kilometres to the top (28 km return) compared to the 19 Kilometres if you start from The Divide.

The hike can be divided into the following sections:

•  Part 1: From The Divide to the split to Key Summit. 2.5 Km uphill (+340 meters of elevation gain).


•  Part 2: From the Key Summit split to Lake Howden. A bit less than a kilometre all downhill. It used to be a hut at Lake Howden but nowadays there is only a toilet.


•  Part 3: From Lake Howden to Eaarland falls. Almost 3.5 kilometres all uphill (+430 meters of elevation gain).


•  Part 4: From Eaarland falls to a toilet in the middle of nowhere. 1.30 Km kind of flat with a bit of up and down.


•  Part 5: From the toilet to Lake MacKencie huts. Almost three and a half kilometres with two uphill sections and two longer downhill sections. +125 meters and -230 meters of elevation gain and loss.

For the people walking the Routeburn Track in three days this will represent the first day, from The Divide to Lake MacKencie. Total of 11.3 kilometres with +950 meters and -585 meters of elevation gain and loss.

•  Part 6: Lake MacKencie to Ocean Peak saddle. This is one of the big climbs of the track. 2.34 kilometres all uphill totalling +327 meters of elevation gain. All the way to the saddle you will enjoy fantastic views of Lake MacKencie and the surrounding mountains.


•  Part 7: From Ocean Peak saddle to Harris saddle. A bit over 4.5 Kilometres with +254 meters and -223 meters of elevation gain and loss. This is a traversing area with some uphill a bit less of downhill. The views of the Hollyford River / Whakatipu Ka Tuka Valley are fantastic. Also the mountains behind the river are spectacular. Harris Saddle / Tarahaka Whakatipu at 1255 meters represents the highest elevation on the Routeburn Track, not including Conical Hill. At Harris saddle you will find toilets and also two shelters, a public one from DOC and a private one for the guided walks.

Up to this point we have accumulated a bit over 18 kilometres with +1532 metres and -818 metres of elevation gain and loss. We already went over the Ecuator of the route. The full track is a bit over 31 kilometres, or 33.2 kilometres including going up Conical Hill

•  Part 8: Up to Conical Hill and back down to Harris saddle. These 1.85 kilometres to the top and back (+285 meters of elevation gain) are optional and not part of the official Routeburn Track.
It is totally worth it and the views from the top are astonishing. On your way up you will enjoy great views of Harris lake and once at the top looking north you can see all the way to Lake McKerrow /Whakatipu Waitai and even Martins Bay. Looking south we can see another lake that I would say it's Lake Gunn. The way up to Conical Hill is quite steep and there are some rocky spots where you may want to use your hands to help you. The way up is marked with orange poles. It is not difficult but if the rocks are wet they can get quite slippery. Quite a lot of people decide to take this extra challenge and reach to the top of Conical Hill. It's quite common to leave the backpack at the Harris shelter and enjoy a lighter ascent. The summit area is quite wide.

•  Part 9: From Harris saddle to Routeburn falls (and huts). Almost three and a half kilometres mostly downhill. +85m and -350 meters of elevation gain and loss. You will walk beside Lake Harris. Enjoy the fantastic views of the lake as well as the whole valley further down. Once at the Routeburn Falls you may decide to go for a swim and get rid of the sweat from the day. I didn't spot any sandflies that could ruin your swim.

Routeburn falls marks the end of the second day that started at Lake MacKencie. A total of 12.2 kilometres for the day, including going up Conical Hill. +945 meters and -860 meters of elevation gain and loss.

•  Part 10: From Routeburn falls to Routeburn Flats hut. 2.65 kilometres mostly downhill (-365 meters of elevation lost). You could see one hut from the other if it wasn't covered by the forest. To get to the Routeburn Flats hut you need to deviate from the track about 200 meters. 5 minutes according to the DOC signpost. The hut is located in a nice flat area just outside the forest, next to the river. This grassy area looks very nice, and peaceful and invites for laying down or having a nice lunch in one of the picnic tables available.


•  Part 11: From Routeburn Flats hut to Sappers saddle. A bit over 3 kilometres almost flat. You will be crossing 3 wire bridges. At Sappers saddle you will find a toilet. Even though it's called addle or pass, and you pass from one valley to another one, it doesn't look like a real pass since it's quite flat on one side. The Routeburn river gets enclosed by walls along this area. At the beginning there is a signpost indicating how to get down to the river. At this spot there is a nice area where you can have a nice swim on these crystal clear waters.


•  Part 12: From Sappers saddle to Routeburn shelter (road end). 3.8 kilometres with +175 metres and -350 metres of elevation gain and loss. It is mostly easy downhill. You will be crossing two more wire bridges on this last section of the track.

We made it! we have reached the end of the track.

For the people walking the Routeburn Track in three days this last day from Falls hut is 9.70 kilometres with +325 and -825 of elevation gain and lost.

Total for the whole Routeburn Track is 33.2 Kilometres with +2220 metres and -2268 metres of elevation gain and lost.

In summary, a wonderful track with great views, very good huts and friendly wardens.
Be careful with the weather which can change quite rapidly. In fact I got some snow on my second day on the track.

One curiosity, DOC signposts indicate approximate times for the different sections instead of kilometres. I guess they have a reason for it but I do prefer to do my own calculations.



Full description and more pictures at Back from Summit: Conical Hill