Milford Track
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The Milford Track is New Zealand's most famous tramping route and is one of the most famous walking tracks in the world. It is located in stunning scenery amidst mountains and temperate rain forest in Fiordland National Park in the southwest of the South Island.
The track is commonly known as "The Finest Walk in the World"[citation needed], a phrase often attributed to New Zealand poet Blanche Baughan. The article which was eventually published by the London Spectator in England, was originally titled A Notable Walk but was changed by an editor to The Finest Walk in the World and the tag line stuck.
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[edit] Track description
The track spans a distance of 53.5 km starting at the head of Lake Te Anau and finishing at Milford Sound at Sandfly Point.
The track is administered by the Department of Conservation and is one of the ten Great Walks.
The Lake Te Anau end of the track can be reached either by a ferry, or by climbing over Dore Pass from the Milford Sound road.
Sandfly Point can only be reached by the sea, either sea kayaking or the regular ferry which runs for trampers during the peak season.
Due to its fame, and its enormous popularity, the Milford is also one of the most highly regulated walking tracks in the world.
[edit] Summer peak season
During the summer peak season of late October to late April, access to the trail is highly regulated. Walkers must complete the track in four days, travelling only in the northward direction. Camping is prohibited on the trail. Walkers can tramp the track independently, or as part of a more expensive guided walk with a guide company. A maximum of 90 walkers can start the trail per day (40 Independent, and 50 Guided). Usually these 90 places are booked out for many months in advance, despite the high cost of the guided walks.
[edit] Independent tramping
If hiking independently, each night must be spent in a hut owned and maintained by the Department of Conservation. The huts for independent walkers have basic facilities, which include bunk areas, restrooms, and cooking facilities; walkers have to carry their own equipment and food.
[edit] Guided tramp
On a guided walk, walkers stay in lodges owned and operated by the company. These lodges have facilities such as hot showers, catered meals, beds, lounge areas, electric lights, and drying rooms. Guided trampers need only carry clothing, toiletries, their sheets, and lunch while on the trail.
[edit] Off Season
During the off season from May to mid-October, the track is essentially unregulated, and can be tramped in either direction, over any number of days. It is however much more difficult and dangerous tramping in this season, as facilities at huts are removed, some bridges are removed to prevent damage, and numerous avalanche paths cross the track.
[edit] Huts
| Name | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
| DOC Huts | ||
| Clinton Hut | Night 1, shortly before Clinton Forks, after the marsh boardwalk | |
| Mintaro Hut | Night 2, Situated just before the start of the climb up to Mackinnon Pass | |
| Dumpling Hut | Night 3, A few kilometers after Quintin Lodge | |
| Private Lodges (for guided walkers) | ||
| Glade House | Night 1, just 1.2km from track start. | |
| Pompolona Lodge | Night 2, In a forested part of the Clinton Canyon, just after Bus Stop Shelter. | |
| Quintin Lodge | Night 3, At the turnoff to Sutherland Falls, on the Roaring Burn. | |
| Day Use Shelters | ||
| Hirere Shelter | Just after Clinton Forks | |
| Bus Stop Shelter | Just before Pompolona Lodge | |
| Pass Hut | Located on the summit of Mackinnon Pass | |
| Boatshed Hut | Just before Mackay Falls | |
[edit] Sights
| Name | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Mackinnon Pass | A spectacular main-divide pass surrounded by glacier encrusted mountains | |
| Sutherland Falls | Tallest waterfall in NZ at 580 m, continuously fed by Quill Lake | |
| Nicholas Cirque | Ring of glacial mountains at the head of the valley that is followed when heading northbound to the Mackinnon Pass | |
| Mackay Falls & Bell Rock | Bell Rock was hollowed out by Mackay Falls and then turned upside down. It is possible to stand in the hollowed out part, which is over 4 m high inside | |
| Giant Gate Falls | Last major waterfall on the Milford Track heading northbound | |
| Lake Ada | A lake created by a landslide cross the Roaring Burn river | |
| Milford Sound | World famous for its spectacular sheer cliffs lining a sound of crystal clear water | |
| Lake Te Anau | Created by glacial action, the lake is the second largest body of fresh water in New Zealand and is surrounded by mountains including the Kepler and Murchison Mountains which rise 1,400 m above the surface of the lake. |
[edit] External links
- Milford Track, New Zealand Great Walks, Department of Conservation.
- WikiTravel Entry for Milford Track
- Need to know information on the Milford Track
- Guided walks on the Milford Track
