Trails › New Zealand › Otago › Earnscleugh River
Earnscleugh Tailings Track
Next nearby hike: Conroys Creek Historic Sites 3.9 mi · 6.3 kmExplore Earnscleugh River →
Earnscleugh Tailings Track other trails nearby (tap a dot to open it)
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NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0) · OpenStreetMap · Official page · Basemap: OpenFreeMap (OpenMapTiles, © OSM contributors).
7-day forecast
Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)Best time to hike
Best months: Sep–Apr · highs 11–21 °C (52–70 °F)
- J21°12°44
- F21°12°35
- M18°9°37
- A14°6°32
- M9°3°34
- J5°-1°31
- J3°-2°27
- A7°0°24
- S11°3°28
- O15°5°34
- N17°8°32
- D20°11°49
Average high °C · low °C · precipitation mm per month. Highlighted: best months.
How we pick months
Best months are those where the 1981–2010 average daily high is 10–27 °C (50–81 °F), the average overnight low is 0 °C (32 °F) or warmer, and average precipitation is 200 mm (7.9 in) or less. Values are long-term monthly averages for the ~1 km cell at the trail point on the map, from CHELSA V2.1 climatologies (Karger et al., CC0), not a forecast. Higher or more exposed parts of a route can be colder, wetter or snowier.
About this trail
The tailings on this walk are nationally significant as the only complete record of dredging activity from 1863 to 1963. They're an awe inspiring sight, hundreds of metres wide like a giant’s ploughed field.
NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0).
Trail facts
- Length
- 3.6 km · 2.2 mi (DOC route geometry)
- Source
- NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0)
- Difficulty
- Easy (3/10) (Easy · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0))
- Typical time (DOC)
- 30 min or 2 - 3 hr
- Official page
- doc.govt.nz/link/e90787b340864904b3c56e87a58
- Stream
- Earnscleugh River (GeoNames)
- Nearest town
- 1.2 km W of Alexandra (Central Otago District, Otago) · GeoNames
- Best months
- Sep–Apr
- Country
- New Zealand
- Region
- Otago
- Continent
- Oceania
- Route centre
- -45.2453, 169.3560
How it’s scored
Easy (3/10). Official rating: Easy · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0).
A score is omitted when we do not have an official rating or enough measured length and elevation gain to compute one. Nothing is guessed. Read the NPS method: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/how-to-determine-hiking-difficulty.htm
Hikers can rate difficulty from 1 to 10 (1 = flat, short, easy walk for anyone; 3 = gentle hills, a little effort; 5 = moderate climbs, some fitness needed; 7 = steep or long, solid fitness required; 10 = extremely strenuous or technical; long steep climbing; experienced hikers only). The community average is shown once at least 3 people have rated the trail; until then the official or computed score is used when we have one.
Nearest trails
distance from the trail centreConroys Creek Historic Sites
3.9 mi · 6.3 km · Aldinga Conservation Area
Lake Roxburgh Walkway
4.2 mi · 6.8 km · Otago
Omeo Gully Track
4.9 mi · 7.9 km · Otago
Flat Top Hill Tramping Track
5.5 mi · 8.9 km · Flat Top Hill Conservation Area
Prospect Hill Track
7 mi · 11 km · Otago
Obelisk Loop Track
9 mi · 14 km · Kopuwai Conservation Area