Minchin Pass Route other trails nearby (tap a dot to open it)
Get directions · Google MapsApple Maps
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: Feb–Apr · highs 12–17 °C (54–63 °F)
- J17°9°202
- F17°9°156
- M15°8°176
- A12°5°189
- M8°3°207
- J5°0°223
- J4°-1°188
- A5°0°200
- S8°2°225
- O11°3°260
- N13°5°216
- D16°8°234
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
This route travels the eastern and northern flanks of Arthur's Pass National Park. The sections through the upper Minchin Stream and Townsend Creek are more adventurous.
NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0).
Trail facts
- Length
- 31 km · 19 mi (DOC route geometry)
- Source
- NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0)
- Difficulty
- Very hard (9/10) (Expert · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0))
- Typical time (DOC)
- 3 - 4 days
- Official page
- doc.govt.nz/link/2e90bffda0ee4cb38314a75682b
- Mountain range
- Savannah Range (Main Divide of The Southern Alps › Southern Alps; GMBA)
- Nearest town
- 25 km E of Arthur’s Pass (Selwyn District, Canterbury) · GeoNames
- Park or forest
- Arthur's Pass National Park
- Best months
- Feb–Apr
- Country
- New Zealand
- Region
- Canterbury
- Continent
- Oceania
- Route centre
- -42.8714, 171.8574
How it’s scored
Very hard (9/10). Official rating: Expert · 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 centreEdwards - Otehake Route
9 mi · 14 km · Arthur's Pass National Park
Hawdon Hut Track
9 mi · 14 km · Canterbury
Binser Saddle Track
9 mi · 15 km · Canterbury
TA08a Boyle Village to Arthurs Pass
10 mi · 16 km · Canterbury
Edwards - Hawdon Route
10 mi · 17 km · Arthur's Pass National Park
Lake Kaurapataka Route
11 mi · 18 km · Arthur's Pass National Park
All trails in Canterbury → · All 1,167 trails in New Zealand →