Trails › New Zealand › West Coast › Toaroha Range
Toaroha/Zit Saddle/Kokatahi/Lathrop Saddle/Styx River Route
Next nearby hike: Toaroha, Hokitika, Lower Whitcombe Track 3.2 mi · 5.1 kmExplore Toaroha Range →
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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
No month meets all three rules below at this spot.
- J12°4°416
- F12°4°323
- M10°3°378
- A7°0°372
- M4°-2°391
- J1°-5°422
- J0°-6°326
- A1°-5°370
- S3°-4°442
- O5°-2°492
- N8°0°410
- D10°3°515
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 traverses alpine ridges and crosses two alpine saddles. It demands experience and good route finding skills in other than fine weather conditions.
NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0).
Trail facts
- Length
- 27 km · 17 mi (DOC route geometry)
- Source
- NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0)
- Difficulty
- Very hard (9/10) (Advanced, Expert · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0))
- Typical time (DOC)
- 3-4 days
- Official page
- doc.govt.nz/link/dd6c54ccea42480caa12dfae20f
- Mountain range
- Toaroha Range (Southern Alps; GMBA)
- Nearest town
- 32 km W of Arthur’s Pass (Selwyn District, Canterbury) · GeoNames
- Park or forest
- Conservation Area - Wanganui / Otira Catchments
- Connects to
- Toaroha, Hokitika, Lower Whitcombe Track (at its start or end)
- Country
- New Zealand
- Region
- West Coast
- Continent
- Oceania
- Route centre
- -42.9785, 171.1818
How it’s scored
Very hard (9/10). Official rating: Advanced, 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 centreToaroha, Hokitika, Lower Whitcombe Track
3.2 mi · 5.1 km · Conservation Area - Wanganui / Otira Catchments
Arahua and Styx Valleys Tracks
9 mi · 15 km · West Coast
Lake Kaniere Walkway
9 mi · 15 km · Lake Kaniere Scenic Reserve
The Three Passes
10 mi · 16 km · Arthur's Pass National Park
Whitcombe Pass Track
10 mi · 17 km · Conservation Area - Wanganui / Otira Catchments
Mount Tuhua Track
11 mi · 18 km · Lake Kaniere Scenic Reserve
All trails in West Coast → · All 1,167 trails in New Zealand →