Parking
The documented start is opposite the village petrol pumps; dedicated parking for the walk was not listed.
Overview
About Bowen Bush Walk
Why go
- A quick, mostly flat taste of native village bush
Heads up
- Too short to stand in for one of the park’s longer hikes
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Aoraki / Mount Cook map
Full mapElevation738–745 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Aoraki / Mount Cook alerts
- CautionBall Hut Track: impassable gorge at Husky FlatThe Ball Hut Track is severely affected at Husky Flat; beyond the gorge there is no marked route. - A severe weather event significantly damaged the track and created a large, impassable gorge.Official details
- CautionHooker Valley Track: 20-person bridge limitNo more than 20 people may be on the first Hooker Valley Track suspension bridge at one time. DOC is enforcing the limit because cable wear has been identified on the 47-year-old structure.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Aoraki / Mount Cook Tour Guide
Your drive to Bowen Bush Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Village Petrol Pumps and Bowen Bush Walk0:00 / 0:20
“You're coming up on the village petrol pumps on Bowen Drive. They're self-service and card-only, and some overseas cards have trouble here, so don't rely on them with an almost empty tank.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Aoraki / Mount Cook Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Red Tarns from Bowen Drive
- Chamois Bar & Grill at Mt Cook Lodge
- Visitor Centre and Old Mountaineers’ Café
- The Hermitage and Hillary’s Alpine Centre
- 24 audio storiesacross Aoraki / Mount Cook’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Rockwren, New Zealand Falcon, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 15 trails, 30 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Bowen Bush Walk
A ten-minute village loopBowen Bush Walk is a 250 m (about 0.16 mile) loop that starts opposite the village petrol pumps.
Bowen Bush Walk is a 250 m (about 0.16 mile) loop that starts opposite the village petrol pumps. Allow about 10 minutes. The path wanders through tōtara and mountain toatoa, also called celery pine. It is an easy short walk, mostly flat with some steps, and a quick way to trade the village road for native bush.
What the walk feels likeThis is a tiny, low-effort loop rather than a climb into the high country.
This is a tiny, low-effort loop rather than a climb into the high country. Expect a short forest path and a few steps; the route does not require a long time commitment. If you want a substantial hike or a big mountain-view walk, choose one of the park’s longer tracks instead.
Make it a longer wanderThere is an alternative entry or exit toward Mount Cook Lodge, and Bowen Bush Walk can be…
There is an alternative entry or exit toward Mount Cook Lodge, and Bowen Bush Walk can be joined with Governors Bush Walk to make a longer village nature trail. The DOC Visitor Centre sells a nature-trail guide for identifying plants and birds along the two bush walks. Dogs are not allowed on this track.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Aoraki /
139 sightingsKeaMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
74 sightingsRockwrenMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
46 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
15 sightingsKererūMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
16 sightingsBellbirdMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
33 sightingsBlack-fronted TernMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Aoraki / Mount Cook. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
