Picnic area · Arthur's Pass National Park
A stone shelter marks a 30-minute walk on the old coach road.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Arthur's Pass Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Arthur's Pass 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 place
Greyneys Shelter and Old Coach Road“You're nearing Greyneys Shelter, where I'd stop for a gentle half-hour walk with a little road history. The Old Coach Road loop is just over a kilometre, through forest on part of the original coach route.”
Plays as you drive up to Greyneys Shelter in the Parkwolf Arthur's Pass Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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!!!!”
Guide
Greyneys Shelter is a small, open-front stone shelter beside State Highway 73, about 6 km east of Arthur’s Pass Village. The Old Coach Road loop starts and finishes nearby, making this a handy place to stretch your legs; the shelter itself isn’t a viewpoint. Plan for day use: overnight freedom camping isn’t permitted here.
The easy Old Coach Road walk is 1.1 km and about 30 minutes return. It follows a gently graded stretch of the century-old road, then returns on a newer track. DOC says the walk suits all-terrain baby buggies, but dogs aren’t allowed. It’s a good leg-stretcher, with more history than big scenery.
The coach road was cut into the hillside to avoid the flood-prone Bealey riverbed. Sections of its old rock walling still show along the forest track, among the few visible reminders of the original route through the pass.
Wildlife
982 sightingsKeaMost seen around noonSighting map
39 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
190 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
20 sightingsKākāMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
15 sightingsWekaMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
15 sightingsParadise ShelduckMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Arthur's Pass. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyOld Coach Road1.1 km · 30 min · At the trailheadA forest loop on the old coach road, with streams and stonework.
ChallengingEdwards Hut Track19 km · 10 hr · At the trailheadUnbridged crossings, rough sidles, and a hut tucked into open tussock.
ChallengingMingha–Deception Route24 km · 14 hr · At the trailheadExpert tramping across Goat Pass between two wild river valleysChallengingGoat Pass Hut via Mingha Valley23 km · 12 hr · At the trailheadA demanding river and alpine tramp to Goat Pass Hut.
ChallengingEdwards–Hawdon Route30.7 km · 16 hr · 0.7 km awayA remote 2–3 day crossing over alpine passes, for expert trampers.
ChallengingThree Passes Route55.8 km · 1.1 days · 4.1 km awayA four-to-five-day expert crossing of three Southern Alps passes
ModerateO’Malleys Track to Anti Crow Hut15.3 km · 6 hr · 4.1 km awayA full-day hut walk across open river flats to alpine views.
EasyO’Malleys Track4 km · 1.5 hr · 4.1 km awayBeech forest opens onto a broad fan beside the braided river
Campground · 2 km awayKlondyke Corner CampsiteRoom by two rivers, with quieter sites across the road.
Lodging · 4.4 km awayThe Bealey HotelA mountain-view stay with a gold-rush coach-road story.
Lodging · 4.7 km awayArthur’s Pass Alpine MotelA practical base for park walks, with your own kitchen.
Sight · 4.9 km awayArthur’s Pass Railway StationStone walls, alpine peaks, and a century of rail travel.
Gas station · 5.2 km awayArthur’s Pass EV Charging StationA useful top-up on the alpine crossing.
Visitor center · 5.3 km awayArthur’s Pass National Park Visitor CentreStart your mountain day with track and weather advice from the rangers.
Campground · 5.3 km awayAvalanche Creek Shelter CampsiteA handy village base if you can live with freight trains.
Sight · 5.4 km awayArthur’s Pass ChapelThe altar window frames a waterfall in this quiet village chapel.Parkwolf’s Arthur's Pass ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
