Lodging · Arthur's Pass National Park
An old deer-culling hut on a demanding river traverse.
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.
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“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
Upper Deception Hut is a basic six-bunk shelter beside the Deception River, on a scrub-covered terrace in Arthur’s Pass National Park. It serves trampers on the Mingha–Deception traverse. The bunks are first come, with no booking; Te Araroa walkers need the Trail Pass.
The Forest Service built the hut in the 1960s as a deer-culling shelter. A 2022–23 Kaimahi for Nature repair project fixed the floor, replaced sections of the chimney and roof, and renewed windows and interior lining. It’s a small but useful piece of backcountry history once you find it.
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
ChallengingLake Mavis Route4.3 km · 4.5 hr · 2.1 km awayA steep, mostly unmarked climb to a high lake below Mt Oates.
ModerateOtira Valley Track3.4 km · 2 hr · 5 km awayA rocky alpine walk to a footbridge under Mount Rolleston.
EasyLake Misery Track1.1 km · 25 min · 5.4 km awayA wetland connector, not a standalone loop.
EasyDobson Nature Walk1.2 km · 30 min · 5.5 km awayAlpine flowers and mountain views in a quick out-and-back.
ChallengingTemple Basin Track4.2 km · 3 hr · 5.5 km awaySteep zigzags lead to a tussock basin and alpine ski lodges.
ModerateBealey Valley Track2.4 km · 1.3 hr · 6.2 km awayA boulder gorge and a snowgrass clearing framed by Mt Rolleston.
ChallengingMt Barron Route7.7 km · 8 hr · 6.2 km awayA full-day climb from Ōtira forest to a rocky alpine summit.
ChallengingCoral Track3 km · 4 hr · 6.8 km awayA steep climb to treeline above the Bealey Valley.
Lodging · 2.1 km awayGoat Pass HutA 20-bunk stop on a demanding alpine traverse
Sight · 3.1 km awayLake MavisA steep, faint climb to a lake beneath Mt Oates.
Sight · 4.3 km awayTemple Basin Ski AreaA walk-up club field with rope tows and big alpine terrain.
Lodging · 4.5 km awayMingha BivvyA free two-bunk hut reached by river crossings and a climb.
Sight · 4.9 km awayŌtira Viaduct LookoutA quick stop for the viaduct, gorge and occasional kea.
Sight · 5 km awayŌtira Gorge Rock Shelter LookoutA quick pull-in for the rockfall shelter and Reid Falls aqueduct.Sight · 5.4 km awayDobson MemorialA tall obelisk remembers surveyor Arthur Dobson at the pass.Sight · 6.1 km awayBealey ChasmA five-minute walk brings you to the Bealey River's boulder-cut chasm.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.
