Parking
Start at Punchbowl car park at the end of Punchbowl Road. It serves the Arthur's Pass Walking Track and the separate Devils Punchbowl walk; take the Bridal Veil branch at the first junction.
Overview
About Bridal Veil Walk
Why go
- Short, mostly gentle walk through mountain beech
- A picnic table and broad village-and-peak views at the lookout
- Easy to combine with other walks from Punchbowl car park
Heads up
- The waterfall is distant, with its lower section screened by trees
- Repeated stair sections add effort to the short distance
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Arthur's Pass map
Full mapElevation759–832 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Arthur's Pass alerts
- CautionFlood damage and active slip on Harper Pass RouteFlood damage and an active slip make the western Harper Pass Route hazardous; expect difficult river crossings and avoid the slip during rain.Official details
- CautionFlood damage on route to Sudden Valley BivvySignificant flood damage has washed away much of the route to Sudden Valley Bivvy; access is possible only when rivers are low.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Arthur's Pass Tour Guide
Your drive to Bridal Veil Walk, narrated.
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 trailhead
Devils Punchbowl Falls0:00 / 0:25
“You're approaching the start of the Devils Punchbowl Falls walk, where a hundred-and-thirty-one-metre waterfall drops from a glacial hanging valley.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Arthur's Pass Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Arthur's Pass Café and Store
- Avalanche Peak from the Village
- Avalanche Creek Shelter Campsite
- Arthur's Pass Visitor Centre
- 42 audio storiesacross Arthur's Pass’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, New Zealand Falcon, Blue Duck, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 49 trails, 59 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 Bridal Veil Walk
A short return walkThis is the first kilometre of Arthur's Pass Walking Track, out and back from Punchbowl car…
This is the first kilometre of Arthur's Pass Walking Track, out and back from Punchbowl car park to the Bridal Veil lookout. It is about 1.1 miles (1.8 km) return and takes roughly 40 minutes. The climb is mostly gentle, with short flights of steps. Go for the walk through mountain beech and the view back toward Arthur's Pass village and its peaks; Bridal Veil Falls is seen across a forested canyon, not from its base.
Take the right branchThe path starts beside the Bealey River and crosses the Bealey footbridge.
The path starts beside the Bealey River and crosses the Bealey footbridge. At the early junction, take the left-hand Bridal Veil line; the Devils Punchbowl route branches away nearby. Gravel tread winds uphill through beech forest, with roots and small stream bridges. The steps come in short groups, then you'll climb them again on the way back. Turn onto the short spur to the lookout and return the same way; the longer Arthur's Pass track continues beyond it.
What you see at the endThe walk ends at a small clearing with a picnic table.
The walk ends at a small clearing with a picnic table. You can see the top of Bridal Veil Falls dropping into a tree-filled canyon, but trees screen much of the lower fall. The wider view south over Arthur's Pass village and the surrounding peaks makes this more than a quick waterfall stop. The lookout is across the canyon, not a route down to the water.
Spring color and accessBright red Dracophyllum leaves can show along the approach in spring and summer.
Bright red Dracophyllum leaves can show along the approach in spring and summer. Start at Punchbowl car park at the end of Punchbowl Road. Dogs aren't allowed on this conservation track. Mountain weather changes quickly, so bring warm and rain layers and wear strong footwear for the steps and rough tread.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Arthur's Pass
984 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.
