Parking
Start at the Temple Basin car park on SH73 at the pass summit. Follow the walking route and cross the highway where the track directs; the memorial is at the far end, not the trailhead.
Overview
About Dobson Nature Walk
Why go
- Alpine flowers and mountain views on a short walk
- Benches and interpretation points along the route
Heads up
- The access crosses SH73
- Published return distance differs from the mapped route
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Arthur's Pass map
Full mapElevation896–963 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 Dobson Nature 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
Temple Basin and Dobson Nature Walk0:00 / 0:36
“The Temple Basin car park is coming up, below a club ski field that dates to nineteen twenty-nine. The ski area has rope tows and ungroomed slopes, and you reach it on foot up a steep, rocky track.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Arthur's Pass Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Jacks Hut and Bealey Chasm
- Ōtira Valley Track
- Ōtira Viaduct Lookout
- Devils Punchbowl Falls
- 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 Dobson Nature Walk
A quick walk at the passDobson Nature Walk is an easy out-and-back from the Temple Basin car park to the point opposite…
Dobson Nature Walk is an easy out-and-back from the Temple Basin car park to the point opposite Dobson Memorial, with an open alpine hillside in between. The mapped route is about 620 m each way, or 1.24 km return; current trail information gives 750 m return, so the published and mapped distances do not line up. Allow about 30 minutes, or a little longer if you stop at the interpretation points.
Follow the plant trailAfter the short approach from the car park, cross SH73 and follow the path in a semi-circle…
After the short approach from the car park, cross SH73 and follow the path in a semi-circle through subalpine and alpine herbs, tussocks, shrubs, and flowers. It climbs over the open slope before easing toward the pass again. Seats and interpretation points look out to the surrounding mountains. Mt Cook buttercups (Ranunculus lyallii) and other alpine flowers bloom from November through February. A self-guided plant booklet is available at Arthur’s Pass Visitor Centre.
The memorial across the roadThe walk ends opposite the Dobson Memorial, a stone obelisk for surveyor Arthur Dudley Dobson,…
The walk ends opposite the Dobson Memorial, a stone obelisk for surveyor Arthur Dudley Dobson, whose 1864 survey helped establish the pass route for European travellers. Ngāi Tahu had used the pass long before that. The memorial is across SH73; don't cross from the track's end or walk along the highway. Return by the walking track. Dogs aren't allowed. Mountain weather changes quickly here, so take a warm layer and rain shell even on this short walk.
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.
