Parking
Start at Hawdon Shelter off Mount White Road, reached from State Highway 73; use the shelter and campground access.
Overview
About East Hawdon Bivvy Route
Why go
- A quiet backcountry trip to a small bivvy in the East Hawdon headwaters
- A varied approach through forest, terraces and a broad shingle valley
Heads up
- No maintained track beyond the East Hawdon junction
- Repeated unbridged crossings make progress and timing conditions-dependent
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Arthur's Pass map
Full mapElevation572–1,114 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Arthur's Pass alerts
- CautionFlood damage and rockfall risk on Harper Pass RouteFlood damage and an active slip affect the Harper Pass Route below Kiwi Hut and near Locke Stream Hut.Official details
- CautionFlood damage on route to Sudden Valley BivvySignificant flood damage makes the route to Sudden Valley Bivvy passable 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 East Hawdon Bivvy Route, 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 area
Hawdon Shelter and Woolshed Hill0:00 / 0:35
“Hawdon Shelter Campsite is ahead, on broad grassy flats edged by beech forest and mountain slopes.”
Plays near this trailhead in the Parkwolf Arthur's Pass Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Wrybill’s Sideways Beak
- A Duck Built for Rapids
- The Bird with Almost No Tail
- Andrews Shelter Campsite and Casey Hut
- 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 East Hawdon Bivvy Route
What the trip isThe East Hawdon Bivvy Route is a roughly 22 km out-and-back from Hawdon Shelter to a small…
The East Hawdon Bivvy Route is a roughly 22 km out-and-back from Hawdon Shelter to a small two-bunk bivvy near the head of East Hawdon Stream. Allow about five hours each way; the walk climbs roughly 670 m to the hut. This is for experienced trampers comfortable with river travel and independent route-finding, not anyone expecting a maintained track.
Across Hawdon ValleyThe approach follows the marked Hawdon Valley route toward Hawdon Hut, through forest and open…
The approach follows the marked Hawdon Valley route toward Hawdon Hut, through forest and open terraces, with a crossing of the Hawdon River. At the East Hawdon confluence, the route turns up the stream valley. The full out-and-back is about 22 km, or 11 km each way.
Up East Hawdon StreamBeyond the junction, expect shingle riverbed, gravel bars and repeated crossings of unbridged…
Beyond the junction, expect shingle riverbed, gravel bars and repeated crossings of unbridged water. Short volunteer-cut sidles have been described around gorge sections, but there is no maintained Department of Conservation track beyond the junction, and the sidles and markers may be hard to find. The mapped line is an approximate corridor, not a surveyed walking track; the actual crossings can shift.
At the bivvyThe basic bivvy has two bunks, is free and does not require a booking; space is first come.
The basic bivvy has two bunks, is free and does not require a booking; space is first come. Check and sign the intentions book at Hawdon Shelter before setting out, since the hut is small.
Before you commitRiver level can decide whether this trip is safe.
River level can decide whether this trip is safe. Do not cross in flood, or when you cannot identify safe entry and exit points; wait or turn back if unsure. The route calls for solid navigation skills and enough time to retreat. Ordinary pets are prohibited in the national park; certified assistance dogs are allowed while assisting.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Arthur's Pass
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.
