Parking
The walk starts at Poulter Hut, reached on foot through the backcountry; it has no direct road access. Arrange the approach to the hut separately.
Overview
About Lake Minchin Track
Why go
- Easy-gradient, well-marked beech forest leads to a backcountry lake.
Heads up
- Reaching Poulter Hut is a separate remote backcountry trip.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Arthur's Pass map
Full mapElevation693–829 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 Lake Minchin Track, 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.
- 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 Lake Minchin Track
A lake walk from a remote hutLake Minchin Track is an out-and-back from Poulter Hut to the former hut site beside Lake…
Lake Minchin Track is an out-and-back from Poulter Hut to the former hut site beside Lake Minchin, following an easy-gradient path through beech forest. The mapped line measures about 4.3 miles (6.9 km) round trip; allow about 2½ hours for the roughly one-hour walk each way and a stop at the shore. Published mileage differs, so treat the distance as an estimate. It is a gentle side walk if you are already in this backcountry; reaching Poulter Hut is a separate remote undertaking, not a drive-up day hike.
Through the beech forestThe track is well marked and keeps to easy gradients for about an hour from the hut to the lake.
The track is well marked and keeps to easy gradients for about an hour from the hut to the lake. The walk follows the same corridor back to Poulter Hut. There is no need to take on the harder Minchin Pass route to make this a satisfying short outing from the hut.
The old lakeside hut siteThe track reaches the site of the former hut at Lake Minchin.
The track reaches the site of the former hut at Lake Minchin. There are no huts beside the lake now; the northern end is the best camping area. The route onward around the eastern shore and up Minchin Stream is the separate Minchin Pass route, which takes several days and becomes more adventurous in its upper stream and Townsend Creek sections.
Plan around the hutPoulter Hut is a remote standard 10-bunk hut with no advance booking; it has a non-flush toilet…
Poulter Hut is a remote standard 10-bunk hut with no advance booking; it has a non-flush toilet and tap water that is untreated and must be boiled. The hut-to-lake distance does not include the approach to Poulter Hut. The Minchin Pass approach from Andrews Shelter takes 3–4 days and is an expert route. Dogs are not permitted on this route.
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.
