Parking
Use the roadside grass verge on SH73 opposite the Mt Barron Route start, about 200 m north of the Ōtira rail underpass. The start is across the highway from the verge; cross carefully. This is not a formal car park.
Overview
About Mt Barron Route
Why go
- Open summit views over Ōtira and toward the West Coast
- A varied climb from forest to alpine ridge
Heads up
- Steep lower forest track with faint tread
- Unmarked upper route over scree with scrambling
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Arthur's Pass map
Full mapElevation484–1,696 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 Mt Barron 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
The Railway Through the Mountain0:00 / 0:31
“Ōtira's railway takes a different route through the mountains from the road. The Ōtira Tunnel runs for eight and a half kilometres beneath the divide to Arthur's Pass village.”
Plays on the road 1 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Arthur's Pass Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Ōtira Stagecoach Hotel
- Cockayne’s Living Record
- Ōtira Gorge Rock Shelter Lookout
- Ōtira Viaduct Lookout
- 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 Mt Barron Route
What you’re taking onMt Barron Route is a 4.8-mile (7.
Mt Barron Route is a 4.8-mile (7.7 km) out-and-back from SH73 south of Ōtira, climbing from highway-level forest to the rocky 1,730 m summit and returning the same way. Plan on about 8 hours. The summit is roughly 1,250 m above the roadside start, with a high basin to cross before the final push. This is a hard, full-day climb: the lower route is steep, and beyond the bushline the marked track gives way to unmarked alpine travel, scree and scrambling. Choose settled weather and leave enough daylight to retrace your steps.
The forest climbThe route starts opposite the roadside verge, about 200 m north of the Ōtira rail underpass.
The route starts opposite the roadside verge, about 200 m north of the Ōtira rail underpass. Cross SH73 carefully, then follow steep zigzags through the forest. Orange triangles are the main wayfinding help, but the tread becomes indistinct in places. If the markers disappear for a while, go back to the last one rather than pushing ahead on a guess.
Above the trackNear the bushline, the path steepens through flax and low subalpine shrubs.
Near the bushline, the path steepens through flax and low subalpine shrubs. Bluffs and a small “Track” sign mark where the formed tread fades. From there, the route is open alpine travel over tussock and rock, past Point 1,569 m and a high basin, then across blocky scree and up the summit ridge. Expect to choose your own line and use your hands on the final rocky section. The Goat Creek/Pipeline approach and the scree descent are different routes; this outing returns by the Mt Barron line.
The ridge and its viewsThe summit is a low rocky peak on Barron Ridge.
The summit is a low rocky peak on Barron Ridge. In clear weather, look over Ōtira and the Arthur’s Pass ranges toward the West Coast; Lake Brunner is visible on a particularly clear day. The ridge’s southern faces hold post-glacial cirques, broad bowls shaped by ice. For a photo, include the broken ridge in the foreground with the braided Ōtira valley below.
The way backReturn by the same corridor.
Return by the same corridor. The descent through the lower forest is steep and can be overgrown or slippery, with orange markers to help you stay on the track. The lower section is no longer on DOC’s maintenance schedule, and reports of volunteer work at the roadside end are not a guarantee of current trimming. Shaded rocks can hold frost even around midday, so wait for a settled weather window before attempting the exposed upper route.
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.
