Parking
Hawdon Shelter Campsite. From SH73, take the signed Mt White turnoff, cross the bridge and take the first left into Hawdon Valley; the track starts behind the shelter.
Overview
About Woolshed Hill Track
Why go
- Open views over the Hawdon Valley and Waimakariri from the bushline.
- Red beech forest and marked orange route on the way up.
Heads up
- A very steep, rooty climb; the footing gets slick when wet.
Woolshed Hill Track is an out-and-back from Hawdon Shelter to a viewpoint above the bushline. Plan on about 5.1 km return from the shelter, including the terrace approach to Kidson Lodge, and around three hours. DOC lists 4.1 km return for the steep track; that figure appears to cover the climb from Kidson Lodge, so add roughly 500 m each way for the full walk. The route gains more than 600 m on a rugged uphill, making this a hard hike for fit walkers rather than a gentle stop. The marked route ends below the summit.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this climb for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Arthur's Pass map
Full mapElevation575–1,159 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 Woolshed Hill 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.
Recorded for this trailhead
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 as you drive up to 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 Woolshed Hill Track
Follow the orange markersStart behind Hawdon Shelter and take the link track on the right, across the terrace to Kidson…
Start behind Hawdon Shelter and take the link track on the right, across the terrace to Kidson Lodge. Follow the orange markers, then look for the orange triangle where the path turns sharply uphill. Other colours mark traplines, so the orange markers are the ones that keep you on the walking track.
Roots and red beechThe climb is short and relentless.
The climb is short and relentless. It rises through red beech forest over exposed roots, with rough footing that can mean scrambling. Those roots become extremely slippery when wet. The steep climb gains over 600 m in about 2 km; bring grippy footwear and enough water for a hard ascent.
Stop at the bushlineAt around 1,200 m the marked track ends and the forest opens to views across the Hawdon Valley,…
At around 1,200 m the marked track ends and the forest opens to views across the Hawdon Valley, the Waimakariri River and the surrounding mountains. For a photo, keep some of the scrub in the foreground so the braided valley has scale. There is no marked DOC route onward to Woolshed Hill's 1,429 m summit; going farther is steep, exposed off-track alpine travel that needs route-finding experience and equipment.
Beech-forest birds and alpine weatherDOC identifies the red beech forest here as habitat for kākāriki, kākā and mohua, or…
DOC identifies the red beech forest here as habitat for kākāriki, kākā and mohua, or yellowhead; seeing them is never guaranteed. Weather changes quickly in this alpine area. Summer can bring heat and strong wind above the bushline; winter can bring snow, ice and avalanche terrain.
Get to the startFrom SH73, take the signed Mt White turnoff, cross the bridge and take the first left into…
From SH73, take the signed Mt White turnoff, cross the bridge and take the first left into Hawdon Valley. The track starts behind Hawdon Shelter at the campsite. If you want an easier climb, DOC points to Bealey Spur Track as an alternative.
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.
