Parking
Gertrude Valley car park (Gertrude Saddle Car Park) on Milford Road/SH94, about 98 km from Te Anau. Access and gravel parking can be rough. There are no facilities or shelter along the route.
Overview
About Barrier Knob from Gertrude Saddle Car Park
This demanding alpine out-and-back starts at Gertrude Valley car park on Milford Road, follows the marked Gertrude Saddle Route, then continues off track to Barrier Knob (about 1,879 m). It is about 7.0 miles/11.2 km return with roughly 3,600 feet/1,100 m of ascent; most parties need 7–9 hours.
Why go
- Extends the marked Gertrude Saddle route to a high alpine summit with 360° Fiordland views
- Glacial valley, tarns, exposed granite, and rewarding hands-on scrambling
Heads up
- No permanent markers above the bushline and serious exposure on the summit extension
- Wet rock, snow, ice, fast-changing weather, and spring avalanche conditions can make the route unsafe
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Fiordland map
Full mapElevation789–1,835 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Fiordland Tour Guide
Your drive to Barrier Knob from Gertrude Saddle Car Park, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Fiordland 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.
See the Fiordland audio tourRecorded for this area
Pīwauwau/Rock Wren: The Alpine SurvivorListen
“Up here in the boulderfields, keep an eye out for a tiny bird bouncing between the rocks. That's the pīwauwau, or rock wren, New Zealand's only true alpine bird.”
Plays on the road 0.7 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Fiordland Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Southern Skies Over Fiordland
- The Homer Tunnel: Gateway to Milford Sound
- Say It Right: Pronouncing Māori Place Names
- Monkey Creek: Glacial Water and Clever Kea
- 126 audio storiesacross Fiordland’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Fiordland Penguin, Blue Duck, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 68 trails, 124 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 Barrier Knob from Gertrude Saddle Car Park
What you’ll seeThe approach through Gertrude Valley has U-shaped glacial walls, alpine vegetation, boulder…
The approach through Gertrude Valley has U-shaped glacial walls, alpine vegetation, boulder fields, stream crossings, and small tarns. Gertrude Saddle brings broad views toward Milford Sound/Piopiotahi and the Darran Mountains. The final climb to Barrier Knob is steeper and more exposed, with a high alpine ridge and wide views toward Lake Adelaide and Fiordland.
Route and difficultyFollow the marked route from the car park to Gertrude Saddle.
Follow the marked route from the car park to Gertrude Saddle. Above the bushline there are no permanent markers; rock cairns and route-finding lead across steep, exposed rock to the Barrier Knob ridge and summit. This is an expert-level alpine day with hands-on scrambling. If time, visibility, or confidence runs short, turning around at the saddle is still a worthwhile outing.
Conditions and safetyGranite slabs and rock become dangerously slick when wet or icy.
Granite slabs and rock become dangerously slick when wet or icy. Fiordland weather can change quickly, and snow or spring avalanche conditions can make the route unsafe. Crossings and exposed scrambling require dry, settled weather, strong mountain judgment, navigation skills, and appropriate equipment. Carry a map/GPS and a personal locator beacon, and turn back if visibility or surface conditions deteriorate.
LogisticsStart at Gertrude Valley car park, also commonly called Gertrude Saddle Car Park, on Milford…
Start at Gertrude Valley car park, also commonly called Gertrude Saddle Car Park, on Milford Road/SH94 about 98 km from Te Anau. The access and gravel parking can be rough. There are no facilities or shelter along the route; plan for a full alpine day and do not rely on nearby huts for this hike.
TipsWear footwear with excellent grip and be prepared for hands-on scrambling above the saddle.
- Wear footwear with excellent grip and be prepared for hands-on scrambling above the saddle.
- Follow the marked approach, then use a topographic map and GPS above the bushline; do not assume a visible line is the safest route.
- Start early for a larger weather window and be willing to turn around before the exposed summit section.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Fiordland
1,181 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
199 sightingsFiordland PenguinMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
228 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
32 sightingsBottlenose DolphinMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
247 sightingsNew Zealand Fur SealMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
58 sightingsKākāMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Fiordland. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
