Parking
Park at the end of Hollyford Road. The walk starts after crossing Humboldt Creek; allow about two hours to drive from Te Anau via Marian Corner.
Overview
About Hidden Falls Track
Why go
- Waterfall and Hollyford Valley scenery without an alpine climb
- Clear hut turnaround with a memorable river corridor
Heads up
- 18 km return and a long drive to the remote road end
- Rain, mud, slippery roots and flood-prone boardwalk sections
This is an 18 km return walk to Hidden Falls Hut, usually taking 4–6 hours. The Hollyford River, dripping rainforest and Darran Mountain glimpses do the scenic work, while the waterfall gives you a clear reason to keep walking. The Department of Conservation rates the track Advanced: the commitment, wet conditions and rough patches matter more than steep climbing.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe payoffMap & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Fiordland Tour Guide
Your drive to Hidden Falls Track, 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 trailhead
Hollyford Valley: Waterfalls and TrampingListen
“The road ahead leads down into the Hollyford Valley, the starting point for some incredible walks.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Fiordland Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Hollyford Fault: A Straight Story
- Moraine Creek: A Raw Fiordland Tramp
- Rātā and Kāmahi: Fiordland’s Flowering Forest
- Davey Gunn’s Run: Bush Pilots and the Hollyford Airstrip
- 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 Hidden Falls Track
Follow the valleyFrom the end of Hollyford Road, cross Humboldt Creek and follow the old road before the track…
From the end of Hollyford Road, cross Humboldt Creek and follow the old road before the track sidles along bluffs and raised boardwalks. It then follows the Hollyford River past Swamp Creek and Sunshine Hut to the swingbridge. The waterfall viewpoint is about two minutes beyond the bridge; Hidden Falls Hut, with 12 bunks, is roughly ten minutes farther. The mapped line follows the main corridor to the hut, and the visitor route returns the same way.
Plan the approachAllow about two hours to drive from Te Anau.
Allow about two hours to drive from Te Anau. Turn off Milford Road at Marian Corner, around 87 km from Te Anau, then continue to the end of Hollyford Road. There are no dogs on this track. If you are staying at the hut, treat or boil its untreated water and arrange the required booking or hut ticket before setting out.
Expect wet feetThis is a long valley day, not a quick waterfall stroll.
This is a long valley day, not a quick waterfall stroll. Rain, mud, slippery roots and flood-prone boardwalk sections are part of the deal, so carry waterproof layers and allow daylight for the return. At the established waterfall viewpoint, include the surrounding forest and river in the frame; after rain, the water gives the scene its best sense of scale. Check DOC conditions before leaving, and follow Check, Clean, Dry guidance around the Hollyford River.
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.
