Parking
Park at The Divide car park on SH94 (Te Anau–Milford Highway). A shelter and toilets are available, but there is no food or water; use the designated car park and do not block the highway.
Overview
About Key Summit Track
Why go
- Alpine boardwalk loop with tarn reflections and interpretive signs
- Wide valley views for a relatively short, well-graded climb
- A memorable Routeburn taster without an overnight commitment
Heads up
- The approach to the summit takes about an hour before the final climb
- Cloud can hide the views, and the upper track is exposed to wind and sun
- Rain, mud, snow, and ice can make the upper section slippery
This out-and-back starts at The Divide car park and follows the Routeburn Track before climbing the Key Summit spur. The full route is about 4.3 miles (6.9 km) return and takes around three hours, including a little time at the top. The route is stored once from the car park to Key Summit; you return along the same track. The short Alpine Nature Walk loop around the summit tarns is an optional add-on and isn't included in that distance.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Fiordland map
Full mapElevation530–913 m
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 Key Summit 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
The Divide: Gateway to the Routeburn and Key SummitListen
“You're approaching The Divide, which isn't so much an overlook as it is the gateway to some of Fiordland's most famous trails.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Fiordland Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Great Watershed
- Pop's View Lookout and the Hollyford Valley
- Jamestown: Fiordland's Ghost Town
- Lake Marian: A Classic Fiordland Alpine Hike
- 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 Key Summit Track
The better way upFor roughly the first hour, the track winds through silver beech forest with moss, ferns, and…
For roughly the first hour, the track winds through silver beech forest with moss, ferns, and small streams. At the signed junction, the final climb takes about 20 minutes and opens into tussock and low alpine vegetation. Key Summit sits at about 918 metres, with broad views toward the Hollyford, Eglinton, and Greenstone valleys and the Darran, Humboldt, and Livingstone ranges when the cloud lifts.
What moderate means hereThe track is well formed, but this is a steady climb with about 390 metres of ascent over the…
The track is well formed, but this is a steady climb with about 390 metres of ascent over the complete route and more exposure near the summit. Expect roots, steps, mud after rain, and wind or sun above the bushline. The upper boardwalk protects fragile alpine wetlands, so stay on it. This walk isn't suitable for wheelchairs or strollers, and dogs aren't allowed.
Make the start workPark at The Divide car park on SH94, on the Te Anau–Milford Highway.
Park at The Divide car park on SH94, on the Te Anau–Milford Highway. There is a shelter and toilets, but no food or water, so bring everything you'll need. Fiordland weather changes quickly; carry warm layers and waterproofs even when the road looks clear. I'd save the summit viewpoints for a day with a reasonable forecast, then look for tarn reflections and the Routeburn's glaciated valleys in the same frame.
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.
