Parking
Park at the Borland Saddle car park on Borland Road; there are no facilities at the trailhead.
Overview
About Mount Burns Tarns Track
Why go
- Immediate treeline access with an unusual number of alpine tarns
- Rich, fragile alpine flora including Fiordland endemics and threatened species
- Typically quieter than Fiordland’s marquee tracks
Heads up
- Access via Borland Road can close in winter and after storms
- Short but advanced-grade terrain with steep, uneven sections
If you want instant alpine scenery without a multi-day commitment, this short track delivers. From Borland Saddle, the route climbs through beech forest to open, tussock-covered tops dotted with reflective alpine tarns, with broad views toward the Grebe Valley and Green Lake in clear weather. The fragile alpine flora is part of the experience, so stay on the formed route where it exists.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy goMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Fiordland map
Full mapElevation986–1,172 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 Mount Burns Tarns 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
Borland Saddle: Alpine Views and the Mt Burns TarnsListen
“You're heading toward Borland Saddle, which is one of the rare spots in Fiordland where you can drive right into high alpine country. This gravel road was originally built for the Manapouri hydro project.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Fiordland Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Making the Rain Your Ally
- Borland Saddle's Living Pillows
- Lichens: The Quiet Workhorses of Fiordland
- Patterns in the Frost: Stone Stripes of Borland Saddle
- 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 Mount Burns Tarns Track
Trail notesThis is an out-and-back from Borland Saddle to the Mount Burns tarns.
This is an out-and-back from Borland Saddle to the Mount Burns tarns. DOC lists about 45 minutes return; the mapped corridor is about 0.5 miles one way, while the visitor distance is about 0.9 miles (roughly 1.4 km) total. Expect a short, steep, uneven Advanced-grade tramping track with tussock, mud or rock, and rapidly changing weather on the exposed tops.
Extend to the summit (experienced only)Beyond the tarns, an unmarked route continues toward Mount Burns.
Beyond the tarns, an unmarked route continues toward Mount Burns. That is a separate, much longer off-track objective requiring strong navigation and appropriate equipment; this trail record ends at the tarns.
Access and logisticsStart at the Borland Saddle car park on Borland Road, a rough gravel access road.
Start at the Borland Saddle car park on Borland Road, a rough gravel access road. There are no facilities at the trailhead; check current road and weather conditions before setting out. Pets are not allowed.
TipsWear sturdy footwear and carry warm, waterproof layers because conditions can change quickly.
- Wear sturdy footwear and carry warm, waterproof layers because conditions can change quickly.
- Protect the fragile alpine plants and avoid widening the track.
- If you are not prepared for unmarked off-track travel, turn around at the tarns.
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.
