Routeburn Track

The Routeburn Track is a 33 km (20.5 mile) one-way Great Walk linking The Divide Shelter on Milford Road with Routeburn Shelter near Glenorchy. This stored line follows the complete point-to-point route from The Divide to Routeburn Shelter; arrange transport between the two ends rather than planning a return to the starting car park. Most walkers take 3 days and 2 nights, although DOC lists a 2–4 day completion window and the track can be walked in either direction.

From The Divide, the track descends through beech forest to Lake Howden, then climbs past Earland Falls and the open alpine terrain around Lake Mackenzie, Harris Saddle/Tarahaka Whakatipu, and the Hollyford Face. It continues through Routeburn Falls and along the Route Burn valley to Routeburn Flats and Routeburn Shelter. Expect varied surfaces, boardwalks, swing bridges, steep and exposed alpine sections, and rapidly changing mountain weather. DOC lists the mapped high point at Harris Saddle at 1,255 m.

The physical line is stored once in the Divide-to-Shelter direction, while the visitor distance is the full one-way hike. The mapped OSM corridor is about 31.6 km (19.6 miles), close to DOC's rounded 33 km visitor distance. Allow roughly 14 hours of walking in total, spread across the usual multi-day itinerary, with extra time for breaks, weather, and route conditions.

The route is managed by the Department of Conservation and passes through Fiordland and Mount Aspiring national parks. Great Walk huts and campsites require advance booking during the 1 November–30 April Great Walks season; outside that season facilities are reduced and the route requires alpine, river-crossing, and navigation skills. There is no cellphone coverage. Dogs are not permitted.