Parking
Large, signed The Chasm Car Park directly off Milford Road, about 109 km from Te Anau.
Overview
About The Chasm Walk
Why go
- Waterfalls and rock formations are especially dramatic after rain
- Large, convenient car park right off Milford Road
Heads up
- Very short—great stop, not a full hike
- Wet weather can make the track and bridge surfaces slippery
Yes—The Chasm is a memorable roadside stop with a large sensory payoff for very little walking. It is best paired with other Milford Road stops rather than treated as a long hike.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs it worth it?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Fiordland map
Full mapElevation248–273 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 The Chasm Walk, 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
The Chasm's Sculpted Rock and Powerful WaterListen
“Up ahead is the stop for The Chasm, and it's a great use of twenty minutes. An easy loop walk on boardwalks takes you over a narrow, roaring gorge.”
Plays near this trailhead in the Parkwolf Fiordland Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Avalanche Alley: Keeping the Milford Road Safe
- Why Fiordland's Water Changes Color
- Namu: Fiordland’s Sandflies—Why They’re Here and How to Outsmart Them
- Tawaki, the Rainforest Penguin
- 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 The Chasm Walk
What you'll seeA short, easy walk through native bush ends at the Cleddau River, where fast water has sculpted…
A short, easy walk through native bush ends at the Cleddau River, where fast water has sculpted deep holes, basins, and smooth rock formations. Bridges and viewing areas make this a compact way to experience Fiordland's rainforest, river roar, and dramatic geology.
Trail basicsThe Chasm Walk is about 400 m return (0.25 miles total) and usually takes around 20 minutes.
The Chasm Walk is about 400 m return (0.25 miles total) and usually takes around 20 minutes. It is a mostly flat, well-formed track with gravel, boardwalk or bridge sections, and railings near the river. The mapped route is the one-way corridor from the signed car park to the Cleddau viewpoint; return via the same track.
Access and safetyUse the large, signed Chasm Car Park off Milford Road, about 109 km from Te Anau.
Use the large, signed Chasm Car Park off Milford Road, about 109 km from Te Anau. The track is short and easy, but Fiordland is very wet and surfaces can be slippery. Stay on the marked path, hold the railings, and keep well back from the fast river and steep edges. Dogs are not permitted on this walk.
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.
