Campground · Mount Aspiring National Park
A simple riverside base for Lake Sylvan and the Routeburn
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mount Aspiring Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Mount Aspiring 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 Mount Aspiring audio tourRecorded for this place
Lake Sylvan and the Old Tramline“Lake Sylvan's access road is coming up, for a walk through red beech forest to a small lake. From the car park, allow about forty minutes each way to the viewing platform, with glimpses of Mount Earnslaw across the lake.”
Plays as you drive up to Sylvan Campsite in the Parkwolf Mount Aspiring Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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!!!!”
Guide
Sylvan is a 24-site, non-powered campground beside the Routeburn River. It’s a useful base for Lake Sylvan or a day walk on the start of the Routeburn Great Walk, and you can fly-fish the river. Expect basic facilities: long-drop toilets, no powered sites and no water in the tank during winter, so bring your own then. Book ahead; there are no walk-in spaces, and summer and public-holiday weekends need early planning.
From Glenorchy, follow Glenorchy–Paradise Road, turn left onto Priory Road, then right onto Kinloch–Routeburn Road. The road becomes gravel after the Dart River bridge. The campsite can flood in heavy rain; avoid camping under trees. Fires aren’t allowed.
The Lake Sylvan Track starts nearby and takes about 40 minutes one way to its viewing platform. It passes old moraine river terraces and tall red beech forest, with glimpses of Mt Earnslaw / Pikirakatahi from the platform. A longer return loop follows a 1920s tramline route.
Wildlife
60 sightingsKeaMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
112 sightingsRockwrenMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
26 sightingsYellowheadMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
13 sightingsTūīMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
27 sightingsBellbirdMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
35 sightingsRiflemanMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Mount Aspiring. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateLake Sylvan Track6.5 km · 1.7 hr · 0.7 km awayA suspension bridge leads through red beech to a lakeside platform.
ModerateLake Sylvan–Rockburn Track14.5 km · 5 hr · 0.7 km awayA long forest tramp pays off at Rockburn’s blue pools.
ChallengingRouteburn Track33.1 km · 13.5 hr · 2.9 km awayWaterfalls, alpine wetlands and a 1,255 m pass in one crossing.
ModerateRouteburn Falls Hut Day Walk19.6 km · 7 hr · 2.9 km awayTwo waterfalls and a high hut make the long climb worthwhile.
ChallengingTarahaka Whakatipu (Harris Saddle)25.4 km · 10.5 hr · 2.9 km awayA long alpine day ends at a shelter above Lake Harris.
ModerateRouteburn Flats Track15 km · 4 hr · 2.9 km awayFollow an 1870s bridle path to open valley flats.
ChallengingSugarloaf Pass Track8 km · 6 hr · 2.9 km awayA hard climb to a broad pass above two valleys.
ChallengingRouteburn North Branch Track21.7 km · 8.5 hr · 2.9 km awayA long valley walk with rough tread and Humboldt mountain views.
Sight · 3 km awayLake SylvanA gentle forest walk ends at a lake with a mountain view.
Sight · 5.9 km awayBridal Veil FallsA 57-metre fall framed by the Routeburn's forest and snowy peaks.
Lodging · 7.5 km awayRouteburn Flats HutA good first night on the Routeburn, with the valley opening wide.
Campground · 7.7 km awayRouteburn Flats CampsiteA 15-site walk-in camp on the Routeburn's open grassy flats.Parkwolf’s Mount Aspiring ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
