Basic camp facilities
The site has tent areas, a cooking shelter, tables and non-flush toilets. Water is listed from a tap and stream; the tap is untreated, so boil it before drinking.
Overview
About Young Forks Campsite
Why stop
- A cooking shelter and toilets support a remote overnight.
Heads up
- The walk in from Blue Pools takes about 4–6 hours.
Map
Where it is
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Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Basic camp facilities
1 active Mount Aspiring alert
- CautionRob Roy Track: stop at lower lookout during avalanche seasonFrom May through November, end your Rob Roy Track hike at the lower lookout; DOC strongly recommends against continuing to the upper lookout because the track crosses active avalanche paths.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mount Aspiring Tour Guide
Your drive to Young Forks Campsite, narrated.
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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- Young Valley and Gillespie Pass
- A Road Finished in Stages
- Makarora: Lunch and a Forest Loop
- 80 audio storiesacross Mount Aspiring’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Rockwren, Yellowhead, and 8 more
- Works offlinemaps, 50 trails, 52 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!!!!”
Guide
More about Young Forks Campsite
A remote overnight stopYoung Forks is a walk-in campsite in the Young Valley, used on the Gillespie Pass Circuit.
Young Forks is a walk-in campsite in the Young Valley, used on the Gillespie Pass Circuit. It is about a 4–6 hour walk from Blue Pools; the full circuit is an advanced, three-to-four-day trip, so this is a planned backcountry night rather than a roadside camping option. DOC lists the campsite as first-come, with no booking required.
Young Valley flood riskA natural dam formed in the North Branch in 2007 remains a potential hazard to trampers.
A natural dam formed in the North Branch in 2007 remains a potential hazard to trampers. DOC advises staying out of the valley during and immediately after heavy rain. If rain catches you in the valley, avoid camping on the valley floor, move through promptly and get to higher ground if water rises unusually or quickly.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Mount Aspiring
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.
