Parking
There is no road access at Harris Saddle. Start beside Harris Saddle Shelter after reaching the saddle on foot on the Routeburn Track from Routeburn Shelter or The Divide; the day-use shelter has toilets.
Overview
About Conical Hill Track
Why go
- A summit panorama from the Hollyford Valley toward the Tasman Sea.
Heads up
- Requires a substantial on-foot Routeburn approach; there is no road access to Harris Saddle.
Conical Hill Track is a 1.22-mile out-and-back side trip from Harris Saddle to a rocky 1,515-metre summit. It is a short, steep climb; allow 1½–2 hours for the return. Add it if you are already on the Routeburn and want a high viewpoint. The distance above covers only the spur; reaching Harris Saddle is a separate walk on the Routeburn Track.
Parkwolf’s verdictShould you add it?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mount Aspiring map
Full mapElevation1,236–1,498 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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 Conical Hill Track, 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
- Routeburn Shelter: Choose Your Walk
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Conical Hill Track
The climb and the viewThe path climbs steeply from Harris Saddle toward Conical Hill.
The path climbs steeply from Harris Saddle toward Conical Hill. From the top, the view opens across the Hollyford Valley to Lake McKerrow, Martins Bay and the Tasman Sea. The summit itself is a bare, rocky ridge above the surrounding alpine slopes. If you stop for a photo, keep some of that broken ridge in the foreground so the view feels tied to the hill.
Reach the start on footThere is no road-accessible trailhead at Harris Saddle.
There is no road-accessible trailhead at Harris Saddle. The spur starts beside Harris Saddle Shelter, reached on foot along the Routeburn Track from Routeburn Shelter or The Divide. The day-use shelter has toilets. Harris Saddle is also known as Tarahaka Whakatipu; plan the longer Routeburn approach before counting this as a stand-alone hike.
Conditions and rulesSnow and ice can make the climb hazardous early and late in the Great Walks season.
Snow and ice can make the climb hazardous early and late in the Great Walks season. Rockfall danger is marked along the track, so obey the no-stopping zones. Dogs are not permitted on the Routeburn Track, including this side trip.
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.
