Earnslaw Burn Track

Earnslaw Burn Track is a hard out-and-back from Lovers Leap Road to a forest-edge viewpoint below Pikirakatahi/Mount Earnslaw. The DOC track is 8.3 km (5.2 mi) one way, 16.6 km (10.3 mi) return. DOC’s 4–6 hours is one way, so allow about 8–12 hours for the full trip. That distance ends at the forest edge; the waterfalls farther up the valley are an extra hour each way.

For the first three to four hours, the route stays in beech forest on the slopes above the burn. The ground rolls up and down under roots and mud, and tree falls and slips can slow you. Small side streams are unbridged. There are only occasional openings: one gives a look back toward Mt Alfred and part of Diamond Lake, while brief gaps show the burn gorge. DOC describes the track as poorly marked, so this is a day for people who can navigate with a map, not a walk where you can count on a single obvious tread.

The DOC route ends at a viewpoint facing the icefall on Pikirakatahi/Mount Earnslaw. Waterfalls run down the mountain’s rock faces, with their flow varying after rain. A rock overhang known as Rock bivvy sits just inside the forest on the burn’s true right bank, looking downstream. Reaching it means crossing the river, which can be dangerous in heavy rain.

There is no marked DOC track beyond the forest edge, and DOC does not manage hazards farther up the valley. The basin is overgrown with speargrass. DOC says the waterfalls are another hour’s walk one way beyond the track; through the tussock basin, public access is limited to a 10 m strip beside the burn, with private land beyond it. Treat that as a separate extension, not part of the mapped 16.6 km return, and stay within the public strip.

DOC rates this an Advanced tramping track for experienced trampers. It warns of route-finding, windfall, slips, unbridged river hazards, severe weather, flooding, frost and snow. There is no mobile coverage. For a full-day return, DOC advises checking daylight, being fit and confident with navigation, and carrying a personal locator beacon; young children are not recommended. If you want a shorter, less demanding walk, DOC suggests Lake Sylvan Track or Routeburn Nature Walk.

The track begins on the true left bank of Earnslaw Burn at the car park on Lovers Leap Road. Turn off the gravel Glenorchy–Paradise Road; the start is about 20 minutes from Glenorchy. DOC confirms there are no toilet facilities at the track.