Siberia Valley Track

Siberia Valley Track is a 7 km (4.35 mi) one-way point-to-point walk from Siberia Hut to the Wilkin River at Kerin Forks. Allow 2–3 hours. It begins across open valley flats, enters forest near the southern end of Siberia Flat, sidles above Siberia Gorge, then zigzags down to the river. The riverbank is the end of this mapped route; it is not a loop or a walk back to road access.

This is a remote transfer walk. Arrange your flight to Siberia Hut and boat transport from the Wilkin River in advance, and confirm the exact landing and pickup places with the operator. The airstrip and hut are marked separately, and the sources do not establish a walking connector between them. A boat pickup may be on the Siberia side of the river, but its precise spot depends on the trip.

About 30 minutes below the hut, the route leaves the valley floor and enters forest at the south end of Siberia Flat. It then follows the terrain above Siberia Gorge before its zigzag descent. Silver beech, or tawhai, dominates this forest. Fantail/pīwakawaka and rifleman/tītitipounamu live in the area; yellowhead/mohua are present in some parts, so treat them as possible sightings rather than a promise.

The route stops at the Wilkin River. Kerin Forks Hut is about 400 m downstream on the opposite side, and getting there requires a river crossing that can become impassable after rain. Do not count that crossing as part of this walk. Siberia Hut has 20 bunks, heating, non-flush toilets and untreated tap water that must be boiled; summer stays require booking. Dogs are not allowed in the park.

Māori travelling inland from coastal Otago and Southland hunted and fished around the Makarora valley, known as Kaika Paekai, “place of abundant food.” The Southern Alps’ rocks began as seabed sand and mud more than 220 million years ago, then rose under heat and pressure; ice-age glaciers shaped the valley landscape.