Parking
Start at Blue Pools car park off Haast Highway (SH6), about 10 km south of Makarora. Toilets include an accessible toilet. The car park gets very busy in summer (November–April).
Overview
About Young River Link Track
Why go
- Blue Pools Bridge gives views up the river gorge.
- The route links beech and tawhero forest, Rainy Flat, farmland, and the Young River mouth.
Heads up
- A 14 km return walk for the link beyond Blue Pools.
- The last 30 m to the river is steep and unformed.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mount Aspiring map
Full mapElevation325–400 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 Young River Link 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 tourRecorded for this area
Blue Pools: Beyond the First Bridge0:00 / 0:23
“Blue Pools car park is coming up, for a forest walk to deep, snow-fed water.”
Plays near this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mount Aspiring Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cameron Lookout: Turn Around at the Platform
- Why the Fantail Follows You
- Makarora River Bridge and the Hut Track
- Young Valley and Gillespie Pass
- 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 Young River Link Track
A longer walk beyond Blue PoolsYoung River Link Track is a 14 km return out-and-back from Blue Pools car park to the mouth of…
Young River Link Track is a 14 km return out-and-back from Blue Pools car park to the mouth of the Young River. The distance includes the shared Blue Pools Track approach and the walk back the same way. Allow 3–4 hours. If you only want the pools, turn around at Blue Pools Bridge for a much shorter outing.
Beyond the bridgesThe shared approach crosses two swing bridges, including Blue Pools Bridge, where the view…
The shared approach crosses two swing bridges, including Blue Pools Bridge, where the view opens up the river gorge. From there, the track runs through beech and tawhero forest to Rainy Flat, then through sections of farmland and bush toward the Young River mouth. Most of the route is well formed; the full return distance is the main commitment.
At the riverThe final 30 m before the river is steep and unformed.
The final 30 m before the river is steep and unformed. Treat the mouth as the turnaround for this walk: continuing up Young Valley toward Gillespie Pass calls for good fitness and moderate-to-high backcountry skills and experience. Dogs aren’t allowed.
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.
