Moss Pass Route

Moss Pass Route is a 4.1-mile (6.6-km) one-way crossing from Blue Lake Hut to George Lyon Hut, over a high alpine saddle and down into the D’Urville Valley. Allow about six hours for the crossing itself. It climbs roughly 600 m from the hut to Moss Pass, around 1,780 m high, then drops steeply toward the valley. The short map distance hides a hard alpine day; this is for fit, experienced trampers with a multi-day approach, not a day hike.

The route starts behind the hut and climbs steeply through forest in a stream bed. It becomes a rocky, pole-marked line above the bush and passes high over Rotomairewhenua/Blue Lake before reaching a basin of tarns. Keep the poles in sight: the line can fade around the basin, where it is easy to climb too high on the slope. Blue Lake is tapu; do not touch, swim, wash, take water from it, or put equipment in it.

From the tarns, poles lead across grassy and rocky slopes to a steep, narrow chute below the saddle. Loose gravel makes the scramble awkward, especially when the rocks are wet or frozen. Moss Pass is a bare notch, not a built lookout. From the top, the views open both ways: back toward the Mahanga and Franklin ranges, and down the broad green D’Urville Valley toward the Ella Range. The chute itself makes a strong foreground for a photo; stay on the route around the cushion plants.

The D’Urville side drops steeply to a tarn, then crosses scree and alpine garden into beech forest. The lower descent is damp, rooty and rough, with moss and slick rock underfoot; the route follows creeks before reaching a swing bridge over the D’Urville River. From there it is about 2 km to George Lyon Hut. The 16-bunk hut was built in 1973 as Ella Hut and later renamed for George Lyon, the park’s first chief ranger.

Blue Lake Hut is deep in the backcountry, with no road or day-walk access. The shortest approach is a water taxi from Lake Rotoroa Jetty to Sabine Hut, then two walking days via West Sabine Hut. From St Arnaud, allow at least four days return to Blue Lake. Blue Lake Hut has 16 bunks, water and toilets, and requires a booking; carry food for the full trip. The pass crosses complex avalanche terrain. Check the current avalanche advisory and go only with the skills and equipment for the conditions.