Mount Crichton Loop Track

From the Mt Crichton carpark, follow the short access to the signed loop. The loop follows sections of Twelve Mile Creek and passes through red beech in the gullies, then mountain beech and mānuka higher up. A popular one-hour option follows the left side of the loop to Sam Summers Hut and the waterfall. A signposted link on the eastern ridge leads to the Lake Dispute Walkway; that is an optional extension rather than part of this loop. The stored line includes the carpark approach out and back and the closed loop corridor.

Gold miners worked the Twelve Mile Creek gorge intensively, and sluicing remains can still be seen. A short side track below Sam Summers Hut leads to a rock fissure once used as a tail race. The hut is a historic day-use shelter beside a waterfall on the site of a former Chinese goldminers' camp.

Old mine shafts, steep drop-offs and slips occur along parts of the track, so stay on the formed route. The bridge at the Māori Gully confluence was destroyed in a flood: do not attempt the crossing if the creek is high or discoloured. Mountain biking is not permitted on this track or the Lake Dispute link. Dogs must be on a leash, and fires are not allowed on conservation land. Check current DOC track conditions before setting out, especially after storms.

The track starts from the Mt Crichton carpark, 12 km from Queenstown on the Glenorchy–Queenstown Road, just after the Twelve Mile Delta area. Toilets are available at the carpark and near Sam Summers Hut. The primary trailhead is the carpark, with a short shared approach to the mapped loop.