Parking
Diamond Lake Conservation Area car park, 18.5 km west of Wānaka on the Wānaka–Mt Aspiring Road; the road is sealed to the car park and a toilet is available there.
Overview
About Rocky Mountain Summit Track
A roughly 7 km loop from the Diamond Lake Conservation Area car park to the 775 m Rocky Mountain summit, with broad views over Lake Wānaka, the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o te Moana and Mount Aspiring/Tititea. DOC lists about 3 hours from the car park. The route is moderate to difficult in good conditions, with steep, slippery and exposed sections.
Why go
- Complete loop combines Diamond Lake, the Lower Circuit and Rocky Mountain summit views
- Panoramic views over Lake Wānaka and the Southern Alps from a broad summit
- Car park toilet and a clearly described DOC access point
Heads up
- Steep, slippery and muddy sections, especially when wet
- Exposed drop-offs on the eastern side and light scrambling on the western side
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Queenstown-Lakes District map
Full mapElevation330–767 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Queenstown-Lakes District alert
- ClosureSkippers Bridge closed to all trafficSkippers Bridge is closed to all vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians; do not cross.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Queenstown-Lakes District Tour Guide
Your drive to Rocky Mountain Summit Track, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Queenstown-Lakes District, New Zealand. 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 Queenstown-Lakes District audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain TrailsListen
“The car park ahead is for the Diamond Lake walking tracks, which is a great spot because it has several different hikes starting from the same place.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Queenstown-Lakes District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Diamond Lake: Walks with Big Payoffs
- Wildwire Wānaka: Climbing a Waterfall
- Where River Meets Lake: The Fish Highway
- Motatapu Trailhead: A Two-Hike Starting Point
- 164 audio storiesacross Queenstown-Lakes District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Kākā, Kererū, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 37 trails, 111 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 Rocky Mountain Summit Track
Route in briefFrom the car park, follow the old dirt-road access to Diamond Lake, then climb the bluffs to…
From the car park, follow the old dirt-road access to Diamond Lake, then climb the bluffs to the viewing platform. Continue around the Lower Circuit to the Rocky Mountain Track and climb the summit loop. Descend back to Diamond Lake via the summit track, complete the remaining Lower Circuit side to the access junction, and retrace the car-park approach. The stored line represents this full loop, including the shared approach out and back.
A separately signed Lake Wānaka Lookout spur branches from the lower walk; it is not part of this Rocky Mountain Summit Track line.
Conditions and accessThe western side can be wet, rocky and muddy with light scrambling; the eastern side has…
The western side can be wet, rocky and muddy with light scrambling; the eastern side has exposed drop-offs. Take extreme care, especially after rain or in winter when ice can affect both the track and access road. DOC permits mountain biking only as far as Diamond Lake and lists no dogs.
FacilitiesThe Diamond Lake Conservation Area car park is 18.
The Diamond Lake Conservation Area car park is 18.5 km west of Wānaka on the Wānaka–Mt Aspiring Road. The road is sealed to the car park, which has a toilet; there are no toilets on the track.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Queenstown-Lakes District
189 sightingsKeaMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
18 sightingsKākāMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
195 sightingsKererūMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
48 sightingsWekaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
239 sightingsTūīMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
97 sightingsBellbirdMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Queenstown-Lakes District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
