Moraine Walk

Moraine Walk is a 4 km loop from the Fox Glacier South Side car park: follow the broad gravel walkway to the narrower moraine path, then return on the walkway after it rejoins the route. DOC calls it an easy short walk of about 1 hour 30 minutes. It’s a good pick for a forest walk and a close look at how quickly plants reclaim glacier ground; it doesn’t reach a glacier viewpoint.

The narrow Moraine Walk branches off the main walkway and rejoins it farther along. The turn can be easy to miss, and the forest track is rougher and steeper in places than the broad access. If you’re cycling the walkway, leave your bike at the Moraine Walk junction. You can also double back along Moraine Walk instead of taking the walkway return.

A moraine is the rocks and stones a glacier leaves behind as it retreats. This walk begins on a surface several thousand years old, then crosses the AD 1600 and AD 1750 moraines. The forest makes the changes easier to see: plants have had very different lengths of time to establish on each surface. Ferns, mossy rocks, and fallen trees give the narrower track a more tangled feel than the gravel walkway.

Allow about 1½ hours for the loop. The narrower path has uneven, rough sections and can be slick or muddy after prolonged rain. Dogs aren’t allowed on the track. The shared South Side access can close because of rockfalls or flooding, so check DOC’s current access status before setting out. The nearest toilets DOC identifies are in Fox Glacier township.