Upper Copland Valley Track

Upper Copland Valley Track is a rough 7 km one-way tramp from the suspension bridge near Welcome Flat Hut to Douglas Rock Hut. Walk it out and back for about 14 km (8.7 mi) and six hours on the upper stage. This is advanced backcountry terrain for experienced trampers with navigation and survival skills. The start is already deep in the valley: reaching Welcome Flat takes 18 km and about seven hours from the SH6 car park via Architect Creek Hut, so the full trip is a multiday tramp. This record stops at Douglas Rock Hut; the marked route beyond it is a separate alpine undertaking.

Cross the suspension bridge near Welcome Flat Hut to the true left bank of the Copland River, then follow wide grassy flats. The views open toward Ruera Valley and the Navigator Range, with Mount Sefton and Footstool rising behind the Sierra Range. The track dips into low forest for a while, then returns to the flats. Save a photo for this open stretch: the layered ranges give the walk its signature view.

The route crosses Scott Creek's multiple channels, then enters forest and climbs gradually above the upper gorge. Open slips give views up and down the river. After the swing bridge over Tekano Creek, the upper valley opens and Douglas Rock Hut sits just beyond in a forest glade. The eight-bunk hut is a simple, memorable turnaround; on a clear day the views from it are expansive.

This is not a drive-up day walk. The signed Copland Track car park is off SH6 about 26 km south of Fox Glacier; from there it's 18 km and about seven hours to Welcome Flat Hut. That hut requires a booking year-round. Douglas Rock Hut is first come, first served; a hut ticket or backcountry hut pass is needed. It has heating, mattresses, a non-flush toilet and untreated tap water, which must be boiled. No food service is listed at either hut, so carry food for the trip. Dogs are not allowed. Welcome Flat's natural hot pools are beside the starting hut, a separate stop before the upper section.

The footing gets rougher beyond Welcome Flat and most creeks are unbridged. Scott Creek can be extremely hazardous in wet weather, and high water can make the route impassable. Floods, rockfall and avalanches are recurring hazards; avalanche danger is especially relevant in winter and spring. Check current track information before setting out and turn back if the streams are unsafe. The route above Douglas Rock Hut has high flood and avalanche risk; don't treat it as part of this hike, and do not attempt Copland Pass from the west.

The Copland Track was built between about 1901 and 1913 as a tourist route across the Southern Alps, linking the West Coast with the Hermitage at Mount Cook. High rainfall, unstable ground, floods and landslides repeatedly damaged the work. Workers discovered Welcome Flat's natural hot pools during construction, when thermal attractions were seen as a draw for visitors.

Southern rātā dominates much of the valley forest and flowers red in summer. Higher up, tree daisies and dracophyllums give way to alpine tussock and native herbs. Tahr use the steep mid and upper valley faces, while chamois range through the valley; seeing either is never guaranteed. Regular possum control since the 1980s has kept forest damage lower here than in nearby Karangarua Valley.