Milford Track

From the head of Lake Te Anau over Omanui/McKinnon Pass to Milford Sound: four days and three nights in the Department of Conservation's Clinton, Mintaro and Dumpling huts, in one direction only, with the boats at both ends.

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54kmMapped distance
1,529mMapped ascent
4Walking stages

Best season: 1 November to 30 April (the Great Walks season). The Department of Conservation's 2026/27 Great Walks season runs from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 (last departure 28 April): the huts have rangers, gas and heating, and every night must be booked. Avalanche risk can last into December, and heavy rain can make the Clinton and Arthur valleys impassable; DOC may then hold walkers in a hut or fly them past the hazard at its cost, and walkers may be eligible for a refund. From May to October the track is an alpine route for experienced parties only: DOC does not manage its hazards then, and its pages differ on whether huts must be booked. Before you go

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Plan your days

Your dates

Checking the seasons, closures and current conditions for today…

The Milford Track is walked in four days and three nights, one night at each of DOC's huts in order: independent walkers cannot change the nights or camp. The plan below is that walk.

Hut seasons as published. 2026/27: the season at all 3 huts runs 1 November to 30 April; outside it they stay open with less.

4-day plan

Loading topographic map…
200m400m600m800m1,000m1,200m010 km20 km30 km40 km50 km1,130m11m
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Steep (15–25%)
Each day in its own colour, numbered where it starts; the rest of the Milford Track in grey. Select a day for its elevation and 3D flyover.

Your dates and pace

DOC books every independent walker for one night at Clinton, Mintaro and Dumpling huts in order, so this plan has no other nights. Pick a first day to check the dates, the season and the closures.

Day by day

  1. Day 1

    Glade Wharf to Clinton Hut

    Stage 1

    Distance
    5.0 km
    Climb
    +68 / −65 m
    Walking
    1 h 18Department of Conservation times, plus our estimate off the route

    Includes 0.2 km off the route by the hut track to Clinton Hut.

    Stage 1: The boat from Te Anau Downs lands at Glade Wharf; an easy 5 km to Clinton Hut, where every walker spends the first night.

    Overnight

    Clinton Hut

    Staffed mountain hut · Department of Conservation

    Pick a date to check the season.

    Season
    2026/27 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 The 2026/27 Great Walks season, with a ranger, gas cooking, heating and flush toilets: the three huts are booked in order, one night each. Outside the season: From May to October there is no ranger, gas, indoor water or emergency radio, and the track is an alpine route. DOC's pages differ on booking then: the track's winter advice says bookings are still required at a reduced cost, its booking section says first come, first served at $30 adult. Check with DOC when you plan. doc.govt.nz, read 27 September 2026
    Places
    40 places in total · Self-catering In the Great Walks season: 40 bunks with mattresses, a ranger, heating and gas cooking (no utensils), solar lighting, flush toilets and cold water (no showers). Boil the tap water.
    Booking
    Book online Book on DOC's Great Walks booking: the three huts in order, one night each. Great Walks season: adult NZ$152 (international), NZ$106 (NZ resident), child $76 / $53; May to October $30 adult, $15 child.
    Contact
    Official site

    OpenStreetMap

    Every walker's first night: 5 km from Glade Wharf. The Wetland Walkway nearby is a 15-minute return walk.

    Day 1 GPX Open in Planner

  2. Day 2

    Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut

    Stage 2

    Distance
    18.4 km
    Climb
    +561 / −147 m
    Walking
    6 h 10Department of Conservation times, plus our estimate off the route

    Includes 0.2 km from Clinton Hut back to the route by the hut track, and 0.3 km off the route by the hut track to Mintaro Hut.

    Not confirmed open on set days: km 0–17.9 of stage 2. From May to October the Clinton valley is avalanche terrain: DOC maps avalanche paths there, some of which can cross the track, side-stream bridges are taken out and the track floods. DOC does not manage these hazards outside the season and says to walk then only with alpine skills and gear; there are no rangers, gas or emergency radios in the huts.

    Stage 2: Up the Clinton valley, past the Clinton Canyon, to Mintaro Hut, below the pass. A washout near Clinton Forks may be re-routed through the bush (DOC alert, June 2026).

    Overnight

    Mintaro Hut

    Staffed mountain hut · Department of Conservation

    Pick a date to check the season.

    Season
    2026/27 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 The 2026/27 Great Walks season, with a ranger, gas cooking, heating and flush toilets: the three huts are booked in order, one night each. Outside the season: From May to October there is no ranger, gas, indoor water or emergency radio, and the track is an alpine route. DOC's pages differ on booking then: the track's winter advice says bookings are still required at a reduced cost, its booking section says first come, first served at $30 adult. Check with DOC when you plan. doc.govt.nz, read 27 September 2026
    Places
    40 places in total · Self-catering In the Great Walks season: 40 bunks with mattresses, a ranger, heating and gas cooking (no utensils), solar lighting, flush toilets and cold water (no showers). Boil the tap water.
    Booking
    Book online Book on DOC's Great Walks booking: the three huts in order, one night each. Great Walks season: adult NZ$152 (international), NZ$106 (NZ resident), child $76 / $53; May to October $30 adult, $15 child.
    Contact
    Official site

    OpenStreetMap

    Below Omanui/McKinnon Pass: the new hut, opened in April 2021, 1.5 km up-valley from the old one.

    Day 2 GPX Open in Planner

  3. Day 3

    Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut

    Stage 3

    Distance
    13.0 km
    Climb
    +586 / −1,102 m
    Walking
    6 h 34Department of Conservation times, plus our estimate off the route

    Includes 0.3 km from Mintaro Hut back to the route by the hut track.

    Not confirmed open on set days: km 0–12.7 of stage 3. From May to October the pass is an alpine route: unmarked, often under deep snow, with avalanche paths that can cross the track and the side-stream bridges taken out. DOC says to walk it then only with alpine skills and gear, and there are no rangers, gas or emergency radios in the huts.

    Stage 3: Over Omanui/McKinnon Pass (1,154 m): over 500 m of climb, then about 1,000 m down to Dumpling Hut. DOC's emergency track is in use on the descent past an impassable slip (alert reviewed 15 September 2026). Sutherland Falls is a 1.5-hour return side trip from Quintin Shelter; its side track is closed from 2 June to 20 October 2026 while the Quintin bridge is replaced.

    Overnight

    Dumpling Hut

    Staffed mountain hut · Department of Conservation

    Pick a date to check the season.

    Season
    2026/27 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 The 2026/27 Great Walks season, with a ranger, gas cooking, heating and flush toilets: the three huts are booked in order, one night each. Outside the season: From May to October there is no ranger, gas, indoor water or emergency radio, and the track is an alpine route. DOC's pages differ on booking then: the track's winter advice says bookings are still required at a reduced cost, its booking section says first come, first served at $30 adult. Check with DOC when you plan. doc.govt.nz, read 27 September 2026
    Places
    40 places in total · Self-catering In the Great Walks season: 40 bunks with mattresses, a ranger, heating and gas cooking (no utensils), solar lighting, flush toilets and cold water (no showers). Boil the tap water.
    Booking
    Book online Book on DOC's Great Walks booking: the three huts in order, one night each. Great Walks season: adult NZ$152 (international), NZ$106 (NZ resident), child $76 / $53; May to October $30 adult, $15 child.
    Contact
    Official site

    OpenStreetMap

    After the pass. DOC's guide says to leave by 8 a.m. for the 2 p.m. boat from Sandfly Point. Sutherland Falls is a 1.5-hour return side trip from Quintin Shelter, before the hut; the side track is closed from 2 June to 20 October 2026 while the Quintin bridge is replaced.

    Day 3 GPX Open in Planner

  4. Day 4

    Dumpling Hut to Sandfly Point

    Stage 4

    Distance
    18.2 km
    Climb
    +229 / −346 m
    Walking
    5 h 45Department of Conservation time 5 h 30–6 h; our estimate 4 h 19

    Not confirmed open on set days: km 0–18.2 of stage 4. From May to October the Arthur valley is avalanche terrain: DOC maps avalanche paths there, some of which can cross the track, side-stream bridges are taken out and the track floods. DOC does not manage these hazards outside the season and says to walk then only with alpine skills and gear.

    Closed on set days: km 0–18.2 of stage 4. The Arthur valley is closed from 2 June to 20 October 2026 while the Boatshed suspension bridge is replaced: the track between Dumpling Hut and Sandfly Point cannot be walked (DOC alert, reviewed 31 July 2026).

    Stage 4: Down the Arthur valley to Sandfly Point for the boat, which leaves between about noon and 4.30 p.m.; DOC's guide says to leave Dumpling by 8 a.m. for the 2 p.m. boat. The valley is closed from 2 June to 20 October 2026 while the Boatshed bridge is replaced; the planner marks it on those dates.

    Day 4 GPX Open in Planner

Longest day: day 3, 6 h 34.

How these plans are made

Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are the Department of Conservation's published times where it gives one, with our estimate beside it; a day that walks part of a stage gets a share of the stage's time by distance and climb. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays.Refuge dates come from the operator's own pages; when they are not published, we say so. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.

Huts and stays, stage by stage

Where each stage ends, the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons the operator publishes, and how to book. Read from the operators' pages on 27 September 2026; each stage page shows the sources and the grade profile.

StageNight at2026/272027/28Booking
1. Glade Wharf to Clinton HutClinton Hut 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027not publishedBook online
2. Clinton Hut to Mintaro HutMintaro Hut 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027not publishedBook online
3. Mintaro Hut to Dumpling HutDumpling Hut 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027not publishedBook online
4. Dumpling Hut to Sandfly PointSandfly Point · no hut at this point

Weather this week

Loading the forecast for low point (sea level) and high point (1,138 m)…

Weather by month

Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (sea level) and the highest point (1,138 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.

Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
WeatherMixedMixedMixedGoodMixedMixedMixedMixedMixedMixedMixedMixed
Stages rated good on typical weather0/41/40/43/41/41/41/42/40/40/40/40/4
High point, day / night16°/6°16°/6°14°/5°11°/3°7°/0°4°/-2°3°/-3°5°/-2°7°/0°9°/1°11°/3°14°/5°
Low point, day / night22°/12°22°/12°20°/10°17°/8°14°/6°11°/4°11°/3°13°/4°14°/5°16°/7°18°/9°20°/11°
Rain, mm375216226235365230269196310312281346
Snow at high point––––PossiblePossiblePossiblePossiblePossibleFrost––
Daylight15 h 1313 h 5512 h 2910 h 539 h 348 h 499 h 0510 h 1311 h 4313 h 1514 h 4415 h 33

Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.

Before you go

Prepare for the Milford Track

Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.

Book the three huts

In the Great Walks season you book the three huts in order, one night each, on DOC's booking system: walkers without a booking may be charged a penalty or turned away. No camping anywhere on the track. Book the bus and boat to Glade Wharf and from Sandfly Point too: there is no road at either end.

Prices and the NZ rate

Each hut night in the Great Walks season costs an international adult NZ$152 and a New Zealand resident NZ$106 (children $76 / $53). The resident rate needs proof: a claim found invalid costs the difference plus $50 a person. From May to October a hut night is $30; DOC's pages differ on whether it must be booked then.

DOC: Great Walks pricing

Weather, floods and avalanches

Rainfall reaches 9,000 mm a year and both valleys can become impassable. Over 57 avalanche paths can bring debris to the valley floor, some of them across the track, and the risk can last into December. In the season DOC can close the track and hold walkers in a hut or fly them past the hazard at its cost; walkers may be eligible for a refund.

DOC: Milford Track

No signal: carry a beacon

There is no phone coverage. Carry a distress beacon (PLB); the hut rangers have radios for emergencies in the season. For search and rescue call 111.

DOC: distress beacons

Getting there

Connect your journey

Choose a stage or journey above to narrow the travel searches.

Directions to this start Travel from this finish

Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.

To Glade Wharf

From Te Anau, a bus or car to Te Anau Downs (30 minutes, on State Highway 94), then the boat to Glade Wharf (1 hour 15 minutes). DOC lists Cheeky Kiwi, Easyhike, Fiordland Outdoors Company and Tracknet for transport; book before you go.

DOC: Milford Track transport

From Sandfly Point

A 20-minute boat to Milford Sound, then buses to Te Anau or Queenstown, booked with the same operators.

Tracknet: Milford Track

Take your trip with you

Offline maps

Prepare every day while you still have a connection: there is no phone signal on the track.

Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.

  1. Open this trail in the app. Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
  2. Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
  3. Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.

Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.

Route & sources

About this map

The Department of Conservation gives 53.5 km, walked from Glade Wharf to Sandfly Point in four days: the track can only be walked in that direction, over three nights. The line here is the track's relation on OpenStreetMap (planet of 21 September 2026), 53.6 km, cut at DOC's three huts; the times are DOC's.

Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 27 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.

Department of Conservation: Milford Track

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation

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