Stage start
Routeburn Shelter
Trailhead · 474 m
The eastern end, 25 km from Glenorchy. The two ends are 325 km apart by road: arrange transport or a car relocation before you go.
Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats Hut
Routeburn Track · Stage 1
6.9kmStage distance
290mMapped ascent
1Stage number
Up the Route Burn through the beech forest to the flats and Routeburn Flats Hut, a short way off the track.
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: the huts have rangers and gas, and huts and campsites must be booked. From May to October Harris Saddle is an alpine crossing, avalanche paths reach the track between Lake Mackenzie and Lake Howden, and side-stream bridges are taken out for the winter. DOC's pages differ on whether huts must be booked then. Before you go
Loading topographic map…
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%)
Green: Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats Hut. Grey: full trail. Elevation follows this mapped track.
Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats Hut
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Where this stage starts and ends
Facts read from the operators' own pages and OpenStreetMap on 27 September 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with the hut before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage end · overnight
Routeburn Flats Hut
Staffed mountain hut · Department of Conservation
- Season
- 2026/27 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 The 2026/27 Great Walks season, with a ranger and gas cooking: bookings required. Outside the season: From May to October there is no ranger or gas, and the track is an alpine route. DOC's pages differ on booking then: the winter advice says bookings are still required at a reduced cost, the booking section says first come, first served, at $35 (May and June) or $30 (July to October) adult. Check with DOC when you plan. doc.govt.nz, read 27 September 2026
- Places
- 20 places in total · Self-catering In the Great Walks season: 20 bunks, a ranger, heating and gas cooking (no utensils), toilets and cold water. Boil the tap water.
- Booking
- Book online Book in the Great Walks season. Great Walks season: adult NZ$132 (international), NZ$88 (NZ resident), child $66 / $44. A campsite (15 sites) beside it.
- Contact
- Official site
What the operators say about this leg
- Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats Hut: 1 hr 30 min to 2 hr 30 min. Our estimate for this stage is 1 h 50. doc.govt.nz, read 27 September 2026
Make it your trip
Book the huts and campsites
In the Great Walks season every hut and campsite night is booked on DOC's booking system. The two ends are 325 km apart by road: book transport or a car relocation with the huts.
Routeburn Shelter to The Divide
Three days, the usual nights at Routeburn Falls and Lake Mackenzie huts.
- 6.9 km
- 2.4 km
- 10.9 km
- 11.3 km
Weather this week
Loading the forecast for low point (467 m) and high point (718 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (467 m) and the highest point (718 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| High point, day / night | 20°/9° | 20°/8° | 18°/7° | 14°/5° | 10°/2° | 7°/-1° | 6°/-1° | 8°/0° | 11°/1° | 13°/3° | 15°/5° | 18°/8° |
| Low point, day / night | 21°/10° | 21°/10° | 19°/8° | 16°/6° | 12°/4° | 8°/1° | 8°/0° | 10°/1° | 12°/3° | 14°/5° | 17°/6° | 20°/9° |
| Rain, mm | 369 | 234 | 286 | 248 | 293 | 233 | 215 | 173 | 272 | 307 | 290 | 358 |
| Snow at high point | – | – | – | – | – | Possible | Possible | Possible | Frost | – | – | – |
| Daylight | 15 h 12 | 13 h 55 | 12 h 29 | 10 h 53 | 9 h 34 | 8 h 49 | 9 h 06 | 10 h 13 | 11 h 43 | 13 h 15 | 14 h 43 | 15 h 32 |
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 Routeburn Track
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Prices
Each hut night in the Great Walks season costs an international adult NZ$132 and a New Zealand resident NZ$88 (children $66 / $44); a campsite night $42 / $28. Outside the season huts are $35 (May and June) or $30 (July to October) an adult; DOC's pages differ on whether they must be booked then.
DOC: Great Walks pricingNo signal: carry a beacon
There is no phone coverage on the track. Carry a distress beacon. For search and rescue call 111.
DOC: distress beaconsGetting there
Connect your journey
Travel around Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats Hut.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
Two ends, 325 km apart
The Routeburn Shelter is 25 km from Glenorchy (near Queenstown); The Divide is on the Milford road, 85 km from Te Anau. DOC lists transport operators for both ends; book before you go.
DOC: Routeburn TrackTake your trip with you
Offline maps
Prepare every day while you have a connection: there is no phone coverage 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.
- 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.
- Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
- 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 33 km one way, walkable in either direction; this guide walks it from the Routeburn Shelter to The Divide. The line here is the track's relation on OpenStreetMap (planet of 21 September 2026), 31.5 km, cut at DOC's huts. Lake Howden Hut was destroyed in February 2020. 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: Routeburn TrackMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation