Mt Cook Walking & Hiking Guide

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Here’s our pick of the best walks & hiking tracks in Mt Cook National Park

Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is rugged, a land of ice & glaciers, rocks & mountains with a stunning alpine environment where you can walk or hike without being a climber. You’ll find a list of all our walks & hiking tracks below. Walks are listed randomly and include all the info you’ll need. There’s track highlights, history, track quality, elevation, length, time needed and a personal run down on what we think about the walk. Mt Cook National Park is an inspiring place to explore with walks from 10 mins to 5 hours.



Check out the Glaciers on your walks

There are five major valley systems with glaciers in Mt Cook National Park: GodleyMurchisonTasmanHooker and Mueller. There are also over 150 named smaller hanging glaciers on the mountainsides, which add to the dramatic landscape. Tasman Glacier, New Zealand’s largest and longest glacier, is clearly visible from the main road at the entrance of the park. It is 27 kilometres long, up to 3 kilometres wide and extends over 100 square kilometres. Although covered with rock material in its lower reaches, the ice of the Tasman is about 600 metres deep near the Hochstetter icefall.

List of all walks in Mt Cook National Park

The Ball Hut Route track takes you along the length of the Tasman Lake in New Zealand Freewalks.nz (1) Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Ball Hut Route

15.6 km • 8 hours • Medium

Walk details →
Looking out over the Ball Pass Crossing in Mt Cook, New Zealand Freewalks.nz Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Ball Pass Crossing

35 km • 3 days • Expert

Walk details →
Bowen Bush Walk - Mt Cook Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Bowen Bush Walk

0.2 km • 10-15 minutes • Very easy

Walk details →
Glencoe Walk in Mt Cook National Park - South Island - New Zealand - Copyright Freewalks.nz Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Glencoe Walk

0.5 km • 30 minutes • Easy, though steep

Walk details →
Looking out over Mount Wakefield and Mount Cook, New Zealand Freewalks.nz Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Governors Bush Walk

1.5 km • 1 hour • Easy

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Hooker Glacier Track Walk in Mount Cook Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Hooker Valley Track, Mount Cook

5.50 km • 1 hour 30 minutes, one way • Easy walking • Snow capped mountains, 3 swing bridges, and a glacier lake with floating icebergs!

Walk details →
Over looking the first section of the Hooker Valley Walk onto the valley track at Mt Cook, New Zealand Freewalks.nz Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Hooker Valley Walk

900 m • 30 minutes • Very easy

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People walking along Kea Point Track at Mt Cook, New Zealand Freewalks.nz Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Kea Point Track

2.8 km or 5.6 km • 1-2 hours • Easy

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Stunning view of Mueller Hut in Mt Cook Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Mueller Hut Route

10.4 km • 8 hours • Difficult

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Reflection of Mt Cook on the Red Tarns track, New Zealand Freewalks.nz Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Red Tarns Track

4 km • 2 hours • Medium

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Stunning views over the Sealy Tarns Track at Mt Cook, New Zealand Freewalks.nz Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Sealy Tarns Track

5.8 km • 4 hours • Difficult

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Sunrise at Tasman Lake in the Mt Cook region - Freewalks.nz Canterbury RegionMt Cook

Tasman Lake Track

2.5 km • 1 hour • Very easy

Walk details →
Tasman Glacier Valley |||| Canterbury RegionMt Cook

The Tasman Glacier Lake Walk

0.7 km • 20 mins • Medium

Walk details →

What sort of walking and hiking gear will you need

We’ve partnered with Macpac outdoor walking & hiking gear to bring you the very best products designed exclusively for our New Zealand climate. They’ll ship for FREE within NZ on orders over $100 (if under $100 it’s only $5). Worldwide international shipping is available except to the USA. Bulky orders will be $20.

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