In the Fiordland National Park, the Key Summit sits at the beginning of one of New Zealand's Great Walks, The Routeburn Track. The content on this page was created by Routeburn Track, Key Summit Guided Walk - Trips & Tramps. There also begins Routeburn Track, but after you pass beech forest Routeburn and Key Summit tracks will split. Located in Fiordland National Park and Milford Road/Milford Sound area in the Fiordland region Ascend through lush forest and into a unique alpine herb field offering panoramic views, this walk offers an incredible day out in the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Tour departs from Te Anau, with a drive along the Milford Road to the track. The climb to Key Summit begins at The … This hiking trail, part of which is on the Routeburn Track, has it all, including panoramic mountain views, alpine ponds, pristine forest and small waterfalls. 3-3.5hrs/3.4km return-easy hike of Key Summit Track is well-maintained and it’s constant uphill walk thus it’s suitable for of all ages. While most of the great walks of New Zealand are multi-day affairs, the Key Summit hike can be easily accomplished during part or all of a day, and is located on the first section of the Routeburn Track. Find key summit track stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. It was an excellent stop to break up our car trip and stretch our legs, and would probably be suitable for kids over the age of five or six if you were willing to take it slowly and could bring plenty of snacks. From The Divide carpark follow the Routeburn Track for about an hour to get to to Key Summit Track. up); the payoff is at the top. The track up to Key Summit is the most popular substantial day-walk in Fiordland, and justifiably so. turn off to Key Summit. On a good day you will get spectacular views over the surrounding valleys and mountains, but on a day of low cloud, as ours started out, you get nothing. Fairly easy walk with stunning views from the top, We did this hike on the way out to Milford Sound and it took about 2.5 hours round-trip from the car-park. The climb to Key Summit begins at The Divide trailhead, and starts on the Routeburn Track heading toward the Lake Howden and Lake Mackenzie Huts. The first part of the walk follows the Routeburn Track, and a sign marks the. Biodiversity inventory and monitoring toolbox, Intermediate: Great Walk/Easier tramping track, Te Rua-o-te-moko / Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre. the Key Summit branch, often surrounded by the packs dumped by those doing the 3 day walk, who add this diversion to the trail before returning to the main trek. The popularity of … The Key Summit Track, part of the 2-4 day Routeburn Track (a New Zealand “Great Walk”), will get you off the main road and right into the heart of this natural paradise. At the top there there is flat ground to sit and eat, but no tables and chairs. Key Summit Track: 5/5 really - See 44 traveller reviews, 54 candid photos, and great deals for Milford, New Zealand, at Tripadvisor. Lake Howden Track; Hollyford Track Department of Conservation | Te Papa Atawhai, https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/routeburn-track-key-summit-track/. Hotels near (AKL) Auckland Intl Airport; Hotels near (ZQN) Frankton Airport; All things to do in Milford; Things to do near Key Summit Track. more, Discover Milford Sound Information Centre & Cafe, Would you recommend this place or activity to a friend looking for an, Is this a must-do if you are traveling with a, Is this a romantic place or activity that you would suggest for, Is this a place or activity you would suggest for, Are the prices for this place or activity. It’s definitely worth doing the nature trail loop as well. When we first arrived it was a total whiteout, and we headed back down, only to see the clouds start to break up under a strong wind, so we turned around and headed back up and finally got decent views. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Park your car at Divide car park to start part of the Routeburn, Milford Road The Divide, State Highway 94 , Fiordland National Park, Milford, Auckland New Zealand, Key Summit is an outstanding easy excursion from the Milford Road or a quick side-trip from the Routeburn Track. It takes about 40-60 minutes one way to get to summit and I would grade it as easy walk comparing with Lake Marian track. 3-3.5hrs/3.4km return-easy hike of Key Summit Track is well-maintained and it’s constant uphill walk thus it’s suitable for of all ages. If you’re looking for the ultimate hike close to Milford Sound you should head straight for Key Summit. Wow, this is bang for your buck in terms of the ratio of views to climb. They mistook Lake McKerrow for the coast. A self guided alpine nature walk passes a range of native vegetation: beech forest, sub-alpine shrublands, alpine tarns and bogs. If you only have time for one walk on your drive to Milford Sound, and the weather is fine, this track is well worth the effort. The turnaround point is the Lake Marian Viewpoint, where you can just see Lake Marian perched in a high hanging valley in the Darran Mountains across the Hollyford Valley. Near the top of the climb the trail forks as part of a worthwhile nature loop. During the last ice age, which ended about 14,000 years ago, a huge glacier flowed down the Hollyford Valley and overtopped Key Summit by 500 m, with ice branches splitting off into the Eglinton and Greenstone Valleys. Key Summit The most popular side trip in terms of numbers as this track to the left (or right if approaching from the carpark) is a day walk accessible from The Divide. The half day trek within Fiordland National Park was challenging enough for us that we used our hiking sticks, and we were rewarded with spectacular views. Help us improve the DOC website on mobile in less than 5 min. Key Summit is part of the Routeburn Track, which is one of the nine “great walks” of New Zealand. We did this hike on the way out to Milford Sound and it took about 2.5 hours round-trip from the car-park. You walk about ~40min in birch forest, then turn right up to expose trek to Key Summit, which is another ~20min. It is an amazing day walk, combining stunning … Book your tickets online for Key Summit Track, Milford: See 44 reviews, articles, and 54 photos of Key Summit Track, ranked No.1 on Tripadvisor among 7 attractions in Milford. Please take care and stay on the path -- the native vegetation grows in a unique soil environment and must be protected and preserved. This half-day walk to easily accessible off of the Milford Road from the Divide Carpark, one of the access points to the popular backpacking trip. The track continues and then ends to become an unmarked route along the Livingstone Mountains eventually leading down a spur to McKellar Hut on the Greenstone Track. Key Summit Day Walk This is a wonderful day out with Fiordland Walks capturing the most amazing views of several valleys from lookouts on part of the Routeburn Track and beyond. Not that tough. Key Summit and View of Lake Marian via Routeburn Track [CLOSED] is a 4.8 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Glenorchy, Otago, New Zealand that features a waterfall and is rated as moderate. Thousands of new, … Key Summit Track on the Routeburn Track By Leonie Freeman in collaboration with Department of Conservation Enjoy panoramic views over Fiordland mountains and alpine lakes as well as native vegetation and birdlife on this fantastic, easy half-day walk on … Key Summit Track: Great hike, fantastic views - See 44 traveler reviews, 54 candid photos, and great deals for Milford, New Zealand, at Tripadvisor. Hotels near Key Summit Track; Hotels near Milford Foreshore Walk; Hotels near Milford Beach Reserve; Near Airports. 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