Routeburn-Caples

To Fiordland and back. An awesome journey with spectacular views of the high Fiordland mountains, bush, lakes, waterfalls, deep valleys, and more. It combines the Routeburn Great Walk with another classic tramping route. A 30k bike ride at the end gets you back to the car.

Place a mountain bike the night before at the Greenstone/Caples car park and camp at the DOC campsite that's a few km before the Routeburn track. Start early to avoid the many walkers on the `Great Walk' Routeburn track. A pleasant run takes you past Routeburn Falls Hut, and onwards climbing above the Lake Harris lake to Harris Saddle, with picture-postcard sweeping views, including the glaciated granite Darran mountains to the west. From here, an exhilarating run above the steep Hollyford Valley brings you down to the postcard Lake Mackenzie hut. Then it's a cruisy run to the Lake Howden Hut, where you avoid the last few km of the Routeburn and head off on the start of the Greenstone/Caples track. The Caples track is shorter, but involves a grunty climb up to McKellar saddle which has great views of the lower Hollyford peaks (Mt Christina). From here it is all downhill (though a bit slow until the Upper Caples hut) and an easy but lengthy run out down the open Caples valley past the mid-Caples Hut and out. [An alternative but longer return is via the Greenstone Valley]. The bike will be a welcome sight for the return journey beside the lake to the car.