Key Summit Track: A Short Alpine Hike on the Milford Road

Overview

Key Summit is a half-day walk off the Milford Road that climbs above the bushline to an alpine plateau, with panoramic views over the Humboldt and Darran mountains and down the Hollyford Valley. DOC says that if you only have time for one walk on the drive to Milford Sound, and the weather is fine, this one is well worth the effort.

It's suitable for families with children, at about 3 hours return (3.4 km each way).

The walk

1. Start at The Divide car park, about 85 km from Te Anau on the Milford Road.
2. Follow the Routeburn Track uphill through beech forest for about an hour to the signposted Key Summit Track turn-off.
3. Climb for about 20 minutes to Key Summit.
4. Follow the alpine nature walk loop past tarns, bogs and sub-alpine shrubland.
5. Return the same way.

Grade: Intermediate tramping track

What you'll see

• Beech forest, sub-alpine shrubland, alpine tarns and bogs
• Plenty of birds: tomtits, robins, kererū and bellbirds
• A lesson in ice-age geology. About 14,000 years ago, a huge glacier filled the Hollyford Valley and flowed over Key Summit with 500 m of ice to spare, splitting into the Eglinton and Greenstone valleys.

Tips

• Go on a clear day, because cloud hides the views.
• Fiordland weather changes fast, so take a warm layer and a raincoat even in summer.
• Want more? Key Summit is a side trip on the Routeburn Track Great Walk.

Good to know

No dogs. The Divide (532 m) is the lowest crossing of the Southern Alps in New Zealand.