Roys Peak Track is a 16 km return hike from a car park 6 km west of Wānaka to the 1,578 m summit of Roys Peak, with over 1,200 m of climbing. DOC allows 5 to 6 hours. It closes every year from 1 October to 10 November for lambing and reopens on 11 November. Parking is free.
Roys Peak Track is a 16 km return hike from a car park about 6 km west of Wānaka to the 1,578 m summit of Roys Peak, climbing over 1,200 m. DOC allows 5 to 6 hours and calls it a challenging full-day hike. The track is closed every year from 1 October to 10 November for lambing and reopens on 11 November, so in November 2026 it is open again. Parking at the start is free.
DOC also calls it one of New Zealand’s most popular day hikes, for the views over Lake Wānaka and the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o te Moana. Popular means crowded, and the car park fills.
Checked November 2026:
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 16 km return, same way back |
| Time | 5 to 6 hours return |
| Climb | Over 1,200 m |
| Summit | 1,578 m |
| Photo viewpoint | About 30 min below the summit |
| Toilets | Two: at the car park and near the photo viewpoint |
| Water and shade | None on the track |
| Closure | 1 October to 10 November each year (lambing) |
| Parking | Free, but often full |
| DOC alert, 12 November 2026 | None |
All figures are DOC’s. DOC’s page header labels the track “easy to intermediate”, but its own description says high fitness is needed, and that is the line to trust.
The track starts at Roys Peak car park on Wānaka-Mount Aspiring Road. It zigzags steeply up the side of the mountain, first through farmland and then tussock. Most of it crosses private land, so stay on the marked track, give livestock space and leave gates as you find them.
DOC’s “famous Roys Peak photo viewpoints” are about 30 minutes before the summit. There is a toilet near them. From the top you come back the same way. Experienced trampers can carry on along the Skyline Track instead.
Mountain bikes, campfires and drones without a permit are not allowed.
DOC closes the track from 1 October to 10 November every year for lambing on the farmland it crosses. It reopens on 11 November. If you are in Wānaka during the closure, DOC suggests Isthmus Peak Track, which it describes as similar in length and difficulty, less busy and with equally good views.
From Wānaka, drive west along Wānaka-Mount Aspiring Road for about 6 km. The large car park is on your left. DOC says parking is free for cars and campervans, and it was still free when checked in November 2026. DOC said it would name more paid car parks from mid-November 2026, so that could change.
The car park gets very busy and may be full. DOC asks you not to park on the edge of the road. Two ways round it:
Guided hikes of the track are also available, according to DOC.
DOC’s advice by season:
The upper track is alpine. Rain, snow and cold are possible in any month, so bring warm layers and a windproof, waterproof jacket. If you start in the dark, DOC says a head torch with spare batteries is essential, not your phone.
DOC lists Roys Peak under the Wānaka area rather than the national park, but the Mount Aspiring National Park guide covers the park itself, and the Rob Roy Glacier Track is a day walk inside the park, 54 km from Wānaka. For where to stay and what else to do in town, see things to do in Wānaka. Heading to the West Coast next? See the Haast Pass guide.
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A helicopter flight from a hangar 25 minutes out of Wanaka towards Mount Aspiring National Park, with a snow landing on the Isobel or Tyndall glacier; it needs at least two paying adults to run.
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Every year from 1 October to 10 November, for lambing, because most of the track crosses private farmland. It reopens on 11 November. In 2026 it reopened on schedule and DOC showed no alert for the track on 12 November. During the closure DOC suggests Isthmus Peak Track, which it says is a similar length and difficulty and less busy.
DOC allows 5 to 6 hours return for the 16 km round trip. The track climbs over 1,200 m to the summit at 1,578 m and comes back the same way. The well-known photo viewpoint is about 30 minutes below the summit, so turning round there saves up to an hour on the full walk.
Yes, for most people. DOC calls it a challenging full-day hike and says it needs high fitness: it zigzags steadily up over 1,200 m with no shade and no water on the way. The upper half is alpine, so expect fast weather changes, and in winter snow, ice and avalanche terrain above 1,000 m.
Yes. The large Roys Peak car park is on the left of Wānaka-Mount Aspiring Road, about 6 km west of Wānaka, and parking is free for cars and campervans (checked November 2026). DOC warns it gets very busy and may be full, and asks you not to park on the road edge. You can also walk or cycle out from town.
People do, but DOC says daylight is the safest time to hike. If you start in the dark, it says head torches, spare batteries and very warm clothes are essential, and you should not rely on a phone torch. The summit is in alpine terrain, so check the forecast and turn back if the weather changes.
Mount Aspiring National Park covers the southern end of the Southern Alps, west of Wānaka, from the Haast River to the Humboldt Mountains.
The Rob Roy Glacier Track is a 10 km return walk in Mount Aspiring National Park, 3 to 4 hours, from Raspberry Flat car park 54 km west of Wānaka to lookouts below the Rob Roy Glacier.
Wānaka's best things to do are walks with mountain views: Roys Peak (16 km, closed for lambing 1 October to 10 November), the Rob Roy Glacier Track, Rocky Mountain and Mount Iron.
Haast Pass (Tioripatea) is the lowest road crossing of the Southern Alps, 563 m above sea level on State Highway 6.