The Mt. Roberts hike in Nelson Lakes National Park is fantastic day hike. This half day hike has incredible views and is a must do!
I have a lot of hobbies, but hands down my favourite activity is hiking. I absolutely love spending a day out walking in the mountains or bush. We recently visited the Nelson Lakes National Park area and finally had good enough weather to allow us to do the Mt. Roberts hike and it was awesome. This is one of those must do hikes that offer a huge reward for the amount of work involved.
Mt. Roberts Hike Highlights and Logistics
Highlights – Stunning views out over Lake Rotoiti and surrounding mountains, and subalpine tussock slopes.
Location – Nelson Lakes National Park on top of South Island
Length of Walk – 9 km loop
Difficulty – Moderate
Elevation – About 520 m gain from Pinchgut trailhead to high point
Weather! – Keep in mind that the best part of this track is above treeline, so it should only be attempted in good weather.
About The Mt. Roberts Hike
There are two trailheads to start/end this walk from, both located along the Mt. Roberts road. I chose to start from the higher of the two and walk up the Pinchgut Track to the top and then descend via Paddy’s Track.
Pinchgut Track begins with a gradual uphill climbing through some lovely beech forest. After a short time of climbing to get your heart pounding you will soon get to the switchbacks.
The trail goes into and out of beech forest as it climbs steadily upwards. Some of the open stretches cross meadows dotted with wildflowers…not quite like the insane wildflower filled meadows I’ve seen in the US, but still pretty nice.
After a good hour or so of steadily walking uphill we finally gained treeline and the open tussock wonderland of the top of Roberts ridge. A perfectly situated bench is a good spot for a snack and to soak in the views of Lake Rotoiti and St. Arnaud down below. The water looks so nice from here, calling for a swim after completing the walk.
We were so stoked to have a sunny day with light winds for the stretch of trail above treeline along the ridge – the kind of place I dream of. Amazing views all around, mountains in the distance, bright colours, and my heart pumping to let me know that I’m alive.
There is not much shelter up here, so I could easily understand why this walk would be problematic in poor weather.
Paddy’s Track slowly dropped down off the ridge until coming to Bushline Hut, just above the bush line. This hut would be a nice, short overnight, but is also popular for people walking the TA trail.
There are great views as you make your way down Paddy’s Track. Paddy’s Track eventually drops below bush line and at that point makes a long, slowly descending traverse around the mountain back to Mt. Roberts road. This stretch is through manuka/kanuka scrub and while not the most exciting, does still have a few great viewpoints.
My Insiders Tips To Mt. Roberts Hike
The biggest tip I can give you is that Mt. Roberts road to the trailheads is not OK to drive up in a large camper van. It is narrow, winding, steep, and gravel. If you are in the area with a bigger camper van you can either walk from the West Bay campground (which would add maybe 2 hours to the walk) or you can pay to get a ride up to the trailhead (Trips and Transfers is local company).
This hike should be done as a loop. Both trailheads are located along the Mt. Roberts road with one about 500m higher up than the other. I would recommend starting from the top trailhead (Pinchgut Track) and climbing up to the top straightaway while you are fresh. You can stop and enjoy the views on the way up and appreciate them more before you are too tired and descent Paddys Track on the way down. This will also make the climb less than if you start from the lower trailhead.
As the map above shows, there are a few variations you can try. For example, you could descend Paddy’s Track and then take a connector to the Lakeside Track. A bit further along that comes to a waterfall. Or from the junction at the top the trail continues as a route along the ridgetop to eventually arrive at Angelus Hut. That would be an epic trip and hut to stay at, but it has to be booked.