Milford Track hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Milford Track is New Zealand's best-known Great Walk and is often called the finest walk in the world. It crosses Fiordland National Park, part of the Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Area, from the head of Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. The track is 53.5 km long and is walked in one direction only, over 4 days and 3 nights. There is no road at either end: you arrive by boat at Glade Wharf and leave by boat from Sandfly Point. Independent walkers sleep in three Department of Conservation (DOC) huts, Clinton, Mintaro and Dumpling, one night each and in that order. Guided walkers stay in private lodges.

The route

From Glade Wharf the track follows the Clinton River through beech forest to Clinton Hut, an easy first afternoon. Day 2 climbs gently up the Clinton valley under granite walls, past Hirere Falls, with the first view of the pass and the Pompolona icefield, to Mintaro Hut near Lake Mintaro. Day 3 is the big day: a zigzag climb of more than 500 m to Omanui/McKinnon Pass and the memorial to the explorer Quintin McKinnon, then a 1,000 m descent past the waterfalls of the Roaring Burn to Quintin Shelter and Dumpling Hut. Day 4 follows the Arthur River past the historic Boatshed, Mackay Falls, Bell Rock and Lake Ada to Sandfly Point.

This guide follows the route mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 4 stages, about 13.4 km each. They are the four days every independent walker follows, with the hut nights fixed by the booking.

Highlights

• The Clinton valley: clear river pools, beech forest and sheer rock walls on days 1 and 2
• Omanui/McKinnon Pass: the 1,154 m high point, with the memorial cairn and views over the Clinton and Arthur valleys
• Sutherland Falls: one of the highest waterfalls in New Zealand, 580 m in three leaps from Lake Quill, a 1.5-hour return side trip from Quintin Shelter
• Mackay Falls and Bell Rock: a hollowed boulder you can stand inside
• Lake Ada and Giant Gate Falls: the last day along a lake formed by an old landslide, on a track cut by prison labour in 1890–1892
• Milford Sound/Piopiotahi: the boat from Sandfly Point gives the first view of the fiord and Mitre Peak

When to walk the Milford Track

The Great Walks season for 2026/27 runs from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027, with the last departure on 28 April. In this period the huts have gas, heating and rangers, the bridges are in place and avalanche risk is managed. December to February has the longest days and the most walkers. Fiordland gets up to 9,000 mm of rain a year, so expect rain on at least one day. Heavy rain turns the cliffs into hundreds of waterfalls, but it can also flood the track within hours. Avalanche danger can last into December, and in 2025 avalanche damage delayed the season start by several weeks. From May to late October the track is unmanaged: bridges are removed and the avalanche risk is high. It is only for fit, experienced and well-equipped parties.

How many days do you need?

Independent walkers have no choice: 3 nights and 4 days, one night in each hut. You cannot stay a second night or skip a hut, so a storm day on the pass means walking on or following the ranger's advice. The guided walk with Ultimate Hikes takes 5 days and 4 nights, ending with a night at Milford Sound. Plan a night in Te Anau before you start and allow for a late finish on day 4, as the last buses from Milford leave in the afternoon.

Permits, booking and fees

Booking the huts is the only permit you need, but it is hard to get. Bookings for 2026/27 opened on 13 May 2026 with a virtual queue, and the huts were about 95% full last summer. Booking Clinton Hut books the next two nights automatically. In season, each night costs NZ$106 for New Zealand adults, NZ$152 for international adults, NZ$53 for New Zealand children and NZ$76 for international children. Carry your confirmation and ID. Camping is not allowed anywhere on the track. If you cannot get a hut booking, the guided walk is the other way to go, at about NZ$2,925 per person in a shared room.

Getting there and away

Most walkers stay in Te Anau, about 2 hours by road from Queenstown. You take a bus or drive about 30 km to Te Anau Downs, then a boat for 1 hour 15 minutes to Glade Wharf. At the end, a short boat runs from Sandfly Point to Milford Sound in the afternoon, and buses go back to Te Anau and Queenstown. RealNZ, Tracknet and Fiordland Outdoors Co sell packages; a Te Anau return package starts from about NZ$243 per adult. Book transport for your hut dates as soon as you have them. The Milford Road can close for avalanches or storms, so check it before you travel.

Money and phone signal

You cannot buy anything on the track, and the huts take no payment. Te Anau has supermarkets, ATMs, a pharmacy, a medical centre and gear-hire shops. There is no mobile coverage on the track, and you should not count on it at Milford Sound either. Download maps and booking confirmations before you leave Te Anau.

What to pack

The huts have mattresses, gas cookers, heating, cold water and toilets, but no showers, pots or utensils. Carry a sleeping bag, a pot, plates and cutlery, all your food plus a spare day, and a rodent-proof food bag. You also need a fully waterproof jacket and overtrousers, warm layers, a hat and gloves for the pass, a pack liner, earplugs for the bunkrooms and strong insect repellent: the sandflies are famous. DOC recommends a personal locator beacon; you can hire one in Te Anau.

Difficulty and safety

The track is well built and graded as a Great Walk, but it is not easy. DOC describes it as exposed, steep, slippery, rough and muddy, and does not recommend it for children under 10. Day 3 is long and steep in both directions, and the pass is exposed to wind, cold rain and, early in the season, snow. Never cross a flooded stream: wait at the hut. The ranger at each hut has the latest weather and track news: ask before you set off. In an emergency call 111 where you have signal, or use a PLB.

History

Māori travelled to Piopiotahi long before Europeans, to gather pounamu (greenstone). Quintin McKinnon found the pass in 1888, while Donald Sutherland had reached the falls that bear his name from Milford Sound in 1880. McKinnon guided the first walkers, and by 1900 tourists were using the steamer on Lake Te Anau and huts on the track. The government ran the track and its guided walks for most of the 20th century. Fiordland National Park was created in 1952, and today DOC manages the huts while Ultimate Hikes runs the guided walk.