Best time to hike the Old Ghost Road
Best: October–April. Also good: May and September.
The Old Ghost Road is 80 km long, in 5 stages. Below is the average weather for every month at about 444 m, the middle height of the trail (28–1,346 m), from 10 years of daily data (2015–2024).
Weather month by month
| Month | High °C | Low °C | Rain mm | Rain days | Daylight h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 12° | 109 | 14 | 14.9 |
| February | 20° | 11° | 123 | 13 | 13.8 |
| March | 18° | 10° | 130 | 15 | 12.5 |
| April | 15° | 8° | 145 | 15 | 11.0 |
| May | 12° | 7° | 188 | 18 | 9.8 |
| June | 10° | 5° | 145 | 18 | 9.2 |
| July | 9° | 4° | 181 | 19 | 9.4 |
| August | 10° | 4° | 177 | 20 | 10.5 |
| September | 12° | 5° | 150 | 19 | 11.9 |
| October | 14° | 7° | 155 | 19 | 13.3 |
| November | 16° | 8° | 138 | 16 | 14.6 |
| December | 18° | 10° | 146 | 17 | 15.2 |
Higher up it is colder: about 6 °C less for every 1,000 m of height. The highest point of the trail is 1,346 m.
Season notes from our guide
The trail is open all year, but the best months are October to April: the days are long, the summer sleepouts are open (September to May) and the Rough and Tumble Bush Lodge serves food. About 13 km of the trail is above 1,000 m. Snow can settle on the tops and block the trail, and snow, heavy rain and freezing temperatures are possible in any month. Winter is cheaper but only for experienced, well-equipped parties. Wasps are common in the lower beech forest from January to April, and sandflies are everywhere.
Stages, map, elevation profile, places to stay and emergency help, free.
Read the full Old Ghost Road guideHike it with Outest
Offline maps, stages and places to stay on your phone.
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Weather: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), daily values 2015–2024 near -41.66, 172.20, adjusted to 444 m. Rain days: days with at least 1 mm. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th of the month.