Greenstone & Caples Tracks
Fiordland National Park
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Greenstone & Caples Tracks
Time: 4 - 5 days
The Greenstone Valley is a wide, open valley with tussock flats and beech forest. In comparison, the Caples Valley is a narrower valley filled with forest interspersed with grassy clearings. Either of these tracks can be linked with the Routeburn Track, or they can be walked as a one way track starting or finishing either at the Divide or the Greenstone Shelter.
The grassy river flats of the Caples and Greenstone Valleys are private farmland. Please respect this, and stay on the tracks which follow the forest edge. Do not disturb stock.
Details
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Organisation |
DOC OtagoCentral government organisation |
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Location |
South Island ▷ Queenstown Region ▷ Glenorchy |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Coordinates |
Walking
Nearby
Reviews
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3.5/5
Pleasant tramp through beautiful forest.
Amazing huts! The scenery was good, but there are more spectacular places throughout New Zealand.
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5.0/5
My favourite walk so far!
The scenery is absolutely amazing. Nice mixture of forest, grass fields, huge areas and a river that flows between beautiful mountains.
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4.5/5
The way to the carpark is difficult because of three creeks.
Two are so deep you can hardly cross with a normal car. The DOC did not tell us anything about that! The walk is nice but almost completely in the valley.
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4.0/5
This was a cosy little back country hut.
Very clean and enough space for all 18 people. But the hut warden was not very friendly.
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4.5/5
I did this track for the second time.
First time (5 years ago) it was quite hard because it rained a lot and the track was not well prepared. But still a nice walk. Second time we had really good weather, huts and tracks are improved and in really good condition - I recommend it. Only the road from Kinloch to the Greenstone carpark should be improved after five years You still have to cross two deep water creeks with the car!
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4.5/5
Very beautiful track alternative to Routeburn, less people and less expensive, very diverse scenery.
Open land, valleys, rivers, alpine saddle to cross, snowy mountains, forest, walks over stones, roots, bridges. Downsides were the sandflies, and very long day with distances travelled.
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3.5/5
Variating beautiful nature, lush forests, open fields, mountains.
The walks between the huts are rather long, so start early. The track had quite a few parts drenched in mud or swamps. The huts were great.
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4.5/5
Amazing landscape.
Enjoyable to follow the river during all the track. Free campsite!!!
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3.0/5
Pretty ho hum.
Don't really get out of the bush. Can be pretty unpleasant in the rain. The side creeks are a little more interesting but still not really something to write home about. Many better tracks in the area. The only reason to do this track is to get up to Fraser pass and exit the Routeburn. This is well worth doing but a good bit more challenging
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3.5/5
Pleasant tramp through beautiful forest.
Amazing huts! The scenery was good, but there are more spectacular places throughout New Zealand.
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4.0/5
This was a cosy little back country hut.
Very clean and enough space for all 18 people. But the hut warden was not very friendly.
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4.5/5
The way to the carpark is difficult because of three creeks.
Two are so deep you can hardly cross with a normal car. The DOC did not tell us anything about that! The walk is nice but almost completely in the valley.
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5.0/5
My favourite walk so far!
The scenery is absolutely amazing. Nice mixture of forest, grass fields, huge areas and a river that flows between beautiful mountains.
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4.5/5
I did this track for the second time.
First time (5 years ago) it was quite hard because it rained a lot and the track was not well prepared. But still a nice walk. Second time we had really good weather, huts and tracks are improved and in really good condition - I recommend it. Only the road from Kinloch to the Greenstone carpark should be improved after five years You still have to cross two deep water creeks with the car!
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4.5/5
Very beautiful track alternative to Routeburn, less people and less expensive, very diverse scenery.
Open land, valleys, rivers, alpine saddle to cross, snowy mountains, forest, walks over stones, roots, bridges. Downsides were the sandflies, and very long day with distances travelled.
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3.5/5
Variating beautiful nature, lush forests, open fields, mountains.
The walks between the huts are rather long, so start early. The track had quite a few parts drenched in mud or swamps. The huts were great.
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4.5/5
Amazing landscape.
Enjoyable to follow the river during all the track. Free campsite!!!
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3.0/5
Pretty ho hum.
Don't really get out of the bush. Can be pretty unpleasant in the rain. The side creeks are a little more interesting but still not really something to write home about. Many better tracks in the area. The only reason to do this track is to get up to Fraser pass and exit the Routeburn. This is well worth doing but a good bit more challenging
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4.5/5
Very nice two day track!!
Beautiful views of valleys and mountains along the way.
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4.5/5
Easy walk, lower track, good change in views and terrain, beech forest, cow paddocks, following rivers and lakes, though busy on the Routeburn part.
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5.0/5
Not so many people as on the great walks, please let the tracks as they are, do not upgrade this like its beginning at the Caples.
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4.5/5
Tough at first, beautiful track, cheap 'Lord of the Rings' type walk.
Cattle on the way (fun), awesome track when you cannot do 'great walks'.
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5.0/5
Great views, except the saddle easy to walk, simple but good huts, you get wet shoes.
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3.0/5
A lot of walking but not difficult at all.
Too much time spent in the forest. If you seek mountains then don;t choose this walk. It's just walking long distances....
