Tramping the Dusky track gets you off the beaten track, Fiordland National Park

Dusky Track: The Details!

24 May 2024

The Dusky Track offers experienced hikers a true New Zealand tramping experience with lush forest, wild rivers, epic mountain passes and unrivaled scenery. The Dusky Track is a challenging but rewarding 84+ km tramping track through Fiordland National Park. It takes eight to ten days to complete and links stunning Lake Hauroko with Lake Manapouri. It also offers a two day optional detour to Supper Cove in Dusky Sound.

Note: There are 21 three-wire bridges on this track, and you can expect to encounter tree falls, deep mud for long stretches, river crossings, and hand-over-foot climbing with chains. Flooding of parts of the track is not unusual and can cause delays for several days, as can snow. This is not for inexperienced hikers (and shouldn’t be attempted as your first hike in NZ) and the best strategy is to take time out to enjoy the track doing one hut a day!

tramping hut with clothing hanging out to dry, situated alongside a waterway on the dusky track.

Drying tramping gear at Supper Cove Hut, Fiordland. Credit: Béatrice Fierens Gevaert

Keep Safe

The Dusky Track is only recommended for experienced, well equipped groups with high fitness levels.

Plan properly for your trip and ensure your party has a capable, experienced leader.

We recommend you hike with another person. There are several places the track is hard to find and getting lost is a real possibility.
Please ensure you carry a Personal Locator Beacon or a satellite communication device, and topographical maps and compass for navigation. Do not rely on cell phones for navigation or communication as there is no coverage or power for charging.
Topo50 series maps covering the Dusky Track are: CE05 Cooper Island, CE06 Lake Roe and CD06 Deep Cove.
Take enough food, clothing and equipment, portable stoves and fuel. Allow extra food and time for possible delays. Carry some sort of shelter in case you get caught out or the huts are full (which happens over summer).
Take care with river crossings. Sections of the Dusky Track flood easily. If in doubt, sit it out. Common flood areas are just before Loch Maree when coming down from Lake Roe (an emergency shelter exists on track from Lake Roe), between Loch Maree and Gair Loch and along the route to Supper Cove. However it is possible to get flooded at any point given the number of streams and tributaries.
Check at the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre for conditions before you go.
The huts all have fireplaces but not necessarily dry wood or functioning saw/axe. Getting a fire going autumn-spring may be quite difficult.
It is generally safe to drink from the streams, rivers and hut water supplies.

Before you go into the outdoors, tell someone your plans and leave a date to raise the alarm if you haven't returned. To do this, use the New Zealand Outdoors Intentions process on the AdventureSmart website. It is endorsed by New Zealand's search and rescue agencies and provides three simple options to tell someone you trust the details about your trip.

wire bridge in the native forest over a stream on the Dusky Trail Fiordland

Yet another wire bridge on the Dusky Track, Fiordland. Credit: Béatrice Fierens Gevaert

2025/26 Summer Season Details

Schedule

Scheduled departures available in summer every Thursday from 6 November 2025 to 9 April 2026 (excluding 25 December, Christmas Day, and 1 January, New Years Day). Additional departures are available in peak season; Sun 21 Dec, Wed 24 Dec, Sun 28 Dec and Wed 31 Dec, and Mon 5 Jan.

This service can be run on alternative days for a minimum of 5 people (or equivalent charge), subject to availability, please enquire.

6:50 am Pick up Te Anau Accommodation

7:10 am View Street Car Park Manapouri

8:00 am Arrive Clifden Corner to connect with Lake Hauroko Tours

10:30 am Hauroko Burn Hut, start of the southern end of Dusky Track

Return from West Arm is with RealNZ and available every day, we give you an open-dated ticket so you just turn up and check in at the West Arm Visitor Centre or onboard the boat. Departures daily at 11.00 am, or 4.15 pm Boat West Arm to Manapouri (there may be other departures available on the day). If you need transport from Manapouri back to Te Anau you will need to contact us when you are leaving West Arm (either by cell phone or by speaking with the boat staff who can contact us). We will either collect you or use the RealNZ bus to transport you back to Te Anau.

BOOK HERE

Costs

Package Cost: NZD$390 per person.

Tramper's package includes return transport from Manapouri or Te Anau, water taxi on Lake Hauroko to Dusky Track start plus RealNZ ferry West Arm to Manapouri and return to Te Anau by road (if required).

This service can be run on alternative days for a minimum charge equivalent to 5 people (approx $1950), please enquire.

Personal Locator Beacon essential equipment

Please carry a PLB, it can save your life. Beacons can be hired at www.locatorbeacons.co.nz.

boat on lake Huaroko to drop trampers off for the Dusky Track

Travel across Lake Hauroko on the water taxi Miro, Fiordland National Park

Tramper Report

November 2025 - Mark Nicholls (participating in FMC Love our Huts) - Tramper report

TRACK NOTES

The 3 wire Bridge at Bishop Burn – A tree has come down on the bridge and it is unstable and out of use(photo below). We crossed the stream just down stream for the wire, I wouldn’t advise it as it was one of the deeper river crossings I’ve done.*** See DOC response below
Treefall/ windfall, pretty much along the whole track but here are the big ones:
1. Around the 700m Elevation heading up to Lake Roe
2. From around the 300m to 100m elevation marks on the decent off the Pleasant Range to Loch Maree
3. From Bishop Burn 3 wire bridge to where the track reaches the Seaforth river – Really bad, involve climbing over at heights in excess of 1-2m, hard to navigate/ find the track.
4. About 1km from Loch Maree Hut to Kintail – not so hard to get around but in a risky place (people liable to slip)

The rest was relatively easy to navigate around/ over (by my reckoning).

There was a landslide about halfway from Halfway hut to the first 3 wire Bridge- apparently wasn’t there last year.

OTHER NOTES

Didymo along the track, encountered it every day, mainly in Bogs and puddles, did not see it in rivers/ streams outside the stream coming off Rebecca Falls (was not extensive but there).

Rubbish – I believe I was carrying about 4km of Rubbish by the end, some was expected but it looked like some Trampers were hiding the Rubbish (i.e. the Walking poles were a prime example) in the back of cupboards, really disappointing !

Bishop burn bridge damage November 2025

FROM D.O.C 26 NOVEMBER 2025

We have managed to sort out the Loch Maree 3-wire, it is now fine to cross.

The Bishop Burn however has suffered major damage, I have visited the site with a DOC engineer, cleared the treefall off the bridge but it has many broken hangers and snapped cables. It will be out of action for at least 3 weeks.*Author Note - This suggests it may be fixed by Christmas time 2025*

There is an “OK” crossing about 250-300m downstream where the topo lines flatten out, however during or immediately after heavy rain I suspect this crossing may also be dubious.