Hut Catch · Great Walk guide
Walking the Milford Track
Four days through Fiordland, from Lake Te Anau over Omanui/McKinnon Pass to Milford Sound. What each day is like, where you sleep, how to get there, and how to get a bunk when it's booked out.
Looking up the Clinton valley towards Omanui/McKinnon Pass, near St Quintin Falls. Photo: AlasdairW, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Milford Track is the best known of New Zealand's Great Walks: 53.5km through Fiordland National Park, from the head of Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. It follows the Clinton valley up to Omanui/McKinnon Pass, then drops into the Arthur valley past Sutherland Falls, which fall 580m in three leaps from Lake Quill.
In the Great Walks season, 1 November to 30 April, the track is walked in one direction only, over four days and three nights, staying at Clinton, Mintaro and Dumpling huts in that order. Camping isn't allowed, so a hut booking is the only way onto the track.
Map
The Milford Track with its huts and campsites. Zoom in with the + and − buttons.
Day by day
Day 1Glade Wharf to Clinton Hut
The trip starts with a boat from Te Anau Downs to Glade Wharf, about 1 hour 15 minutes across Lake Te Anau. From the wharf it's an easy walk through beech forest beside the Clinton River to Clinton Hut, where everyone spends the first night. A wetland walkway near the hut takes about 15 minutes return.
The Clinton River on the first day. Photo: AlasdairW, CC BY-SA 3.0 Day 2Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut
A long, gradual climb up the Clinton valley to its source, Lake Mintaro, at the foot of Omanui/McKinnon Pass. Past Hirere Falls you get your first view of the pass and the Pompolona icefield.
Day 3Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut
The big day. You climb more than 500m to Omanui/McKinnon Pass and the memorial to explorer Quintin McKinnon, with views back down the Clinton Canyon, then descend about 1,000m through alpine gardens into the Arthur valley. Save energy for the side trip to Sutherland Falls, about 1.5 hours return.
The track near the top of Omanui/McKinnon Pass. Photo: AlasdairW, CC BY-SA 3.0 Day 4Dumpling Hut to Sandfly Point
The last day follows the Arthur River past the historic Boatshed, Mackay Falls and Bell Rock to Sandfly Point, where a boat takes about 20 minutes to cross to Milford Sound. Check the time of your boat before you set off from Dumpling.
The Arthur River on the last day. Photo: ShakyIsles, CC BY-SA 4.0
Watch the track
A walk-through of the Milford Track's alpine section, its hazards and the decisions you'll make on the way, from the NZ Mountain Safety Council.
The huts
Clinton, Mintaro and Dumpling huts each have bunks with mattresses, heating, toilets, basic cooking facilities, solar lighting and cold running water, and a DOC ranger stays at each one. There are no showers, and you need your own cooking pots, plates and cutlery.
Because you stay at all three huts in order, a booking is really three bookings on three nights in a row.
Getting there
There's no road to either end of the track. A boat runs from Te Anau Downs, north of Te Anau, to Glade Wharf at the start. At the end, a boat crosses from Sandfly Point to Milford Sound, where buses connect back to Te Anau and Queenstown.
Before you go
Parts of the track are exposed, steep, slippery, rough and muddy. Fiordland gets up to 9,000mm of rain a year, and heavy rain can flood both the Clinton and Arthur valleys until they're impassable. Much of the track is avalanche terrain, and the risk can last into December.
There's no mobile coverage, so carry a personal locator beacon or satellite messenger. DOC doesn't recommend the track for children under 10.
Getting a booking
Bookings for the Great Walks season open months ahead on DOC's website, and popular dates on the Milford Track sell out fast. But plans change all season: people cancel, and their bunks go back on sale for whoever happens to be looking at the time.
Hut Catch checks DOC every few minutes, day and night, and emails you as soon as there's room for your whole group on your dates.
Setting up an alert for the Milford Track
You need a bunk in each hut on three nights in a row. Pick all three huts and set your dates from the first night you could be at Clinton Hut to the last night you could be at Dumpling Hut. When an alert arrives, check on DOC that the other nights of your trip are free too, then book straight away.
Questions
Can I walk the Milford Track without a hut booking?
Not between 1 November and 30 April. Camping isn't allowed, and every walker needs a booking at Clinton, Mintaro and Dumpling huts. Outside the season the huts are first come, first served, but there are fewer facilities and a higher chance of the track closing for weather.
How hard is the Milford Track?
It's a well-formed track, but parts are steep, rough and muddy, and the third day climbs more than 500m to Omanui/McKinnon Pass before a descent of about 1,000m. You should be fit enough to walk 6 to 7 hours carrying a pack.
Track details are from the Department of Conservation, checked October 2026. Conditions, fees and booking dates change, so check DOC's Milford Track page before you go. Hut Catch isn't part of DOC.
Want a bunk on the Milford Track?
Tell us your dates and huts. We'll watch DOC around the clock and email you the moment there's room for your group.
Set up a Milford Track alert