The Frankton Track, a relatively flat 7.3km (one way) route, is a favourite of Queenstown locals.
Mostly for exercise purposes, but when I think about it, the Frankton Track really is beautiful with some great pitstops along the way.
I’ll include all the details about one of the many walks next to Lake Wakatipu. And I’ll mention my favourite way to walk the Frankton Track (and it’s pretty in all seasons).
Where does the Frankton Track actually start and finish?
That’s a bit of the debate, but for the purposes of this post I’m going to have between Queenstown Bay Beach and Frankton Beach, going around the Queenstown Gardens. You can see it exactly on the map below.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Details About The Frankton Track
2. Frankton Track Map
3. How To Get To The Frankton Track
4. My Frankton Track Experience
DETAILS ABOUT THE FRANKTON TRACK
When1:Dozens of times, most recently 2021.
Difficulty2: The Frankton Track is one of the easiest walks in Queenstown.
Hike Distance3: It’s 7.3km one way from Queenstown Bay to Frankton Beach (you’ll see the route below).
Incline4: There’s no elevation change along the way worth mentioning.
Hike Duration5: For the route mentioned it’ll take up to 2 hours one way if all your doing is walking (you could do it in 1 hour 20 mins at a good pace).
But you can make this a bit of a full day activity if you make lots of stops mentioned below. And you can keep walking past Frankton Beach to the Old Kawarau Bridge.
FRANKTON TRACK MAP
There’s no need for a map of the Frankton Track, but I’ve put one above so you can see where the best places to stop are (Sherwood Hotel/Restaurant, Altitude Brewery, and The Boatshed Cafe).
HOW TO GET TO THE FRANKTON TRACK
The Frankton Track starts close to the middle of Queenstown and Frankton (it’s an end-to-end track). So unless you’re staying in a outter suburb (maybe a Queenstown airbnb), you should be able to walk to the start of the track.
And there are several buses that run between Frankton and Queenstown following the lakefront with several stops along the way. So you can always bail off the track and get the bus.
p.s. I’ve also written about other fun things to do in Frankton.
MY FRANKTON TRACK EXPERIENCE
I’ll be talking about the Frankton Track in the Frankton to Queenstown direction.
My favourite way to experience the Frankton Track:
If you’re staying in Queenstown, catch the bus to Frankton to start the track and spend a couple of hours cruising along the track while stopping at one of the three places mentioned below.
Starting at Frankton Beach car park you’re next to one of the Queenstown Beaches where the water can be warm.
As you begin the Frankton Track walk towards Queenstown, you’re walking around the bay of Frankton Arm where there are several jetties which are tempting to relax on. Or jump off.
The views are lovely across the bay, but the best for me is back towards The Remarkables when they’ve got a bit of snow on top.
After a couple of hundred metres you’ll need to walk through the Frankton Marina where there are some colourful boat sheds. But more importantly, the two key spots here are Altitude Brewing and The Boatshed.
Altitude Brewing is one of the best spots for craft beer in Queenstown.
The Boatshed Cafe is a great place to stop for one of the best Queenstown breakfasts with lakefront views, or you can get a takeaway coffee and carry on walking.
From here we leave the marina and we’re into the guts of the walk. While you’re following the lake, there are sections where there’s trees on either side of the walk, before clearings open up beautiful views of the lake.
On the inside, you’ll see some fancy houses along the way. It turns out some of the places you’re looking have vacancies.
If you’d like a fancier meal and wine, veer off at this point and head to one of the amazing hotels in Queenstown, Sherwood.
The walk does become somewhat monotonous from here, but the views are wicked and there are spots where you can drop down to the water’s edge.
After 4.9km, you’ll exit the beautiful track onto the Park Street footpath. Once again you’ll be following the road next to the lake, so you do get views still. You’ll be walking along the street for about 850 metres.
Then you’re at the Queenstown Gardens, if you want you can follow Park Street to the right to bypass the gardens and get to the street. But otherwise it’s less than 2km to go around the outside of the Queenstown Gardens. If you haven’t been around the gardens, I’d recommend doing this extra part.
And then you’re done!
The Frankton Track is popular, for a reason.
What’s your favourite part of the Frankton Walk? Drop a comment below 🙂
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.