Despite there being so much information about the Milford Track, you likely have a few lingering questions you’d like clarity on.
Knowing the toilet situation before going into the wilderness is better than the unknown yea?
This post is a questions and answers post. If you have any more questions about the Milford Track, leave them in the comments below and I’ll give you an answer based on my experience walking the Milford Track.
When is the Great Walk season?
The dates of the Great Walk season for the Milford Track change slightly each year, but it begins the Tuesday after Labour Day (late October) and runs until April 30th.
How long does it take to walk the Milford Track?
The majority of people will take 4 days and 3 nights to walk the Milford Track during the Great Walk season. That’s because if you are staying in the huts, you have to book them all…you can’t skip a hut etc.
Given it’s so popular, this is the easiest way to manage the track.
However, there are people who will run/hike the Milford Track in one day. This involves some planning in advance and confidence. Those who run the track in one day must go in the opposite direction to those hiking the track.
Outside of the Great Walk season, you can walk the track in fewer days as you don’t need to book the huts in advance, instead using DOC hut tickets. But there are fewer boats available, so you’ll need to plan around their availability.
The offseason where it’s safe to walk the Milford Track starts in October, and the last boat tends to leave at the end of May.
What’s the best direction to walk the Milford Track?
During the Great Walks season, you can only walk in the direction departing Te Anau Downs.
How difficult is the Milford Track?
The majority of the track is easy, with minimal technical sections and gentle undulations. The ascent and descent up and over MacKinnon Pass is the toughest part of walking the Milford Track. The descent can be very tricky in the wet.
How much does it cost to walk the Milford Track?
Booking the huts isn’t cheap, nor is the transport. But from there costs vary a lot…and depends on what gear you’ve got already etc.
Here are the core costs:
- Transport costs to/from the track: $240 departing Te Anau
- Hut costs: $234 (for NZ residents during the Great Walk season)
- Food/drink costs: $100 (you can do this cheaper, but this is reasonable)
These are the basic costs…and you can easily have costs adding up from there.
Sounds expensive? You could always book the guided tour starting at $2,495 with Ultimate Hikes…
Is the Milford Track worth it?
Yes! The Milford Track is genuinely awesome…well, it helped we got perfect weather…but like Milford Sound, it’s amazing in all conditions.
Are the Sutherland Falls worth visiting?
Yes! We were so close to not making the detour to see Sutherland Falls. Luckily we did. So worth it. We had no idea they were the tallest waterfall in the South Island.
It’s an extra few to go and see them, so make sure to have a somewhat early departure from Mintaro Hut and don’t spend too long at the top of Mackinnon Pass!
Which is better, the Routeburn, Kepler or Milford Track?
This is going to differ from person to person, but I’m Team Routeburn. There’s a reason the Milford Track sells out for the Great Walks season well in advance, but the Routeburn Track is just epic.
Why do I prefer the Routeburn Track?
- Easier to organise transport
- You can do out and back hikes
- More flexibility around booking the hikes
- You can combine the Routeburn with other hikes like the Greenstone Caples, Valley of the Trolls, and Deadmans Track.
Is the Milford Track awesome? Yes. You really do feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, but I’m just a massive fan of the Routeburn Track and appreciate the easier access to the track. Even if it means the track can be overcrowded on some days in summer.
I’ve written more about the differences between the Kepler Track and Milford Track and Routeburn vs Milford.
Are there toilets on the Milford Track?
Yes, there are 10 toilets spreadout across the Milford Track. You’ll find them at all of the huts and shelters, as well as one between Dumpling Hut and Giant Gate Falls Shelter. You’ll never be too far from a toilet, including flushing ones.
Do your best to hold on rather than scurrying off into the bush to do your business.
Do Great Walk huts have toilet paper?
Yes, during the Great Walks season, the facilities are well maintained by the hut wardens. However, in the off-season, you might be out of luck from time to time.
On a multiday hike, it’s never a bad idea to pack a roll of toilet paper with you.
How fit do you need to be to do the Milford Track?
Ideally you’ll have some experience doing some multiday hikes before, but there’s plenty of people who will be out here for the first time.
The easiest test would be to go out and walk 20km around your neighbourhood with a small pack on. If you can do that, you’ll be good as gold on the Milford Track.
Your pack will be much heavier when you do the tramp, but given you’ll be there in the middle of summer when daylight hours are plenty. And overall the Milford Track isn’t too difficult techincality wise so you can tick along at a steady pace.
Can you walk the Milford Track without booking?
You can do this outside of the Great Walks Season. But the biggest barrier to this is getting to and from the start points. Outside of the Great Walk season, boat departures are a lot less frequent.
Can you do Milford Track in a day?
Yes. If you want to do the full track in a day you’ll need to treat the track as a long run. It’s not really a walk you can start or finish at night time unless you have organised private transport to/from the trailhead. Fiordland Outdoors is the best company to organise it through.
Alternatively, Trips & Tramps and Fiordland Outdoors offer the chance of a day walk on the Milford Track starting and finishing at Sandfly Point.
When can I book the Milford Track?
The Milford Track opens for bookings during the Great Walks in early July and sells out in minutes (3 minutes for the 2022/2023 season). Keep an eye on the DOC website in April/May to find out when you need to set your alarm.
Once your huts have been booked, you need to look into Milford Track transport options.
Which country is home to the Milford Track?
Apparently 300+ people search Google this every month??? The Milford Track is in New Zealand, specifically in the southwest corner of the South Island.
How many people walk the Milford Track each year?
Most sources mention 14,000 people. Based on my paper napkin math (below) I get 13,960 so 14,000 is about right.
- Booked by those who book the huts: October 25th to April 28th is 186 days. Given onnly 40 people can stay in each hut each night, that’s 7440 people maximum.
- Guided walkers staying in private huts: Ultimate Hikes offers departures on about 138 days of the year, with a maximum of 50 people per trip. That’s a maximum of 6900 people going on a guided hike. Let’s say the get 80% capacity. That’s 5,520 people.
- Guesstimating the number of people walking outside of the Great Walk season: There’s may 50 days that are possible outside of the Great Walk season that work…let’s say people depart on 30 of these days (bad weather on the other 20). And let’s say 30 people on each of these days. That’s 900 people. I’d say that’s overestimating things.
- People running the Routeburn: I’d be surprised if this is more than 100 people each year.
Can you swim on Milford Track?
Yes, there are a few spots you can swim along the Milford track.
How high is Mackinnon Pass?
Mackinnon Pass is 1,156 metres above sea level. To me it feels a lot higher!
You’ll see the two peaks either side of the pass, they are Mount Balloonm 1,857 metres high and Mount Hart 1,769 metres high.
How long is the Milford Track?
53.5km.
How steep is the Milford Track?
Considering how many crazy mountains there are in Fiordland National Park, the Milford Track is not very steep. The descent down from Mackinnon Pass is the toughest part of the hike.
You can see the elevation profile of the Milford Track here (via DOC):
Download this awesome NZ topo app, and you’ll be able to get a good idea of how the terrain works. While you’re at it, here’s some other great hiking apps I can recommend.
What should I pack for the Milford Track?
Let’s open a can of worms shall we…if you’ve got any specific questions about your Milford Track packing list, email jub@churnewzealand.com
Here’s the core of what you need:
- Sleeping bag
- 4 pairs of socks
- Good pair of shoes or hiking boots
- 30 to 65 litre pack
- 1 set of hiking clothes (shorts, pants, baselayers, midlayer, rain jacket)
- 1 set of hut clothes
- Food for 3 meals a day, hiking snacks, and a wine (here’s how to carry wine while hiking)
- Repellent for sandflies
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- Cooking things and stuff
- A Personal Locater Beacon (they’re easy to hire)
Is there cell phone coverage on the Milford Track?
No. I walked the track with my phone and did check to see if there was any cell signal at all during the hike but had no luck, including at the top of MacKinnon Pass. For reference I use a Skinny sim card when travelling New Zealand.
And there you go, all of the most common questions answered about the amazing Milford Track.
If you’ve got any more questions, email jub@churnewzealand or leave them in the comments box 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.