We’d heard next to nothing about the Red Tarns Track before hiking it and for that reason assumed it wouldn’t be in the same league as some of Aoraki/Mount Cook’s other walks. Is there anything more satisfying than having all your expectations blown out the water?! Maybe having them blown out the water when you were generally feeling a bit tired and lack lustre, but couldn’t pass the opportunity for one final hike on a crystal clear day!
The short trail up to Red Tarns doesn’t just offer a phenomenal view of the mountains, but on a calm day the most incredible mirror reflection to rival even the jaw dropping Lake Matheson. To say this is a walk to remember is an understatement, particularly if you are lucky enough to head up when there’s plenty of snow around. Add in a sunset and you have a scene so magical it will be a pinch yourself moment.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Red Tarns Track.
The Red Tarns Track
The stats
Distance: 4.6km return
Elevation gained: 370m
Difficulty: Moderate
The Red Tarns Track is all on well formed path with no tricky terrain whatsoever. It is however, uphill for most of the way. Most people will get up to the top in around 45 minutes, although you could go much quicker if you don’t stop for many photos/breathers.
If you wanted to try the Sealy Tarns Track but aren’t sure about the amount of stairs, this track is roughly half the height - do both if you can though, you won’t regret it!
Starting the trail
The trail begins at the village and though there are only two designated car parking spots (beside the public shelter on Bowen Drive), you can easily walk from any of the main hotels or restaurants.
You’ll leave the village along the wide gravel path and after 500m arrive at the little wooden bridge over the Black Birch Stream.
To be honest the views are already great and I wondered how much more the trail would offer. And as you’ll already have gathered from the intro, the answer is a lot!!
Climbing up to the tarns
The moment you leave the bridge the climb begins. It’s on a mix of stairs and sloping switchbacks. The path is in great condition and apart from one or two rocks to climb over, it’s all immaculate gravel path or steps.
The first 300m of the climb is in the bush with the occasional peek out to the mountains. After that you’ll be above the tree line and it’s views all the way.
It’s relatively steep with only very short sections of flatter track, but that does mean the views look gratifyingly high very quickly.
At first you’re looking at the same view but more elevated with every step, though it’s not long before you start to see more of the mountains in front of you too.
It really is a sensational view and the village begins to look incredibly tiny!
After 1.4km of uphill track (1.9km total walking) you’ll reach the sign for Red Tarns and a perfectly placed bench to sit and admire it from. This view is already staggering but it only gets better!
The Red Tarns loop
From the bench there’s just a handful more stairs to climb before you begin the short loop around the tarns. It’s completely flat from here so all the hard work is behind you.
The views along the loop walk are some of the most beautiful in the park, and that’s really saying something!
There are quite a few tarns, although one is much larger than the others. Most were completely frozen on our visit so it’s hard to tell how red they really are, for us they looked more like a tannin colour, but it could be different when they aren’t shrouded by ice. The colour comes from the red pond weed that grows inside the tarns.
As you make your way around the boardwalk you’ll still see the incredible mountain views and can no longer see the village, giving it a much more wild feel. It was only when we got to the other side of the main tarn that we realised it had a phenomenal reflection of the mountains inside it.
As perfect and exquisite a reflection as that of Lake Matheson, made all the more special because we didn’t know it was going to be there!
The mountain tops had begun turning pink with the last rays of the sun and the whole scene was simply magical. It was one of those wow moments where you can’t really believe what you’re seeing, and the feeling was only compounded by the fact we had the whole thing to ourselves!
The loop is only 250m long but allow plenty of time as the scenery is the kind that inspires a thousand photos, not to mention time to simply sit and stare (there’s another handily placed bench in front of the large tarn for that!).
As we did the track in winter we did have a lot of snow on the mountains themselves and the surrounding bush, which definitely added to the beauty, but I have no doubt it’s exceptional year round.
We walked the loop several times just taking it all in.
The view at sunset and extending the walk
The Red Tarns Track is a great option for sunset at Mount Cook as it sets directly behind the mountains. Even on a clear day which was never going to produce a wildly colourful sunset, the mountains went pink and the soft light gave it all an ethereal quality.
It’s also an easy walk to do for sunset as getting down from the tarns to the bridge takes less than half an hour along the well formed track, which would be easy with a torch or at twilight (which is what we chose to do).
You can extend the walk by hiking up to Mt Sebastopol which is on an unmarked track and requires negotiating scree. For your efforts, you’ll be rewarded with even more tarns and additional mountain views. I’d love to come back to give this a go another time!
All in all, even going only as far as Red Tarns offers incredible views for relatively little effort. It’s definitely a must do when visiting Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.
If you’re looking for more to do in the area, we have a detailed guide on the best things to do at Mount Cook.
Essential information about the Red Tarns Track
The weather
Weather can change quickly in the mountains and you’ll want to have layers with you even in summer. As the Red Tarns Track is fairly short it lends itself to a limited weather window, so even on a gloomy day you might get an hour’s gap where the sky clears and you can get up to see the views.
If hiking in winter, there may be snow and ice present on the latter part of the track. As we hiked in the late afternoon most of the ice on the steps had melted in the sun, in the morning we would have definitely needed our Yaktrax (traction devices) to do this section easily.
The snow and ice on the loop walk at the top was manageable without any traction devices, but again earlier in the day we would have needed them. If you’re planning a winter visit it’s worth bringing a pair just in case.
Where to park for the trailhead
There are only two car parking spaces at the trailhead which are beside the public shelter on Bowen Drive, but you can easily walk from anywhere in the village.
Where to stay in Aoraki Mount Cook
When picking somewhere to stay, be very careful with some booking site’s selections for what counts as near Mount Cook! Some will look at hotels within a 30-50km radius of the mountain, and serve options on the West Coast such as Franz Josef (which is a 6 hour drive away by road but just over the mountain as the crow flies).
When searching, look at either Mount Cook Village, Twizel or anywhere on State Highway 8. If you possibly can, splurge and stay in Mount Cook Village. It’s significantly more expensive than Twizel (a 45 minute drive away) but allows you to track weather more accurately.
On two of our visits we did not see the mountains for two days, and then had crystal clear weather on the third. This is another reason staying in Mount Cook itself is so helpful as the weather changes so quickly, you can see the cloud lift and rush out to enjoy it, whereas the weather forecast can easily still be saying it’s poor.
Now onto where to stay, based on our personal experience (and not sponsored).
Aoraki Court Motel
In terms of value for money and quality, this is our top choice for hotels in Mount Cook. You don’t get the heritage, but you get huge rooms with amazingly comfy beds and small kitchenettes (including 2 ring hobs) which allow you to really keep the food costs down.
The view is not of Mount Cook itself, but it is of incredible mountain vistas. I really loved the motel, so much so that we stayed with them in the sister motel in Franz Josef and loved that one also.
In case you are also weighing up the Mount Cook Lodge we can tell you Aoraki Court is much nicer in every way. We stayed at the lodge on our fourth visit and though there’s nothing wrong with it, we both regretted not going for Aoraki Court. NB, if you’re planning a winter visit, the Mount Cook Lodge was freezing with a woeful heating system.
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