Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP OF CHAPTER
Rees-Dart Track
Duration
4 days
Distance
62km (38.5 miles)
Track Standard
Tramping and easy tramping tracks
Difficulty
Moderate
Start
Muddy Creek car park
End
Chinamans Flat
Nearest Town
Glenorchy (
Click here
)
Transport
Shuttle bus, jetboat
Summary
Alpine scenery, wild rivers and a possible day trip to Dart Glacier have made the
Rees-Dart one of the most popular tracks in Mt Aspiring National Park.
The Rees-Dart Track connects two splendid schist-lined valleys shaped by glaciation.
Indeed, the relatively small Dart Glacier was once part of an enormous system that termin-
ated at Kingston, 135km away at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu.
As it winds up one valley and back down the other, this track takes in a variety of scenery,
such as meadows of flowering herbs, and mighty bluffs and moraine walls.
Demand on the Routeburn has had a flow-on for the Rees-Dart, which is now extremely
popular and has undergone upgrades to suit. It is, however, longer and definitely more chal-
lenging than the Routeburn or Greenstone Caples, and has several stream crossings, which
can be hazardous in heavy rain or snowmelt.
The most common approach is to tramp up the Rees Valley and return down the Dart -
the easiest direction in which to climb Rees Saddle and the way the tramp is described here.
Plan an extra night at Dart Hut if you want to include a day trip to Cascade Saddle to view
Dart Glacier.
