Hiking the Hooker Valley Track

The Hooker Valley Track is easily the most popular hiking route in the Mount Cook National Park. With lovely alpine scenery at every turn of the road, it’s easy to see why people love it. Many even consider it one of the best half-day hikes in New Zealand’s South Island. And yet, much as I’d love to join all the praise, I cannot. Don’t get me wrong – Hooker Valley Track is a lovely and beautiful walk. I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

Hooker Valley Track

The Hooker Valley Track is a 10 km return hike set amid the incredible alpine scenery in the heart of Mount Cook National Park. The trail begins at the White Horse Hill Car Park, a short 5-minute drive away from the Mt Cook Village. From there, the path goes past the Mueller Lake, crosses the Hooker River a few times and ends at the lookout that offers stunning views over the Hooker Lake and the surrounding mountains. From the lookout, it is possible to go down to the lakeshore and continue the exploration there.

The track is well-maintained, relatively level and easy to follow. It’s really more of a leisurely stroll than a proper hike. Anyone with a basic level of fitness should have no issues doing it. The return time is around 3-4 hours but I would probably plan for longer. The area is beautiful, so you will likely stop for photos. Also, the lake at the end is an incredible place to stay and soak in the views for a while. Personally, we didn’t rush it and it took us about six hours to complete the hike.

The great thing about the Hooker Valley Track is that you don’t even need to finish it. This walk is more about the journey than the destination. The view at the end is lovely, sure, but it’s just a cherry on the top of the cake. There are amazing vistas all along the way and you don’t have to travel far to see them. This combination of stunning New Zealand scenery and accessibility is exactly what makes this hike so popular and suitable for people of different ages and physical abilities.

From Fun to Dull and Back Again

The start of the hike felt rather uneventful. Other then the Alpine Memorialdedicated to the alpinists who lost their lives and an occasional glimpse of the snow-capped mountains to the right there wasn’t much to see at first. Luckily, the situation soon changed as we reached the first swing bridge. As the path followed the shore of the Mueller Lake to the second bridge, there was no shortage of scenic views of the glacial lake and its surrounding landscape.

After crossing the Hooker River for the second time, the path turns away from the Mueller Lake and continues north towards the third and final swing bridge. This is where the Hooker Valley Track quickly started losing its appeal. Under the grey skies, the trail soon started to feel repetitive and somewhat dull. With mountains hidden in the clouds, every turn of the road revealed seemingly the same boring image of grass and rock. Somewhat telling, perhaps, is that I don’t have many good photos from this part of the walk.

After a couple of hours of hiking, we were relieved to finally reach the Hooker Lake. The overlook at the end has a few tables and benches that are perfect for a quick picnic amid the beautiful Alps.

After a snack at the lookout, we went down to the lakeshore to take a few photos. I didn’t find much in terms of the foreground, but still water and the icebergs provided a good setting for some nice reflection shots. We also had great fun posing on the rocks next to the river outlet. But above all, being down there let us get away from the touristy crowds at the top and truly enjoy the silence and beauty of the place.

Is Hooker Valley Track Worth a Visit?

The short answer is yes. You see, expectations can be a tricky thing. The more we expect something, the more likely it’ll work against us. As you can probably tell from the article so far, the Hooker Valley Track was a bit of a hit and miss for us. Maybe, we just expected too much of it.

Or, perhaps, the weather is to blame. Here is what Scott Cook says about the hike in his NZ Frenzy book: “On a clear day, the Hooker Valley Track is indisputably the South Island’s most scenic walk. On a grey clouded-in day, forget it”. I certainly think there is some truth to it. There’s of course nothing wrong with moody conditions. In fact, as a photographer, I sometimes love them more than the clear and sunny ones. I enjoyed the rain at Franz Josef glacier and I loved our hike at Tasman Lake a day earlier. But, for some unknown reason, cloudy weather didn’t work too well for this particular track.

That’s not to say that the trail is not worth a visit. It’s still a beautiful hike and I still recommend to do it if you have the time. New Zealand is incredibly scenic and the more you get to see of its amazing nature, the better. If you’re lucky enough with the weather, Hooker Valley Track might just blow you away. However, on a cloudy day, there are other options in Mount Cook National Park. For wet and moody, the Tasman Lake would definitely be my first pick. It is a shorter and more entertaining hike with fewer people and similar, if not better, views.

It’d certainly be interesting to walk the Hooker Valley Track again if I ever return to New Zealand. It is possible that my opinion of it will change then. In the meantime, check out my YouTube video from there and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter and whether or not you liked the trail. Leave a comment down below and let’s chat!

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