Routeburn Track Huts and Campsites: Bunks, Fees and Booking

Where you sleep

You can walk the Routeburn in either direction. DOC says most people take 3 days and 2 nights and stay at Routeburn Falls and Lake Mackenzie huts. Lake Howden Hut no longer exists: a storm destroyed it in February 2020.

From the Routeburn Shelter end, DOC lists these stages. The highest point is Harris Saddle/Tarahaka Whakatipu at 1,255 m, between Routeburn Falls and Lake Mackenzie.

• Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats Hut and Campsite: 7.5 km (4.7 mi), 1 hr 30 min to 2 hr 30 min
• Routeburn Flats to Routeburn Falls Hut: 2.3 km (1.4 mi), 1 to 1 hr 30 min
• Routeburn Falls to Lake Mackenzie Hut and Campsite: 11.3 km (7.0 mi), 4 hr 30 min to 6 hr
• Lake Mackenzie to The Divide: 12 km (7.5 mi), 4 to 5 hr 30 min

Fees through the year

From 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027, every hut and campsite night is booked, and a night without a booking can mean a penalty or being turned away from a full hut. The huts have a DOC ranger, heating, flush toilets and basic cooking facilities, and no food, utensils, showers or bedding.

Outside the season the rate is the same for New Zealand and international adults: NZ$35 a hut night from 1 May to 30 June, NZ$30 from 1 July to 31 October, and NZ$10 a campsite night. DOC does not run the track as a Great Walk then. Bridges between Lake Mackenzie and Harris Saddle may be removed over winter, and DOC says to go only with alpine skills and gear.

Booking and getting to each end

In 2026 Great Walk bookings opened at 9:30 am NZ time on DOC's booking service, bookings.doc.govt.nz, with a virtual queue. DOC's 2026 tips: make an account and test your login before the day, and be online by about 9:15 am. Our guide on how to book a Great Walk covers the rest of the system.

DOC has not announced the 2027/28 opening day. Going by past seasons, booking for the Routeburn Track usually opens around 4 May to 5 June. Last year's opening, for stays from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, was Friday 15 May 2026 at 9:30 am NZ time.

Book transport before you book huts. The Routeburn Shelter is 25 km (15.5 mi) from Glenorchy and The Divide is 85 km (52.8 mi) from Te Anau, and the road between the two ends is 325 km (201.9 mi). DOC asks you not to pick a pickup time that has you leaving a hut before there is light to walk.

Changing or cancelling

Date changes stay inside the 1 July to 30 June booking season, and DOC does not move a booking to a different hut or campsite. Cancelling costs nothing on the day you book or the day after (if your first night is more than 2 days away). After that DOC keeps 10% of a Great Walk booking from 15 or more days out, 50% from 14 to 4 days out, 75% from 3 days out, and all of it on the day you arrive.

What PermitSnag does here

Each permit page says whether you can set a PermitSnag alert for it, and links to the agency that sells it.

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