Wye Creek

Wye Creek is a great place for a day hike from Queenstown.

This is a great track that’s only about a 20 minute drive from Queenstown. It offers the option to continue further up the Remarkables to Lake Alta, which would take about 6-8 hours. The trail also doubles as the approach to the Wye Creek climbing area, which offers routes up to 50m.

We tend to be the more casual type of hikers, so we used this trail as a scenic way to get some exercise and watch the climbers from below. There is a carpark on the side of SH6, from which the first section of track follows a 4x4 road. This road can optionally be driven with a true 4x4 short wheel-base vehicle, but we found that right after winter the road can be really washed out. To play it safe, just walk up the road. Once you reach the outhouse, you’ll be following a traditional trail to the hydro dam. Cross the dam and soon you’ll be walking along a giant water pipe up to the climbing area just past the waterfall. Before crossing the creek here, head up to the left to find a large wood platform, which makes for a great picnic spot.

This track can only be acccessed during the summer months, but is worth waiting for the snow to melt.

Hike: Lower Wye Creek Track
Distance: 7 km / 4.35 miles round trip
Time: 3-4 hours