Each week, we highlight our fave tramping trails in New Zealand for day and multi day hikes across Nelson Tasman (and beyond!)
Mt Brown Hut is popular for a reason! And there’s no better time to visit than the off season. The iconic orange hut is set upon a backdrop of layers upon layers of ridgelines and the stunning Lake Kaniere, and if the weather is on your side, boasts a spectacular West Coast sunset!
Distance: 4km to the hut, 1.3km to the summit
Elevation gain: 1100m
This trip is a fabulous overnight or day walk, and the kind of steep that’s scrambly and fun. If you’re staying the night make sure to take a tent - the hut is only a 4-bunker and fills up quickly. And always triple check the weather forecast before you go! Crampons or microspikes are essential in the colder months. Expect mud after heavy rain!
Mt Brown is about thirty minutes outside of Hokitika on the West Coast. The car park just after the bridge at Geologist Creek isn’t signposted but there will likely be a few cars around.
The track meanders through a lush forest of ferns and moss, crossing a creek then heading up... And up! These contour lines are no joke. Gaining elevation quickly, before you know it mossy trees become subalpine bush and the track becomes flat(ish) and a wee bit boggy. The track to the hut is poled and easy to follow beyond the bushline.
And the views…
Uninterrupted West Coast ridgelines, glistening alpine tarns, and the stunning Lake Kaniere nestled down below. Mt Brown summit is less than an hour’s walk from the hut, up a well-worn but unmarked track along the ridge, and is worth the extra vert!
As this is a popular hut, make sure to leave it better than you found it 🧡 Please take your rubbish with you. Also to note: there is a fireplace but no firewood (coal used to be flown in).
