45.6 miles
Distance
7,779 ft
Climb
-8,199 ft
Descent
06:36:18
Avg time
Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of Heaphy Track Trail

Heaphy Track Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
  • Difficulty Rating
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T2 Mountain Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    XC
  • Direction
    Both Directions
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Season
    1 May to 30 September ONLY
  • Alpine Trail
    Yes
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • TTFs on Trail
    Bridge, Rock Garden
  • Global Ranking
    #15220 in Mountain Biking
  • Local Popularity
    25 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 5 in Trail Running
    • 5 in Hiking
  • Land Owner

You can mountain bike the the Heaphy Track in the winter season from 1 May to 31 November.

Most people ride the trail from east to west as the Mackay-Lewis downhill is more fun. See Classic New Zealand Mountain Bike Rides (South Island) by the Kennett Brothers for a good mountain bikers description of the trail and what to expect.

There are plenty of shuttle options for either end of the trail. To find them, a quick internet search or contact the Nelson, Golden Bay or Westport Information Centres. Some will no doubt be listed below in the links section.

The Heaphy Track is a tough ride and you need to be prepared. See the Department of Conservations Heaphy Track webpage for more info: http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/nelson-tasman/places/kahurangi-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/heaphy-track/

BROWN HUT TO PERRY SADDLE HUT:

Time: 2 hr 30 min–3 hr 30 min
Distance: 17.5 km

The ride starts with a gentle steady climb, passing Aorere Shelter and winding up to 890 metres through beech forest to Perry Saddle Hut.

PERRY SADDLE HUT TO SAXON HUT:

Time: 2–3 hr
Distance: 12.4 km

A mainly downhill ride to Gouland Downs on a wide, well formed track. Initially the track is quite steep with technical stony sections and deep streams.

Roughly halfway is Gouland Downs Hut; from here it’s 5.4 km to Saxon Hut.

SAXON HUT TO JAMES MACKAY HUT:

Time: 2–3 hr
Distance: 11.8 km

Boardwalks and a well formed single track climb to James Mackay Hut with its spectacular view of the Heaphy River and West Coast. Look out for Powelliphanta snails on this section.

JAMES MACKAY HUT TO LEWIS HUT:

Time: 1–2 hr
Distance: 12.5 km

This section is technical but an invigorating descent to Lewis Hut.

The track is rocky, rutted and soft in places; get off your bike and walk these soft, muddy sections to avoid damage to the track or yourself.

Control your speed and be aware of people approaching.

LEWIS HUT TO HEAPHY HUT:

Time: 1.5 hr–2.5 hr
Distance: 8 km

There are a number of suspension and swing bridges on this section.

The suspension bridges are ride-able, or alternatively use the approved MTB swing bridge crossing method: flip your bike on its back with the rear wheel angled away from you at 45 degrees; with the stem in one hand move yourself by gripping the top wire with your other hand.

Flooding occurs over the track in the lower Heaphy Valley and can reach up to 1.5 m depth. Be prepared to wait or return to Lewis Hut until it’s safe to continue.

Avoid further damage to this part of the track by walking your bike through the muddy sections.

Look out for Powelliphanta snails in the Heaphy Valley and around Heaphy Hut.

HEAPHY HUT TO KOHAIHAI SHELTER:

Time: 3–4 hr
Distance: 16.2 km

This spectacular coastal section of track weaves in and out of nīkau palms and native bush on one side and the roaring Tasman Sea on the other; it’s a highlight of the Heaphy Track and a great way to finish the ride.

Look out for Powelliphanta snails on the track around Katipo Creek.

Access Info

This is one of the few trails within New Zealand's National Park's network that mountain bikers are allowed. You must book huts through DOC's online hut booking system or else you'll be out in the rain. Don't attempt to ride this track outside of the mountain biking season (1 May to 30 Sep) as you will be caught by the DOC Rangers on track.

From Nelson head over to Takaka in Golden Bay (100km's, 2 hours). Head north on State Highway 60 to within 1km of Collingwood, then turn left on to Collingwood-Bainham Main Rd (turns into Aorere Valley Rd after the Langford Store). Follow the road until the Heaphy Track car park.

On the West Coast side, travel through Karamea for 16km's to the road end.

Local Trail Association
More Stats for Heaphy Track multi-use trail trail
  • Altitude change
    -421 ft
  • Altitude max
    3,084 ft
  • Altitude start
    458 ft
  • Altitude end
    39 ft
  • Grade
    -0.2%
  • Grade max
    -62.6%
  • Grade min
    77.4%
  • Distance climb
    18 miles
  • Distance down
    23 miles
  • Distance flat
    5 miles
  • Avg time
    06:36:18
  • Avg reverse time
    08:05:04
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Aug 5, 2015
Variable
Avg: 4.55 (9 votes)
Your vote: 0

view (118)
close
3D
Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Inadequate
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
  • > 96%
  • > 90%
  • > 80%
  • > 70%
  • > 50%
  • < 50%
  • bi-directional trail
  • no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
  • < 2 days
  • < 1 week
  • < 2 weeks
  • < 1 month
  • < 6 months
  • > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
  • Downhill Only
  • Downhill Primary
  • Both Directions
  • Uphill Primary
  • Uphill Only
  • One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
  • Description
  • Photos
  • Description & Photos
  • Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
  • most popular
  • popular
  • less popular
  • not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches

Radar Time
x Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public ridelogs from the past 6 months.
  • mountain biking recent
  • mountain biking (>6 month)
  • hiking (1 year)
  • moto (1 year)
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public skilogs from the past 12 months.
  • Downhill Ski
  • Backcountry Ski
  • Nordic Ski
  • Snowmobile
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
disable
Only show trails with NO bikes.
enable

Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.

Save
      Directions to heaphy-track trailhead (-40.847779, 172.449179)
      update trails status or condition

      Heaphy Track Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Aug 5, 2015 @ 5:52pm
      Aug 5, 2015
      Coastal parts of the Heaphy Track have been damaged by high tides and storm events. The affected areas are sections of the track at Koura Beach,...
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 0 rides
      •  
      6 Months
      • 3 rides
      • 26 miles avg distance
      All
      • 114 rides
      • Last: Nov 20, 2022

      Photos

      more »
      48 |
      May 16, 2021 @ 7:11am
      May 16, 2021
      29 |
      May 16, 2021 @ 7:11am
      May 16, 2021
      39 |
      May 16, 2021 @ 7:11am
      May 16, 2021
      302 |
      Jan 2, 2020 @ 1:26pm
      Jan 2, 2020

      1 Review & Comments


      We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!

      Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.

      Videos

      more »
      Overnighter on the Heaphy Track - Mountain...
      5:05 | 948 | Jul 10, 2018 , Takaka
      Hoofin through the Heaphy
      31:15 | 864 | Jun 3, 2018 , Takaka
      • subscribe
      • flag
      • login to download gpx or kml files.