Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of Heaphy Track Trail
IMBA Epic
since 2017Sponsor
Heaphy Track Details
-
Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
-
Riding Area
-
Difficulty Rating
-
Hiking SAC ScaleT2 Mountain Hiking
-
Trail TypeSingletrack
-
Bike TypeXC
-
DirectionBoth Directions
-
Climb DifficultyBlue
-
Physical RatingHard
-
Trail VisibilityAlways easy to follow
-
Season1 May to 30 September ONLY
-
Alpine TrailYes
-
Dogs AllowedYes
-
TTFs on TrailBridge, Rock Garden
-
Global Ranking#15220 in Mountain Biking
-
Local Popularity25 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
-
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportdonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for Heaphy Track multi-use trail trail
-
Altitude change-421 ft
-
Altitude max3,084 ft
-
Altitude start458 ft
-
Altitude end39 ft
-
Grade-0.2%
-
Grade max-62.6%
-
Grade min77.4%
-
Distance climb18 miles
-
Distance down23 miles
-
Distance flat5 miles
-
Avg time06:36:18
-
Avg reverse time08:05:04
- view trail stats
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Inadequate
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
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
- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
- most popular
- popular
- less popular
- not popular
- mountain biking recent
- mountain biking (>6 month)
- hiking (1 year)
- moto (1 year)
- Downhill Ski
- Backcountry Ski
- Nordic Ski
- Snowmobile
Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.
SaveHeaphy Track Trail 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
Links
We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!
Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.
Nearby Trails
- embed Heaphy Track trail on your website
- By YogiNZ & contributors
- #28455 - 8,731 views
- subscribe
- login to download gpx or kml files.