Greenstone Caples Track — A Complete Guide (Including the Boot Incident)
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The Greenstone Caples Track sits in the shadow of the Routeburn — one valley over, significantly less crowded, and arguably more rewarding precisely because fewer people make the effort to find it. At 61km, it’s a genuine four-day loop through the Fiordland wilderness, reaching its high point at McKellar Saddle at 945m.
We did it over Easter with Elaine’s cousin and her wife, visiting from Scotland — part of a week-long adventure based in the Queenstown area. It was their first multi-day hike. By the end of day two, one boot had started delaminating and was held together with a spare bootlace. By the end of day four, the other one had started going too.
They both finished happy. That’s the Greenstone-Caples in a sentence.
What Is the Greenstone-Caples Track?
The Greenstone and Caples Tracks form a 61km circuit on the South Island of New Zealand, located near Glenorchy in the Queenstown Lakes district. The tracks are accessed from the Greenstone Road carpark, roughly 11km along a gravel road from Kinloch, near Glenorchy — approximately 86km from Queenstown.
DOC classifies it as an easier tramping track, meaning it’s a generally well-formed track suitable for comfortable overnight tramping trips. Don’t let “easier” mislead you — the McKellar Saddle climb on day two is a proper ascent, and the track demands respect in poor weather.
Three DOC-managed huts service the loop: Greenstone Hut, McKellar Hut, and Mid Caples Hut. Unlike the Great Walks, these huts are much more available which means no scramble to book when they first become available. You can book online now though, which is much more convenient than back country hut passes and visiting DOC offices. At around $15 per person per night, the huts are exceptional value.
The loop can be walked in either direction. We went up the Caples and down the Greenstone — the direction DOC describes in their official track guide — which puts the hardest climbing on day two and ends with the gentler Greenstone valley on days three and four.
Getting There
From Queenstown, drive to Glenorchy — around 45 minutes on the lake road, one of the more beautiful drives in New Zealand. From Glenorchy, follow the gravel road to Kinloch and then the Greenstone carpark. The road is not suitable for campervans or low-clearance vehicles.
Glenorchy itself is worth arriving early for — a small, genuine South Island town with a good café that becomes significantly more appealing on day four when you return from the track. We had a late lunch there after finishing and it was one of the better meals of the week.
Day 1 — Greenstone Carpark to Mid Caples Hut
Distance: ~11km | Time: 3–4 hours | Character: Flat valley walk, river, bush
A short, gentle introduction — ideal for breaking in legs and backs that haven’t carried a full pack in a while. For Leeanne and Lorna, who hadn’t done multi-day hiking before, this was the right entry point. The packs feel heavy on day one regardless of fitness, and a shorter first day lets you settle into the rhythm before the trail demands more.
The track follows the Caples River closely, popping in and out of forest. The river is beautiful — clear, fast-moving water through a wide valley with the mountains rising on both sides. The South Island robins showed up within the first hour, hopping around the track with complete indifference to our presence. They’re one of the small wildlife moments that make NZ tramping feel different.
The weather was overcast with a pleasant temperature — perfect walking conditions. Mid Caples Hut sits at the top of the valley with views back down the way you’ve come. There’s a swimming hole right beside the hut — deep, clear water you can jump into. In Easter conditions it was noted rather than used, but in summer it would be hard to walk past.
Day 2 — Mid Caples Hut to McKellar Hut
Distance: ~16km | Time: 6–7 hours | Character: Valley, saddle climb, descent
The day the boot fell apart.
From Mid Caples Hut, the track follows the Caples River before veering westward to begin ascending the McKellar Saddle. The climb is well-graded but sustained — a proper ascent through beech forest that opens to subalpine terrain as you approach the saddle. About two thirds of the way up, we stopped to check in with everyone — the understood point of no return. Happy faces all round. We pushed on.
Shortly after, Elaine’s right boot began delaminating. The sole had decided it was done. No duct tape — note for future trips, always carry duct tape — so we improvised with a spare bootlace tied around the boot to hold the sole in place. It worked well enough to continue. We did not slow down.
The views from McKellar Saddle are spectacular in both directions — the Caples Valley behind, Lake McKellar below in front, the Ailsa Mountains framing everything. It’s one of those moments where you stop talking and just look.
The descent from the saddle skirts Lake McKellar before the track goes through forest to the Routeburn Track junction near Lake Howden outlet. The downhill to McKellar Hut was the most technically demanding section of the four days — rooty, steep in places, and longer than the signs suggest. By the time the hut appeared the group was tired, the patched boot had held, and we’d already identified the resident snorer from the day before and made arrangements to position ourselves as far from them as possible for the final night.
There was no hut warden to consult about boot repairs. We ate dinner, went to bed early, and hoped the bootlace would hold through two more days.
Day 3 — McKellar Hut to Greenstone Hut
Distance: ~17km | Time: 5–6 hours | Character: Wide open valley, river, forest
The most beautiful walking day of the four. The Greenstone Valley is wide, open, and changes character every few kilometres — tussock flats, beech forest, river views, grassy clearings that beg you to stop.
The group was starting to feel the accumulated fatigue of day three — legs that don’t fully recover overnight — but the terrain was kind and the weather continued in our favour. The track meanders down the valley past a large white terrace bank, keeping to the true left of the river down a wide open valley before entering the forest.
The Cadbury cream eggs and mallow eggs I’d packed specifically as morale management were deployed strategically during rest stops. Only one bog-related incident occurred in a wet section — one of those invisible puddles that appears solid until a boot goes straight through. One mud-covered leg later, we carried on.
Greenstone Hut sits at the bottom of the valley and we arrived before dark — important given the short daylight hours of post-clock-change Easter. The deck views at dinner made the day’s effort feel proportionate. The huts are well-maintained with 24 bunk beds, heating, mattresses, and flush toilets. After three nights in the system, they feel genuinely comfortable — basic in the way that suits the context rather than through neglect.
Day 4 — Greenstone Hut to Carpark
Distance: ~16km | Time: 4–5 hours | Character: Valley walk, forest, river
The final section follows the Greenstone Valley, crossing Steele Creek by a swingbridge, past Steele Creek Lodge, before reaching the carpark.
The mood on day four was jubilant — the carpark visible in the metaphorical sense even if not literally. We’d all made it to this point intact, the group dynamic had held through four days and one boot emergency, and the rain held off until the final 500 metres before arriving simultaneously with the carpark. Perfect timing.
Elaine’s other boot started delaminating somewhere in the final valley section. She toughed it out in good humour. Both boots were retired immediately post-trip. The Mammut Sapuen High GTX boots that replaced them are now broken in on the Kepler Track and packed for EBC.
The late lunch in Glenorchy afterwards was, without exaggeration, one of the best meals of the week.
What the Greenstone-Caples Gave Us
This was the trip that confirmed the group of four would work on EBC. Four days carrying full packs, one genuine equipment emergency, varied terrain and weather, and everyone arrived at the end happy and talking about what we’d do next. That’s the test.
Practical Information
| Distance | 61km loop |
| Duration | 4 days recommended |
| Huts | Mid Caples (24 bunks), McKellar (24 bunks), Greenstone (24 bunks) |
| Booking | No advance booking — Backcountry Hut Pass required |
| Cost | ~$15 per person per night |
| Season | Open year-round; wardens October to mid-April |
| Nearest town | Glenorchy (carpark 11km on gravel road) |
| Nearest city | Queenstown (~86km) |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Pack duct tape | Yes. Always. |
More From Above the Cloud Treks
- Kepler Track — New Zealand Great Walk Guide
- EBC Trek — Solo or With a Partner?
- How to Train for Everest Base Camp
- The Honest EBC Packing List
- EBC Trek Guide for Non-Mountaineers
Andrew Dillon is a data consultant, runner, and triathlete based in Auckland, New Zealand. He is trekking EBC via Gokyo with Evertrek in October 2026. Follow his journey at abovethecloudtreks.com.
