Mount John Summit Walkway Loop(edit)

Overview

The Mt John Walkway is ~8km loop return (round trip) from the parking lot and has about 350m of elevation gain. The trail is well maintained. The elevation gain can be avoided by doing an out-and-back along the lakefront segment, or by driving to the observatory at the top and exploring as much as you are comfortable. There is a cafe beside the observatory that is open to the public. There are panoramic views of Lake Tekapo and the Southern Alps from nearly all points along this track.

Lake Tekapo continues to grow in tourism popularity, expect crowds to get worse in the future.

See DoC site for more information and current trail warnings.

There are NO DOGS - NO DRONES allowed on this trail.

Mountain Biking is allowed on parts of this trail

Getting Started

There is a parking area at the end of Lakeside Drive - be careful to not park in the Tekapo Springs parking lot. To go up the hill first, the trail starts around the south side of the Tekapo Springs pool complex. This will go fairly steep uphill then return clockwise along the loop and lake back to the parking lot. To start on the lake part of the trail, just follow the lake at the end of the road.

Another option is to drive to the Mt John Observatory and do the loop in either direction from there.