Roys Peak Hike: Ultimate Hikers Guide & What You Need To Know

Roys Peak Hike: Ultimate Hikers Guide & What You Need To Know

One of the most popular day hikes in New Zealand, Roys Peak is a bucket list trail for many outdoor enthusiasts. Known for its breathtaking panoramic views, this iconic hike draws in crowds all over, particularly for sunrise! In this post, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about the Roys Peak hike – from what to expect on the trail to tips for making the most of your adventure.

Roys Peak Hike Overview

Length: 10 miles (16km) return

Elevation Gain: 1300 metres (4200 ft)

Difficulty: Challenging

Trail: Out and back

Time: 5-7 hours

Location: Mount Aspiring National Park, South Island

Closures: 1st October – 10th November during lambing season (check DoC website for latest updates)

Table of Contents

Roys Peak Hiking Guide

Where is Roys Peak?

Roys Peak is located just outside the resort town of Wanaka, in New Zealand’s South Island. Exiting Wanaka, a 10 minute drive on Mount Aspiring road will lead to the Roys Peak Track car park.

You can find the exact carpark location on Google Maps here.

If you’re travelling from Queenstown, it takes approximately 1 hour 15 minutes to reach the car park.

How difficult is Roys Peak Track?

The trail requires a high level of fitness due to the steep gradient throughout. However, though it is classed as challenging the trail is quite straightforward and requires no technical experience.

If you have a reasonable level of fitness and good stamina, the trail is very doable but at times quite monotonous.

Personally, I found the trail a little boring as it is essentially a never ending incline on the same terrain. Though, this made reaching the summit extremely rewarding as it is just so spectacular.

Also, the descent was quite hard on the knees and shins and I did have some blisters and bleeding toes when I made it back to the car!

What should I pack?

As this is a long and physically challenging hike, water and food are essential. Do not hike without either – especially during the summer! New Zealand summers in the Otago region can be very hot and the trail has hardly any shade throughout.

Alongside water and food, suncream and sun protection are a must. As well as a small first aid kit in case of blisters or falls.

Hiking poles would also be very useful on this hike due to the steep gradient. They certainly helped with keeping pace on the ascent and eased the knees on the descent.

Pack layers too – the lookout can be windy and if you’re hiking early it can be very cold at the lookout during sunrise. Think wind breaker, gloves and a beanie. Also, if you’re hiking in the dark then make sure you use a torch.

Trainers would be fine for the trial, though we opted to weather hiking boots. If you decide to hike during the colder months, opt for hiking boots as there may be snow towards the summit.

Packing List:

• Water
• Food (e.g fruit, protein bars, sandwiches)
• Suncream
• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Jumper/Wind breaker
• Gloves/Beanie
• Hiking Poles
• Camera
• Toilet paper
• Head Torch

Remember to take your rubbish with you and leave no trace.

When is the best time to hike?

Roys Peak lookout is known for its sunrise views and hikers flock to the trail before dawn to witness sunrise at the lookout. This is most certainly when the trail and lookout is at its busiest. Frankly, witnessing a sunrise from the lookout is a once-in-a-lifetime experience so if you want to do it, you’ll just have to accept you won’t be the only one there.

If you’re hiking during summer, an early start is also highly recommended as a way to beat the heat. Starting any later than mid-morning is too late.

We didn’t quite make the lookout for sunrise but we did make it up a couple of hours later when the crowds were already dispersing. After we enjoyed our lunch and took in the surrounding views the crowds had nearly all gone by mid-morning!

By mid-morning the sunrise hikers had left and it was warm enough at the lookout to hang around without getting cold, so it turned out that missing the sunrise wasn’t too bad after all!

Another option is to reach the lookout for sunset, this too can be beautiful but the mornings tend to have less cloud coverage.

Carpark and Trail Head

Fortunately, the Roys Peak Track carpark has plenty of parking spaces (100+) However, the spaces fill up very quickly and parking on nearby roads is dangerous and not advisable.

The best chance you have of snagging a parking space is to arrive early. Most hikers plan to hike the trail for sunrise, so many of the spaces are already taken by dawn! The latest we would suggest arriving at the carpark is 9am.

If you aren’t an early riser, we would suggest arriving at the car park around 11am. By mid-morning the sunrise hikers are starting to descend and exit the car park and if you’re lucky, you can grab their space.

There is a toilet located at the car park but no other facilities. The nearest eateries are in the town of Wanaka.

At the start of the trail there is a $2 donation box that goes towards maintenance of the track.

Roys Peak Trail

Once you start the hike you’ll soon notice that the trail is a constant zig-zag to the top. Honesty, the incline doesn’t really ease but the views are magnificent on the way up and there’s plenty of spots to stop and rest. There’s even a small picnic area a few km’s up the track!

You may bump into a few of the local livestock during the walk – mainly sheep and cows. They keep to themselves but if you decide to hike during the dark for the sunrise, keep an eye out for them on the trail.

Roys Peak Viewpoint vs Summit

Many hikers mistake the famous viewpoint as the summit, when in fact it’s further up the mountain.

You will come across the viewpoint about 6.5km into the hike. Here, you will also find a toilet and likely many people in a line waiting to take a photograph!

The viewpoint has become one of the most photographed hiking views within New Zealand and once you see it for yourself, you will understand why. It is truly spectacular. Once we captured a couple of photos we found a spot overlooking the viewpoint to enjoy our packed lunch and soak up the views.

Now for the summit. It will take you an additional 30 minutes (1.5km) to reach the Roys Peak summit. As the viewpoint is so spectacular, many hikers turn around at this point as the trail is hard going but the summit is definitely worth it if you have the energy to push on.

The view from the summit allows you to take in a panormanic scene of the surrounding landscape and the viewpoint below. You won’t be disappointed for pushing yourself that extra 1.5km, that’s for sure!

The Descent

Unfortunately, this isn’t the easy part like many people mistakingly think. The constant steep downhill track really takes it out on your knees. It does take less time walking down the mountain but it hurts – in different ways! Enjoy frequent rests to ease the knees/shins and make good use of the walking poles if you brought them.

Roys Peak Hike Review (Honest Thoughts)

We hear a lot whether Roys Peak hike is ‘worth it.’ The physically challenging aspect of the hike puts many visitors off and leaves them questioning whether the views are worth the effort.

Well, we aren’t going to sugar coat it and say this is an easy hike because it’s not. The trail is monotonous and steep and takes a decent amount of effort to complete.

However, is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY.

Any thoughts I had whilst hiking the trail of whether I’d regret waking up early or if the views would be worth it all bus disappeared when I saw the viewpoint.

The view is truly breathtaking and one of the most beautiful hiking viewpoints/summits I’ve seen. It certainly places in my list of the top things to do in New Zealand and if you have the ability to walk the trail – absolutely do it.

WATCH: ROYS PEAK HIKE

Thank You

Hi adventurers, thanks for reading this Roys Peak Hike guide!

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