Hollyford Track

The Hollyford huts are bookable through DOC year-round, and unlike a Great Walk there is no fixed itinerary: you choose how many nights to spend and which huts to stay in, walking them in order down the valley. A classic trip is three to four nights, staying at Hidden Falls, Lake Alabaster (or Mckerrow Island across the lake), Demon Trail, Hokuri and Martins Bay as you go.

The huts are larger than the Great Walk huts and rarely sell out completely, but the popular nights still fill: summer weekends, the settled spells in February and March, and the front-of-valley huts at Hidden Falls and Lake Alabaster that every trip passes through. Line that up with a booked jet boat or flight out and a single missing night can hold up a whole trip.

Here's the thing though: plans change constantly. Groups shrink, weather turns, transport falls through, and bunks trickle back into the system. Because the Hollyford is flexible, a freed bunk at the right hut on the right night can quietly reopen the trip you wanted.

If the nights you need are booked out, it's worth watching. That's what Spotbagger does: we check the DOC booking page every few minutes and alert you the moment a run of huts opens up for the number of nights you want to walk, with room for your whole party, so you can grab it before anyone else sees it.

The Hollyford can be walked all year, and the huts book year-round, but this is still serious Fiordland country. It is one of the wettest places in New Zealand: the river and its side creeks rise fast and hard, and several crossings and low sections can become impassable in heavy rain. The Demon Trail, along the rough eastern shore of Lake McKerrow, is slow, root-bound and tiring in any weather.

Summer (December to March) brings the longest days, the busiest huts, and the best chance of settled weather for the coast. Autumn is quieter and crisp but the days shorten quickly. Winter and early spring are cold, very wet, and the transport operators run reduced or no services, so check before you commit. Sandflies are relentless year-round, especially at the lake and coastal huts; bring serious repellent.

There are six bookable huts down the valley, in order from the Road End: Hidden Falls Hut, an easy first day in; Lake Alabaster Hut at the head of the lake, with Mckerrow Island Hut as an alternative across the water; Demon Trail Hut and Hokuri Hut along the rough lake shore; and Martins Bay Hut out at the coast near the seal colony and Long Reef. Each has bunks with mattresses, a water supply and a toilet, but no cookers, no power and no shops, so carry a stove and all your food.

Your bunks are part of your booking, and which huts you stay in depends on how many nights you take and where your transport meets you. There are no campsites on the standard booking, so the huts are the way the track is walked.

The Hollyford tests you with water and distance rather than altitude. The short list:

• Rain jacket: a proper hard-shell, fully waterproof, for days of Fiordland rain
• Waterproof boots: broken in, with good tread for mud, roots and the Demon Trail
• Stove and fuel: the huts have no cookers; you carry your own
• Sleeping bag: the huts have mattresses but no bedding
• Insect repellent: serious sandfly defence at the lake and coast
• Dry bags: keep your sleeping bag and spare layers dry when the creeks are up

DOC publish a full gear list and current track and river conditions; read both before you finalise your pack.

The track starts at the end of the Lower Hollyford Road, a long drive off the Milford Road (State Highway 94) roughly between Te Anau and Milford Sound. Because the Hollyford finishes a long way from where you start, at the remote coast, transport is the heart of planning the trip.

Most walkers fly out from the Martins Bay airstrip back to the Road End or Queenstown, or take a jet boat across Lake McKerrow to cut out the Demon Trail. A few walk back the way they came. Book your flight or jet boat as soon as your huts are confirmed: the operators run limited schedules, fill up in peak season, and weather can delay coastal flights for days.

Do I have to book the Hollyford huts?

Yes. The huts are bookable through DOC and you need a confirmed booking for each night. Bookings run year-round, and you choose how many nights you spend on the track.

The huts I want are booked out. Can I still get a spot?

Often, yes. The huts rarely sell out entirely, and bunks trickle back as plans change. Set up a watch with the number of nights you want to walk and we'll alert you the moment a run of huts opens on consecutive nights with room for your party.

How many nights should I book?

Most trips take three to four nights one way, but the Hollyford is flexible: an out-and-back to Hidden Falls and Lake Alabaster is a popular shorter option, and a full walk to Martins Bay and the coast takes longer. Pick the length that suits you when you set up your watch.

Which way is the track walked?

One way, from the Lower Hollyford Road end down the valley to Martins Bay on the coast. Most people fly or jet boat out rather than walking back, so sort your transport as soon as your huts are confirmed.