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About Roys Peak Track
The Difficulty Rating: ★★⯪☆☆2.5
Roys Peak, standing to the west of the town of Wānaka, is one of the most popular hiking destinations in South Island. The track to the summit is the busiest one I have ever been in NZ, comparable to Hooker Valley Track in terms of their popularity, but this hike is more suitable for fit people. This mountain and the track have a well-deserved reputation for the spectacular scenery of the area. I believe this hike is on many travelers’ bucket list as long as they do not need to rush their trip around Wānaka.
Only several kilometers from the town, the trail head is at an unusually big car park which can be easily full. There was a period of time when I passed that car park a few times and it always looked busy. The track probably accommodates at least hundreds of visitors each day. Looking for parking space may be the first challenge before the hike.
The 1200 m ascent to the top of Roys Peak is the main challenge of the hike, which is a considerable elevation gain even for an experienced hiker. Because this is normally a day hike, the descent for 1200 m from the summit on the same day is unforgiving as well, sometimes even worse than the climb. But if the fitness or your joints’ endurance is not a concern, then the walk should be pretty pleasant on a fine day. The track is well-formed and the gradient is reasonably gentle in general. The difficulty rating of this track would be only a two-star or 1.5-star if the elevation change is not so huge.
My partner and I visited Roys Peak in April 2017. Unlike most of the visitors, we camped around the summit, spending more time to appreciate the view, and went down on the next day when my old knees had recovered overnight. The price was a heavier backpack on the hike, something we were used to.
If you are really keen to take some good photos, stay on the track as long as you can and you will definitely be rewarded with more stunning scenes. My only regret about the trip is that I should bring more cameras and skills back then. Even Roys Peak Track is a bit too crowded for me, but I am still willing to be there again someday.
For more track information from DOC.
