Valley of the Trolls / Lake Wilson, the Best Hidden Destination via Routeburn Track

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The Difficulty Rating: ★★★⯪☆3.5

The hike to Valley of the Trolls / Lake Wilson is a fantastic side trip via Routeburn Track. Essentially it is off-trail hiking but not so difficult that you have to be an expert to accomplish it safely. This route is gaining popularity in recent years. When we had this hike in January 2022, there had been some trip reports providing helpful information and amazing pictures to entice us exploring the wonders along this route.

In order to maximize the time I could take photos and time-lapse clips, we took a luxurious four-day on this round trip. We began from the eastern end of Routeburn Track and camped at Routeburn Flats Campsite for the first day, which was a place easier to book in contrast to other locations on this super popular Great Walk.

When we were around Harris Saddle, we followed the narrow trail that veers off Routeburn Track and descends to the shore of Lake Harris. That trail junction, the start of the side trip, was not hard to see as long as you pay some attention to it. Although it may look like a very steep descent to approach the shore of Lake Harris, but it was actually alright. After walking along Lake Harris’s western shore toward north for a distance, we arrived the stream that feeds the lake where is the entrance to the Valley of the Trolls.

We started seeing many boulders scattered on the banks and the slope as we moved on the trail and then the view widened up in front of us. The valley floor is a grassy and swampy field with a peaceful stream flowing across it. At the northern side of the valley stands the rock face where a prominent waterfall hangs down, which is from the outlet of Lake Wilson.

When you are near the bottom of the waterfall there are two routes leading to Lake Wilson from there. We climbed the green gully beside the waterfall (on the true left of the waterfall; when you face the waterfall at the bottom, this gully is on its right-hand side). It was a steep ascent with one or more spots required a careful scramble especially when carrying a bulky backpack. If you are an experienced hiker, this climb should not be too hard.

We picked up a nice location to pitch the tent by Lake Wilson, not long before the weather turning foggy and drizzling. Unlike many other energetic hikers, we did not go around the lake or climb any peak and I had to take care of my cameras as always. There were only two tents there during the night; one guy of the other team is a photographer based in Queenstown. The space was big enough for two tents being invisible to each other.

The next day was a short day as we only returned to the valley to find another place to camp. My partner slipped in the gully while we were going down a steep spot, where I felt worrying the day before. She was ahead of me and made a hair-raising sound when she fell and disappeared from my sight. Fortunately and also unfortunately it was a one-meter drop, causing a cut and bruise on her calf. The wound did not look too serious and she remained functional. So we still carried on the plan to stay in valley for one more night.

In the afternoon we saw a solo hiker who seemed to rush to Lake Wilson and a father with his son camped at the other end of the valley, otherwise the Valley of the Trolls was silent. We returned to the busy Routeburn Track in the morning on Day 4 and took a hitchhiker to Queenstown before we drove back to Christchurch. P.S. My partner’s wound did not heal well and it looked nasty (to me) even two months later. She had to turn to a professional for a proper treatment for several times. This wound left a mark which may still be there for the coming years.

Overall, this is definitely a rewarding hike. I personally felt that Valley of the Trolls is more impressive than Lake Wilson in terms of the scenery, but it may be just because I did not have enough time to explore around the lake. The route is unnamed and unmarked on the map, but there were a few traps along the trail. So even without the hikers there should be rangers to check them. From the size of the impact trail and the number of the people we met, I think people visit this route regularly and therefore, these places are no longer an untouched secret. Nevertheless it is still a hidden gem, particularly in comparison with the crowded Routeburn Track.

Although this route is amazing, but I would not recommend it to a hiking beginner because after all it is off-trail. You need to be able to follow a narrow trail, spot the cairns and move carefully and safely on the terrain without any official signs and assistance. The proficiency of using a navigation device with offline topo map is very helpful or even essential.

Anyway I wish anyone who has a chance to visit these wonderful places will have plenty of time to appreciate the scenery rather than rushing the hike.
Here are the two trip reports (click here and also here) which you may find them useful for making your plan.

* The photo taken by my partner