Mid Caples Hut

Overview: an easy walk up the Caples Valley to the excellent Mid Caples Hut for the night, 4th-5th May 2026

Sometimes you plan things so far in advance that you lose track of what you have and have not researched and prepared for. So despite having a pretty clear idea of what I could expect on the track and at the hut, an ominous sign at the tiny settlement of Kinloch, on the far north-western shores of Lake Wakatipu, suprised me with threats of three potentially impassable and/or vehicle damaging fords on the road to the Greenstone-Caples car park.
I fully expected a narrow and windy gravel road - that's pretty much a given - but I'd not seen the fords mentioned in my apparently inadequate research. And it was easy to see why they could be troublesome, unlike some of the more tame concreted fords I've encountered, these were pretty much just shallow streams that the road dips in and out of. My rental car made it through absolutely fine however, with only the briefest of undercarriage scrapes exiting the second ford on the inbound drive. I no doubt violated the rental terms and conditions but it's been long enough now that I feel pretty safe to say I got away with it.
Long story short, you'll probably be fine, barring any heavy rain and/or storm events. The DOC visitor centre in Queenstown would also have up-to-date info on the road condition.

Roading digression aside, back to the tramp itself. From the car park, the well formed track leads into the forest, following the Greenstone river upstream. Very shortly, another track diverges, crossing a suspension bridge over the river. This is the Rere Lake loop track. The Greenstone-Caples stays on the river's true left, and begins to climb through beech forest interspersed with interesting rock formations. The valley is narrow here, and the track reaches roughly 80m above the river as it sidles along the steep hillside. 

 Eventually, 2 km from the start, another bridge is reached a short distance upstream of the confluence of the Greenstone and Caples rivers. The bridge crosses the Caples river, where the Greenstone track then makes it's way up the Greenstone valley. I continue straight ahead, following the Caples track.

Curiously, the track here sits very close to the edge of the public conservation land (the Caples Conservation Area), which covers the forested hills on the river's true left, but not the valley floor itself (as can be seen on Te Herenga a Nuku's walking access maps). The origins of the this arrangement trace back to the 1860s when colonial pioneer types lay claim to various pockets of land for farming. It also goes some way to explaining the somewhat incongruous farm-type fencing that was visible at times, which in hindsight probably demarcated the boundary of the public conservation estate and private land.

The track alternates between the fringe of the forest and out in the open. Tussock is conspicuous in its absence from valley floor - a consequence of the valley's use for running livestock. At times, the track crosses lose rocky slopes, prone to slips during and after stormy weather. Several streams are also crossed (unbridged) along the way, but they are small and shallow.

About 7.2 km from the start, the track passes by the vicinity of the Old Birchdale Homestead - a relic of the Birchdale Station that once occupied the valley. Nowadays, the homestead is a jumble of partially standing walls. It can't be seem from the track, but the general area is identifiable from the poplar trees adorning the terraces across the river. A pile of timber and iron can be seen from the track - the "Derelict Hut" marked on Topo50 maps.

Not far from here I took a quick snack break at another stream crossing. And quick it was, because it was not long until I was being mobbed by voracious sandflies. I gave up partway through my cheese and crackers and continued on toward the hut. 

Close to the hut, the track enters forest and climbs briefly, arriving in a another open grassy area with brilliant views up to the mountains at the head of the valley. On the other side of these mountains is the Earland Falls section of the Routeburn Track. The track makes a sharp left turn, re-enters the forest where a wooden footbridge crosses a narrow and spectacular gorge of the Caples River. The bottom end of the gorge can be walked to by following a clear but unmarked track the diverges from the main track in the forested area before ascending to the bridge. There's a memorial bench seat, and the river exits the narrow gorge into a deep and startlingly blue pool.

 

The hut is visible almost immediately after the bridge, where it occupies a brilliant spot on a high terrace. There are great views of the surrounding mountains. The hut itself is modern and spacious, with a generous communal area and two large bunkrooms. Separate DOC warden quarters are attached by a covered deck. The fire was already going when I arrived and the hut was warm and cosy. There's bunks for 24 people, though only seven other people were there.

Dusk

Dawn

The next day I departed relatively early and retraced my steps to the carpark in time to drive to Queenstown airport for my flight back to Wellington. 

 

Map:

Elevation Profile:

Time and Distance:

Carpark to Caples Track bridge: 2.01 km, 34 min; Bridge to track adjacent to Derelict Hut: 5.29 km, 1 hr 52 min; Derelict Hut to Mid Caples Hut: 1.9 km, 33 min.

Total: 9.2 km, 2 hours 59 min.