Kepler Track
開普勒遠足徑 · ケプラー・トラック · কেপলার ট্র্যাক
OSM hiking route in Fiordland, New Zealand (61.6 km loop). Vertical figures sampled from Copernicus GLO-30. Days (5) is a placeholder from round(lengthKm/12), not the published 3–4 day Great Walk window (unverified).
Last verified 2026-09-24 vs Department of Conservation
Cite this record
The Hiking World, Kepler Track, verified 2026-09-24, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/kepler-track
How we verify · last checked 2026-09-24
Byline
- The Hiking World editorial · author
Desk byline for seed records. Named surveying editors replace this once a trail is verified.
Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.
Weather forecast
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Permits and fees
| Permit | Cost | Quota / restriction | Issuer | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOC Great Walk hut/campsite bookingUnverified — not officially sourced | Not recorded | — | Department of Conservation | Issuer page | Unverified |
Altitude weather delta
High 1,394 m minus low 178 m is 1,216 m of relief on this record. A standard tropospheric lapse of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m implies about 7.9 °C cooler at the high point than the valley, all else equal.
That is a model (International Standard Atmosphere environmental lapse), not a forecast and not a trail-closure. Wind, snow, and storms stay in Hazards.
derived:lapse-rate · verified 2026-09-10 · provisionalISA 6.5 °C / 1,000 m · wikipedia.org · 2026-09-10
Line download is the stored OSM geometry, simplified. It is not a surveyed GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON
Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog
Great Walk / Intermediate in season
- SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade)
- Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful.
- YDS Class 1
- Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.
Log in to view the elevation profile
Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 1385141 (ODbL). The mapped line and 2D length are derived from that geometry. Ascent, descent, and high/low points are sampled from Copernicus GLO-30 (copernicus-dem:glo-30) and remain provisional. Water, permits, and hazards were not taken from OSM tags and must be verified.
OSM 2D length is 61.6 km (relation 1385141; longest-component snap of the DOC Great Walk loop, ref GW08). Published 60.1 km / 3–4 days (DOC Kepler Track, https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/kepler-track/, checked 2026-08-24) are cross-checks only, not this DataPoint. Wikidata Q846931 is the Kepler Track, not Routeburn or Milford.
typicalDays 4 is the published typical: DOC says most walkers take four days / three nights (https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/kepler-track/, checked 2026-08-24). Published window 3–4 days; not a DataPoint. Great Walks season 27 October 2026–30 April 2027; winter is alpine skills, not a Great Walk (same page).
The OSM way-bag does not vertex-close: the control-gates start (167.718°E, 45.423°S) and Rainbow Reach end (167.685°E, 45.440°S) are 3.14 km apart. routeType is loop per DOC's circular Great Walk. A 2026-08-24 Overpass check found no path/footway/bridleway/steps component touching both stored ends; the DOC shuttle/road between the control gates and Rainbow Reach was not stored as a walking closer.
Water was not mapped to named WaterSource points (no honest atFraction). DOC notes no reliable water on the alpine section between Luxmore Hut and Iris Burn Hut; that is a safety note, not a positioned WaterSource.
Water
No water sources recorded.
Surface
Surface is not recorded. This field is filled only from an OSM surface tag, not from the grade.
Permits & fees
- Permit
- DOC Great Walk hut/campsite booking
Log in to view cost, booking, and issuer
Getting there
Sourced legs to the Kepler Track control gates (OSM line start) base start station — where this trail record begins. This is not a route planner: durations are approximate and marked provisional until an official transport page confirms them.
Bus · Queenstown (ZQN) → Te Anau
Road/shuttle from Queenstown to Te Anau. No rail to Fiordland trailheads.
doc.govt.nz · verified 2026-08-24 · official · provisionalRoad · Te Anau → Kepler Track car park / control gates
DOC: Kepler Track car park is 5 km from Te Anau; the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre is a 50-minute walk along the lakefront to the track entrance. Shuttle buses run to entry/exit points in the Great Walks season; a scheduled boat also serves Brod Bay (https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/kepler-track/, checked 2026-08-24).
doc.govt.nz · verified 2026-08-24 · official · provisionalRoad · Invercargill (IVC) → Te Anau
Secondary South Island gateway; road to Te Anau, then local transport as above. Not named on the DOC Kepler page.
en.wikipedia.org · verified 2026-08-24 · wikidata · official · provisional
No rail. Rainbow Reach (12 km from Te Anau) is an alternate start/exit on the same DOC loop; this record's OSM line currently starts at the control-gates end.
Plan from your location
Type a city, then pick a match. These links open external search tools — they do not fetch fares or timetables.
Getting there car-free
- Start (OSM line): car-free flag unknown. No transit note stored, so this is not a way to get there.
- End (OSM line): car-free flag unknown. No transit note stored, so this is not a way to get there.
Trailheads
- Start (OSM line) car-free: unknown
- End (OSM line) car-free: unknown
Log in to view trailhead transit detail
Hazards
- Exposed alpine section between Luxmore Hut and Iris Burn Hut; weather can change quickly and DOC may close that section or use a bad-weather route when avalanche hazard is present (https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/kepler-track/, checked 2026-08-24).
- No reliable drinking water on the alpine section until Iris Burn Hut — fill at Luxmore Hut (same DOC page, checked 2026-08-24).
- From May to late October the Kepler does not operate as a Great Walk / easier tramping track. DOC requires ice axe, crampons, and avalanche kit (beacon, probe, shovel); avalanche paths cross the alpine section and DOC does not manage that hazard in winter (same DOC page, checked 2026-08-24).
Questions
Do I need a permit for Kepler Track?
A permit is listed as required for Kepler Track: DOC Great Walk hut/campsite booking. Status is unverified. This desk does not treat that as an official ruling.
When is the best time to hike Kepler Track?
On this record the best season is: Great Walks season 27 Oct 2026–30 Apr 2027; winter = alpine skills.
How difficult is Kepler Track?
Kepler Track is graded DOC: Great Walk / Intermediate · SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1. A sourced hazard on this record: Exposed alpine section between Luxmore Hut and Iris Burn Hut; weather can change quickly and DOC may close that section or use a bad-weather route when avalanche hazard is present (https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/kepler-track/, checked 2026-08-24).
How long is Kepler Track?
The OSM 2-D length on this record is 61.6 km (provisional). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail
How do I get to Kepler Track?
The record’s base start is Kepler Track control gates (OSM line start). A primary gateway on the record is Queenstown Airport (ZQN). Trailhead transit notes are not included in this public FAQ.
Related trails
- Milford Track · Compared with this record
- Routeburn Track · Compared with this record
- Tongariro Alpine Crossing · Compared with this record
- Tongariro Northern Circuit · Compared with this record
- Ala-Kul Lake Trek · Same collection
- Alta Via 1 · Same collection
Featured in
- Permit & season calendar
- Difficulty scales and surface
- Seasonality on the catalog
- Water sources on the catalog
- Car-free and transit access
- Government fees and operator markup
- Iconic bucket-list treks
- New Zealand Great Walks compared
- Car-free long-distance hikes
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