Day 2 · the Clinton valley
Glade Wharf → Clinton Hut → Mintaro
Deep beech-forest walking up the flat Clinton valley, waterfalls braiding down the walls, kea calling above. Ends at Mintaro Hut beneath the Pass — the perfect base for the alpine crossing.
Soul Signature
Exceptional · Glade Wharf → Clinton Hut → Mintaro
Best for a walk that lingers long after it ends — just know that the distance and ascent ask for hiking legs.
- Soul96 · Exceptional
How deeply the walk stays with you. A walk people plan a year around. Give it a whole, unhurried day.
- Serenity96 · Exceptional
How quiet the trail feels — crowds, traffic noise, remoteness. Expect long stretches entirely to yourself.
- Regenerative88 · Strong
Wild ground and low-impact access — how gently you can arrive and walk. Good public-transport access; stay on the marked line.
- Joy & beauty96 · Exceptional
Views, water, light and variety along the way. Continuous reward — allow extra hours simply for stopping.
- Family-friendly54 · Modest
Suitability for mixed pace — distance, ascent and exposure. A full adult hiking day. Not a family outing.
Who this walk suits
- Plan it as a full adult hiking day.
- Quiet enough to hear the weather change.
- Reachable without a car — check the station links.
Scores are derived from the route's real GPX shape — distance, ascent and time on foot — combined with our editors' calibration across 175+ walks. Nothing here is sponsored.
Trail at a glance
- Distance23 km
- Elevation+533 m
- Duration6 h
- DifficultyStrenuous
- Serenity96 / 100
Xymove · terrain map
LiveGentleMap key
- Hiking trail
- Start
- Finish
- Parking
Trail field guide
- Water
- Food
- Shelter / hut
- Viewpoint
- Trailhead
- Rest / picnic
- Stay
Tap any pin for hours, water & food details.
Soul & Serenity · how this path is felt
A path that returns you to yourself — slowly, kindly, completely.
Walked, sat with, scored honestly — strongest in nature.
Presence
98/100
How easily the mind quiets here
Nature
100/100
Wildness, water, light, living silence
Regeneration
94/100
What the body & nervous system bring home
Solitude
90/100
Space from crowds, kindly shared with locals
Take the path with you — full GPX track & offline map tiles for the whole route.
Xymove intelligence1
- Resupply8.7 km gap between Hidden Lake and Mintaro Hut. Nearest water: Hidden Lake.
How to use offline · a soul-aware guide›
- Tap Download GPX & Offline Maps on Wi-Fi — your route, waypoints, elevation and soul notes are saved together.
- Import the
.gpxinto Garmin Connect, Komoot, Strava, AllTrails or Gaia GPS — same file works everywhere. - Open this page once before you leave signal. The map will replay from the cache, even on a plane.
- On the trail, breathe before you check the screen. The Emerald Guardian is already with you.
Live from OpenStreetMap
Along the trail — water, shelter, parking & food
Points within 1.5 km of the emerald ribbon, sourced live from the OSM community and cached for 30 days so they still appear when you’re offline in the field.
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Practical, gently arranged
Great Walks bookings open early May for the following season on doc.govt.nz — literally sell out in minutes.
Only walked south-to-north. All four days flow the same way — no backtracking on this track.
Legendary. Long sleeves, DEET, keep moving. Fiordland's price of admission.
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