Glacier walks open this summer

Which glacier walks are open in summer 2026-27?

All of them. DOC lists no alerts on any glacier walk around Franz Josef or Fox, and the daily access update for 21 October 2026 shows both valleys open, with track conditions marked good.

The table pulls the distance and time from each DOC track page. The status column comes from DOC's alert feed (checked 22 October 2026) and the daily glacier access update issued at 8:30 am on 21 October 2026 by the Westland Tai Poutini National Park Visitor Centre.

Read the last column as "open today", not "open all summer". DOC's pages for the two valley walks both say the same thing: the track and the access road can close for flooding, rockfall or landslides, sometimes at short notice.

How close can you walk to Franz Josef Glacier this summer?

To a viewpoint about 3 km from the terminal face. The main valley walk is 1.7 km return from the glacier car park and takes about 30 minutes.

The car park sits at the end of Glacier Access Road, about 4 km from the village: cross the Waiho River bridge south of town and turn left. Three walks start there. The valley track to the viewpoint is the one everyone does. Sentinel Rock is a short, steady climb to a platform over the valley, and Peters Pool is a flat loop to a small kettle lake, good with kids and on a still morning a mirror for the peaks.

Beyond the viewpoint the Waiho River has cut the valley off. DOC says it plainly: it is not possible to go further on foot. Even the guided valley walk stops there; its operator writes that "for safety we cannot get any closer to the glacier than the public viewpoint". What the guide adds is rainforest trails off the public track, Peters Pool and the stories behind the rocks.

Parking is the one thing that changed this year. The car park has paid parking, now NZ$2.50 per half hour after a 10-minute free period. Walk or cycle Te Ara a Waiau from the village and you skip it. Details in our post on the parking fees.

Is Roberts Point Track open, and should you do it?

Yes, it is open, and it gives the closest look at Franz Josef Glacier you can get on foot. Do it only in dry weather and only if you are fit.

Roberts Point is 12.3 km return, about 5 h 20 min, graded as an advanced tramping track. It starts on the easy Douglas Walk, crosses the Waiho on Douglas Bridge, then turns rough: tree roots, unbridged creeks starting with Hugh Creek, the 1907 Hende's Gallery bolted to the rock, a high suspension bridge over Rope Creek and a final climb to a lookout above the ice.

The rock slabs after Hende's Hut get very slippery when wet or icy. DOC's advice is to turn back if the creeks are running high. On the West Coast that happens after any decent rain, so keep a dry day for this one and do the short walks on the wet day. It is a lookout, not a route onto the glacier.

What can you walk to at Fox Glacier in 2026-27?

The South Side Walkway to a viewpoint 2,600 m from the ice, and Lake Matheson. The old road and walk to the terminal face on the north side have been closed since 2019.

A landslide blocked the Fox Glacier access road in early 2019, and DOC decided later that year not to rebuild it. The replacement is the Fox Glacier South Side Walkway/Cycleway: park 2 km south of the township over the Fox River bridge, then 6.4 km return through podocarp forest with about 100 m of climbing. Bikes stop at the old car park; the last stretch is on foot. Past the final viewpoint, DOC warns, there is an extreme flood hazard.

Lake Matheson is the other big walk at Fox: a 4.4 km loop of about 90 minutes, 5 km from the township, famous for reflections of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. Go at dawn, before the wind ripples the water. Without a car, the Fox Glacier valley walk leaves the Franz Josef office at 1:30 pm and walks the south side with a guide. More in our Fox Glacier walks guide.

Transport from Franz Josef, a guide on the South Side Walkway and rain gear if the sky opens. You see Fox Glacier from the viewpoints, not up close.

★ 4.8 · 3 to 4 hours · from $67

Explore the Fox Glacier valley walk → Tour details

How do you check if a glacier track is closed on the day?

Read the daily glacier access update, issued each morning, and check NZTA's road map before you drive SH6. The visitor centre at 69 Cron Street, Franz Josef, answers on +64 21 947 990.

The update is a one-page PDF on the Glacier Country site, put out by the DOC visitor centre around 8:30 am. It gives each valley's status, the distance from the viewpoint to the ice, walking times and track conditions. If heavy rain is forecast, look again before you leave, because river surges and rockfall close the valleys fast.

The road matters too. SH6 is the only highway through Glacier Country, and storms close it. In November 2024 cracks at Knights Point, north of Haast, shut the road between Haast and Fox Glacier with no detour, as the Otago Daily Times reported. Check NZTA Journeys on the morning you drive in.

Rain is not always a reason to stay in. The valley walks run in it, and the waterfalls are better for it. The helicopters are a different story; see weather and cancellations.

Frequently asked questions