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Location & access
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route. Check the official route directions before travel.
Official location informationLocation source
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route.
Reference point: -44.83496, 168.67852. WGS84 coordinates retained at the official service's returned precision; decimal resolution is not survey accuracy. Source positional accuracy is not specified.
DOC Maps walking and tramping reference point (WGS84), exact official-page GUID / Department of Conservation. Checked 2026-10-12.
Key facts
- Distance
- Not confirmed on the checked DOC page; see individual route sections
- Walking time
- 2 hr
- Track grade
- Intermediate
- Location
- Skippers area
- Dog access
- Dogs on a leash only. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Checked against official sources on 8 October 2026. Rules and conditions are set by Department of Conservation — confirm with them before you go.
Route overview
Retrace the miners’ daily walk from their homes in Skippers to the Crystal Mine, their workplace in the 1930s and 40s.
This DOC directory entry covers Crystal Battery Track in Otago, within Skippers area. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.
Distance, time and grade
- Distance: Not confirmed on the checked DOC page; see individual route sections
- Walking time: 2 hr
- DOC grade: Intermediate
Access and alerts
Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.
- Skippers road and bridge closure; First published on 17 October 2025. Last reviewed on 6 October 2026.
Dog access
Dogs on a leash only. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Description
Start and finish: Behind Skippers Cemetery
Retrace the miners’ daily walk from their homes in Skippers to the Crystal Mine, their workplace in the 1930s and 40s.
A zigzag journey, Crystal Hut passes the Leviathan Mine’s remains. Scattered relics of the quartz stamping battery lie in the creek bed and the aerial tramway can be traced 200 m to the blocked Crystal Mine entrance above you.
Like many mines, Crystal showed early promise but proved disappointing.
Getting there
From Queenstown, travel along Gorge Road to Arthur’s Point and take the turn-off to Coronet Peak ski field. Off that road, turn left onto the unsealed road signposted to Skippers. From Skippers Saddle, continue on the narrow and winding 13 km Gorge Road to Skippers Bridge and Mount Aurum Recreation Reserve.
Know before you go
It is a one-and-a-half- to two-hour drive to Skippers. Only experienced drivers should attempt this journey. Because of its challenges, and precipitous drop-offs, this is not a road on which to learn gravel-driving techniques.
During high winds small-sized branches are falling out of dead trees within the densely forested pine stands in Mount Aurum Recreation Reserve. Avoid areas of dead trees during high winds.
Sources and reuse
Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.
The accompanying photograph is a licensed general hiking illustration, not a photograph of this route.
