North Borland Track: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

This tramping track offers an excellent trip to the North Borland Hut in Monowai, Fiordland.

This DOC directory entry covers North Borland Track in Fiordland, within Fiordland National Park / Lake Monowai/Borland Road 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: 12 km one way, return via same track
• Walking time: 6 - 8 hours to hut
• DOC grade: Advanced

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.

Seasonal restrictions

The Borland Road may be closed at any time. Check alerts for the Borland Road.

Dog access

No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.

Description

This tramping track offers an excellent tramp up the Borland Valley with interesting limestone in places, a hut, and access for experienced trampers to Mt Titiroa or the Garnock Burn and Manapouri.

From the gate near the Borland Lodge, enter the Borland Nature Walk, cross the Borland Burn suspension bridge and follow the sign pointing to the North Borland Track.

The track follows the river for 1 hour 45 minutes to the intersection with the South Borland Track. Take the North Borland Track which follows the Borland Burn terrace for 45 minutes to a large limestone Rock Bivvy, which provides shelter and has a pit toilet.

NB: The section from the Borland Burn suspension bridge to the Intersection with the South Borland Track has been left out of the "Lake Monowai, Borland and the Grebe Valley" brochure this is an error. This will be updated in later versions of the publication.

Approximately 15 minutes from the Rock Bivvy, cross the Middle Branch of the Borland Burn River. Extreme caution should be taken as the water levels can rise rapidly with heavy rain.

The track climbs steeply above a gorge to a clearing where Mt. Titiroa may be seen to the north east. Here the track re-enters the bush and continues to a tussock and scrub clearing.

The North Borland Hut is located approximately 30 minutes into the clearing. There is no marked route out of the head of the valley but experienced trampers can cross from the North Borland Burn to the Garnock Burn and further to Manapouri.

Getting there

This track starts from Borland Lodge (Borland Road), in Monowai, Southland.

Lake Monowai and the Borland Road are located about 67 km from Te Anau (1 hour), and 120 km from Invercargill (1 hour 45 min) and can be accessed via the Southern Scenic Route.

From Te Anau

Drive south via the Te Anau-Mossburn Highway and onto the Blackmount-Redcliff Rd.

After 55 km (about 40 min), turn right into Lake Monowai Rd just north of the Blackmount School.

Follow signs to Borland Lodge or Lake Monowai (both reached after about 20 min).

From Invercargill

Drive 77 km to Clifden (65 min) then head north on the Clifden-Blackmount Rd (25 km, 20 min) until turning left into the Lake Monowai Rd, just north of the Blackmount School.

Follow signs to Borland Lodge or Lake Monowai (both reached after about 20 min).

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.