Salisbury Track: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

Walk to Salisbury Lodge from Flora car park. This is an easy overnight tramp that's good for older children.

This DOC directory entry covers Salisbury Track in Tasman, within Kahurangi National Park. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.

Distance, time and grade

• Distance: 14 km one way
• Walking time: 4 hr one way
• DOC grade: Easy

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.

• 4WD recommended to access Flora car park up Graham Valley Road; First published on 13 July 2025. Last reviewed on 29 September 2026.

• Predator control in Cobb area of Kahurangi National Park; First published on 15 May 2026. Last reviewed on 1 July 2026.

Dog access

No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.

Description

It is a short 30 minute walk from the car park over the saddle to Flora Hut.

Approximately 45 minutes’ walk from Flora Hut is a pool where it is said that Bishop Suter of Nelson bathed while on a visit to the Tableland diggings in 1871.

After a further 30 minutes, you will find the Gridiron Hut and Shelter — together they accommodate seven people.

Continue from the Upper Gridiron Hut to the Upper Junction.

Take the left fork at Upper Junction (about 2 hours down from Flora Hut) and begin a steady climb.

The track passes Growler Shelter after about 30 minutes and the forest becomes ever sparser until you emerge suddenly on the tussock lands known as Salisbury’s Open.

A short side track leads to the Dry Rock Shelter that will accommodate four people.

Salisbury Lodge is 20 minutes further on, across the open tussock.

Side trip: The Potholes

Time: 1 hr 30 min returnDistance: 3 km

From Salisbury Lodge walk back to the Gordons Pyramid signpost. Enter the forest and turn right at the Potholes sign.

Poles lead through a chain of sinkholes, passing Sphinx Creek (which disappears into a cave), and bring you out in Sphinx Gully, not far below the lodge.

Getting there

Flora car park is 75 km from Nelson and 36 km from Motueka.

The Motueka Valley Highway links Nelson and Motueka. Turn off this road at Ngātīmoti and cross the Motueka River. Turn left onto Motueka River West Bank Road, then right into Graham Valley Road, which climbs steeply to the car park. The last 5.8 km is unsealed and turning a vehicle on the road can be difficult. 4WD is recommended at all times of the year.

Know before you go

Keep to the lower Flora valley in poor weather or if you are inexperienced.

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.