Hiking the Milford Track with our kids was pretty fun.
Hiking the Milford Track with kids was an amazing and memorable trip for our family. After hearing about this amazing walk for years we finally did the planning and had an unforgettable hiking trip along this trail on the South Island of New Zealand.
When a trail is billed as ‘the finest walk in the world’, it has a lot to live up to. Well, after planning a year in advance we did this walk in New Zealand and had a nice time. I’m not sure that I would rank it as the finest walk in the world, but that may be because we didn’t have the best weather on our walk. Regardless, we had a great time, and I would strongly encourage others to give it a go with their kids.
Milford Track Overview
4 day, 53.5km (33 miles) trail.
The trail begins around 200 meters, climbs to 1,073 meters, and descends to sea level or 0 meters.
Located in the south-western part of the South Island of New Zealand in Fjordland National Park.
Check this other post for more Milford Track logistics and FAQ.
Hiking New Zealand’s Milford Track With Kids
Hiking the Milford Track with my kids was an incredible experience to have as a family.
The Milford Track is one of the Great Walks in New Zealand and is nothing to be undertaken lightly, especially with kids. We have been hiking with our kids their entire lives and as they’ve gotten older they have only become stronger and stronger.
Over the 6 months before this walk we did a lot of day hikes and some multi-day hikes. Watching how our kids performed on these walks gave us, and them, the confidence that they could complete the 53 km Milford Track.
This track is only for adults and children over ten years of age. Our kids were just old enough to do it. At first I didn’t understand the age restriction, but after our experience I get it. The track can flood so quickly that it just isn’t safe for really young kids.
The Milford Track takes you up the Clinton valley, over McKinnon pass, and then down the other side where you follow the Arthur valley to Milford Sound. In theory it sounds pretty simple and straightforward, but it turned out to be far from that. I had heard that it rains a lot so we made sure to bring our rain gear (thank goodness we did).
One interesting note about the two valleys that you hike is the differences between the two. The Clinton valley (where you start) is a little bit colder and gets a bit less rain than the Arthur valley, which goes into Milford Sound! The Arthur valley averages between 7 and 9 meters of rain a year!
On a nice March day we flew into Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand to begin our adventure. From there a couple of buses and a boat ride later we finally set out on our first steps of the Milford Track when we stepped ashore at Glade Wharf.
The walk follows the Clinton River the first day. Beautiful:)
The walk that first day is very short, about 5 kms or so, just long enough to see some beech forest, the beautiful Clinton River, and to get a feel for carrying your backpack.
Hanging out and climbing boulders at the Clinton River near the first hut.
We arrived at the hut shortly after lunch and had most of the afternoon to just hang out in the area. The kids had fun exploring the river and climbing on rock until it was time to prepare dinner and greet the other trampers.
A unique aspect of the Milford is that you have to hike it in one direction and stay at each of the three huts. This means that the 40 people that stay at the hut with you the first night are the 40 people you will be with along the track and at the huts each night. This allows you to get to know your fellow trampers pretty well. For us that was great because there were two other families with two kids each.
It was really cool because the kids all got to know each other pretty quickly. Before we knew it the kids were all hanging out and playing cards together. By the time we got to the hut on the second and third nights our kids would put their things on a bunk and then run off to the common room to find their friends and play cards.
The first two days of the trip were great, sunny days. The first day and most of the second day we followed a nice, wide trail that climbed very gently. We strolled along the trail, marveled at the Beech Trees and the crystal clear waters of the river where we spotted some big trout! It made me briefly wish I had my fly rod with me.
Hiking up the valley the second day towards Mackinnon Pass in the distance.
Those first two days were fun and not very strenuous. We picnicked by the river, soaked up some sun and enjoyed the views. The trail did not get too tough until the last 45 minutes of the second day when the trail got much steeper before arriving at the hut. At the end of that second day we jumped in the lake near the hut to wash off. The weather was still clear and sunny at that point.
Unfortunately, our luck with the weather did not last and the weather deteriorated for the final two days of our walk.
The climb up to the Mackinnon Pass was a bit steep, but had nice views.
On the third day we hiked up out of the Clinton Valley to Mackinnon Pass. It was cold to begin that hike and we were all wearing multiple layers and even gloves. The hike up was steep, but not too long, and the kids did fine. I think it was harder for us because our bags were heavy and we’re getting old.
Mackinnon Pass was very cold and wet for us as you can see. The weather was quickly deteriorating.
I’ve seen amazing photos of the pass and was super excited to see it for myself. Unfortunately, the views at the pass were not very good due to lots of clouds and drizzle. It was very cold, windy, and wet. Therefore, we did not spend a lot of time lingering and enjoying the ‘views’. We took a couple of quick pictures, then headed to the shelter to warm up and get out of the weather for a few minutes.
There is a fully enclosed shelter at the pass with a stove and water. We quickly put on warmer clothes and brewed some hot liquids (cup a soup and Milo) to warm us up and revive us for the rest of the walk.
Those warm liquids helped us feel much better. After that we put on our rain gear, loaded up and headed down from the pass to our next and final hut, Dumpling Hut. On the walk down the weather was drizzling, cloudy, and cold, so we hurried down and didn’t stop to admire the views.
The trail skirted a big cirque with waterfalls and then descended steeply. The trail at that point was a steep wooden staircase with platforms that went down alongside a cascade with innumerable plunge pools and waterfalls. It was breathtaking. Eventually the trail got less steep and we followed the main valley.
By this point in day three of our trip along the Milford track we were all a bit tired and grouchy. We were all wet, a bit cold, and ready to get to the hut and change into some dry, warm clothes.
Even though the final hour was walking along through the forest at a very moderate descent, it somehow seemed to take forever to make it to the hut. Funnily, shortly after we arrived the kids dumped their stuff and then ran to the dining area to play cards with one of their friends who was already at the hut.
That evening at the Ranger’s talk we learned that a huge amount of rain was expected to hit the following day around noon. The ranger became very serious and warned us that we all needed to be on the trail early to get at least 5 km down the trail by noon because that first 5 km of trail would flood.
Wow. This was news to us and things suddenly became serious for all of us, but especially for those of us with kids. Apparently, crossing flooded creeks is the big issue with kids hiking the trail. It is common for the trail to get partially flooded over and you will simply have to cross the swollen side creeks sometimes.
The ranger explained how the main river can rise and drop meters quickly if there is a lot of rain. The threat is simply the quantity of rain that comes in a short time and when it falls. It rains all of the time along the Milford Track, but most of the time it is spread out over a longer period of time so it is not a problem. However, sometimes it can be a serious issue, such as what we were facing.
The other major threat is crossing lots of swollen side creeks. The trail follows along a narrow glacial valley and passes by many small creeks that normally have little to no water. In a big downpour those side creeks flood and cross the trail.
That was a long, sleepless night for some of the other parents and me. I just wasn’t sure what to expect the next day except that the ranger had placed some serious fear into me. I knew we had to wake up and hit the trail in the dark and that we would be walking or wading across some swollen creeks. I just had no idea how swollen the creeks would be or how sketchy or dangerous the crossings would be.
This is a view above our hut of some of the waterfalls that formed from the deluge and were causing the serious flooding.
To make a long story short, the heavy rains began during the night and when we woke up the next day the ranger told us the trail was closed. None of us could believe it. We had no idea that could even happen due to the rain. It turned out there was so much rain that the trail just downstream from the hut was totally flooded over and simply impassable.
The DOC closed the entire Milford Track that day for safety reasons. This meant that all of those people who were going to start that day simply had their trip cancelled due to bad luck! They couldn’t be pushed back a day because there were another 40 people waiting to start that day. We were lucky we only had our last day to finish and didn’t lose out on the whole track.
After sitting around for a few hours the ranger called us all together to inform us there was a change of plans and we would be flown by helicopter 5 kms down the trail to where it was safer and we could hike the rest of the way to Sandfly Point from there. That caused a lot of excitement as we all realized we would get a helicopter ride and then we’d be walking in the rain for several hours, including wading across creeks.
Excitement and nervousness as we wait for the helicopter ride! Notice, this is the last photo we took because there was too much rain and water to take any more photos.
After preparations we all watched a helicopter land on the grassy area in front of the hut. It began ferrying people and then all of our backpacks the 5 kms down the trail. The helicopter ride was surreal. I’ve never been on a helicopter before and to be in one flying down this glacial valley in the pouring rain with waterfalls coming off all the cliffs and seeing the valley in flood below us was just crazy! That was easily the most memorable part of the track for us.
Looking out the helicopter towards the hut as we prepare for our flight.
We got our bags and then began to walk the rest of the trail to Sandfly Point to get a boat ride to Milford Sound. That walk was very tough and a bit scary because it was raining the whole time and we had to wade across or jump many creeks that were in flood. Our boots and our clothes were soaked in no time despite all of our rain gear.
A couple of the crossings were super scary because the water was moving so fast and was up to my knees or the kids thighs. To our left the walls quickly climbed steeply up and to the right, not far off the trail was a roaring river in flood. One misstep or slip and we could have easily been swept off the trail and into the roaring river.
We crossed in twos, my son and I together and my wife and our daughter together. We used our hiking poles on the downstream side and slowly waded across the creek, being extremely careful and sure with every step. I had about as firm a grip as I could on my sons’ hand. We safely made it across and took several deep breaths and then kept walking.
Just to give you an idea of how the rivers and creeks looked to us, look at the iconic photo of people on a bridge over a river that is on the brochures for the Milford Track. In the photo you can see boulders below this bridge. When we crossed that bridge all we could see below it was a huge, roaring river with rapids. There was absolutely no sign of boulders.
The final hour or so of that walk was uneventful, but long because we were so wet, cold, and tired. We were tired from not sleeping much that night and physically tired from the 4 day Milford Track. Then on top of all of that we were emotionally drained from the stress of worrying about walking along the trail in the rain. We made it to Sandfly Point where we caught a boat to Milford Sound and a bus ride back to Te Anau.
The DOC ranger and staff did an incredible job of taking care of all the independent walkers and made sure we were all safe. I can’t say enough about what a fantastic job they did and how much I appreciate it.
That last day left an indelible impression on my memory of the entire trip. When I think of hiking the Milford Track with my kids the first thing that comes to mind is the rain, a helicopter ride, and a few scary creek crossings. After that I think of the beautiful Clinton River, and some magnificent scenery.
Hiking the Milford Track with kids was an incredible adventure. I’m glad that we did it, but I do wish it hadn’t rained quite so much.
For More Info and Milford Track FAQ
If you want to get some more information about the Milford Track or learn some logistics then check out this other post on Milford Track FAQ.