Lewis Pass National Reserve: Lewis Pass Nature Walk

A productive stopover at Lewis Pass

 I had a break at the Lewis Pass carpark on my way to Nelson Lakes NP a couple of weeks ago. I usually stop at the Lewis Pass carpark as it is roughly 2.5-3 hours drive from Christchurch and is a attractive spot to stretch your legs.

At the Lewis Pass Tarn, Lewis Pass National Reserve

  It is sometimes wet and windy but if it is fine it is a awesome spot to explore. There are tracks, lookouts, a day shelter and an alpine tarn here. 

Sign post at the Lewis Pass carpark

I have stopped at the Lewis Pass carpark a number of times over the years but only realised last year that there is a small loop track just off the St James Walkway. It is through an area of lovely sub alpine forest and glacial remains and it is a couple of hundred meters away from the tarn. The track is called the Lewis Pass Nature Loop Walk.

Distant Spencer Range from Lewis Pass carpark

On the way to the Loop Track you pass by the side of Lewis Pass Tarn so if you have never visited the tarn before stop and have a look as it is very picturesque...

On the Lewis Pass Nature Walk:

The first part of the track is along the beginning of the St James Walkway which is a 67 kilometer, 3-5 day tramping trip from here to the Boyle River Valley.  The junction for the Loop Track is about 200 meters from the carpark and heads off to the left...

Junction of St James Walkway and Nature Walk

The Lewis Pass Nature Walk is only 800 meters long and will take you from 20-25 minutes to complete. To start with you are walking over boardwalk but this changes to gravel track as you make your way towards an area of wetlands and rolling moraine piles left over from some ancient glacier. 

Boardwalk at the start of the Lewis Pass Nature Walk

The area around the Lewis Pass has been sculpted by ice and it was in the recent past. There were glaciers in all of these valleys as recently as 8000 years ago and there is much evidence of glacial action all around you. The small humps, rock piles and ridges along the walk are old glacial moraine walls while the shallow wetlands are dried up and silted over kettle tarns.

Silted up kettle tarn...Lewis Pass Nature Walk

Lewis Pass is particularly spectacular in the winter when this whole area will be covered with snow.

Subalpine vegetation on the Lewis Pass Nature Walk

There are awesome views of the surrounding mountain ranges like the Freyburg, Opera, Libretto and Spencer. Many of the peaks around here are from 1600-2000 meters a.s.l so they often still have snow on their tops even in summer. 

Lewis Pass Tops from the Lewis Pass Nature Walk

There are a number of open tussock fields with a variety of alpine plants growing. Most all of this flat ground would once have been tarns which are now dry and silted up. 

View east towards the Lewis Pass Carpark

You will find several informative panels along the tracks explaining the fauna, flora and geology of this area. 

Information panel along the Lewis Pass Nature Walk

The Lewis Pass Nature Walk alternates between gravel path and boardwalk as it winds around the outside of the flat tussock lands. 

Looking towards Lewis Pass from the Lewis Pass Nature Walk

At one point there is a good view of SH7 the Lewis Pass Highway and down along the mountain ranges which border the Lewis River Valley. The Libretto Range runs right along the eastern side of the highway and it is possible to walk from one end of them to the other along open tops...

SH7 the Lewis Pass Highway

This is the edge of the east-west divide so while the predominant tree species is Beech you will also see some Podocarp trees. Beech prefers the drier eastern side of the ranges while Podocarp forest dominates on the wetter West Coast.

Beech forest along the Lewis Pass Nature Walk

End of Opera Range from Lewis Pass Nature Walk

There is an excellent view up the Maruia River Valley from the track and you can see far enough up the valley to see the beginning of the Spencer Range. This is the route of the St James Walkway which hugs the narrow valley bottom till past the Faire Queene where the valley widens out into a series of tussock plains.

The snow capped Spencer Mountains 

There are a variety of alpine plants along the track including Turpentine Scrub, Snow Tussock, Red Tussock, Alpine Lilies and other rugged plants. Many of these can be seen in alpine regions in the South Island including Nelson Lakes NP,  Arthurs Pass, Mt Cook and down around Mt Aspiring NP.

The Lewis Pass Nature Walk winds over glacial debris

Further along the track heads into stunted Beech forest which is the dominant tree species around Lewis Pass. There are Black Beech and Silver Beech here with larger Red Beech further along the St James Walkway. Most of the forest is cloaked in strands of Lichen which gives it a ghostly appearance. 

Moss covers the trees...Lewis Pass Nature Walk

There is a DOC information panel near here which explains about the Beech line...the altitude at which Beech trees stop growing. Above the Beech line is the home of sub alpine and alpine plant species. 

Information panel about Beech forest

The track crosses some more glacial remains just before reentering the forest and there are more moraines and glacial erratic's everywhere you look. The area would be a geologist dream location as there is plenty to explore...

Glacial mounds on the Lewis Pass Nature Walk

Freyburg Range to the west of Lewis Pass

Heading back to the Lewis Pass Tarn

There is a terminal Moraine wall you climb up and over just before the end of the circuit. It is the furthermost edge of a retreating glacier...as the ice melted it left a pile of soil and rocks at the point where the glacier stopped moving forward. In areas like Aoraki/Mt Cook these can be 200 meters tall but here they are 20-40 meters high. 

Terminal moraine wall...Lewis Pass Nature Walk

Lewis Pass is at 900 meters a.s.l so it is often cloudy, misty and raining here. Because it is such a wet environment most of the trees are cover with lichen and moss. You see long wispy beards of moss hanging from the trees right along the Nature Walk

It is often wet at Lewis Pass hence the moss

There is a prominent waterfall coming down off the end of the Libretto Range. It is visible from several places along the Lewis Pass Nature Walk. They only run after heavy rain so are not shown on any topo map but they originate from tarns on Trovatore (1737). 

Looking to the Libretto Range from Lewis Pass

Waterfall falling down off Trovatore (1737)

The track winds its way back towards the track junction and before you know it you can see the end of the track coming into view once again. It is an easy walk but due to the gravel and small mounds it is probably not wheelchair friendly. 

More is the pity.... 

Turpentine Scrub along the Lewis Pass Nature Walk

Back at start of loop...Lewis Pass Nature Walk

Once off the Nature Walk you are back on the St James Walkway for a couple of hundred meters back to the carpark. FYI...I am planning a trip to the St James Walkway for early next year. The last time I walked the track was back in 2015 and I have been contemplating a return for the last couple of years. I would like to camp up at the head of the Boyle River... 

Back on the St James Walkway to the Lewis Pass carpark

The Lewis Pass Tarn is along the bush edge

Even if you do not walk the Nature Walk it is worthwhile coming down to this end of the Lewis Pass Tarn to take photographs. The view back along the tarn and down the Lewis River Valley is very picturesque. 

Lewis Pass Tarn from the northern end

Looking north to the Maruia Valley and Spencer Range

There are a number of other tracks accessible from the carpark at Lewis Pass including the Lewis Tops Route, St James Walkway and Rolleston Peak Route. You can also access the Zampa Tops Route off the St James and it is possible to walk to the eastern end of the Libretto Range near Boyle Village along the top of the range...

Map of the local tracks...Lewis Pass Tarn

There is a trampers shelter at the Lewis Pass carpark with a toilet and water tank. It is intended for those people waiting for a bus or other form of transport to collect them.  While it has over head cover it is a three sided building so you cannot sleep here. It would be a great spot to sit and wait for a couple of hours but the voracious sandflies would require copious sprays of DEET to ward off....

Track to the Lewis Pass Day shelter

Lewis Pass Day Shelter, Lewis Pass National Reserve

Right next to the day shelter is a viewing platform looking out over the Lewis Pass Tarn. It is nice standing here and looking down the tarn to the distant Spencer Range up at the end of the Maruia River Valley.

View from the lookout at Lewis Pass Tarn

The Spencer Mountains frame the end of the tarn

I spent about an hour at Lewis Pass before heading back to the car to continue my journey to Nelson Lakes. It was a productive visit with a nice walk and many photos and film clips captured!

Lewis Pass Tarn from near the shelter

Lewis Pass carpark was very quiet

The next time you are crossing Lewis Pass you should stop and go for a stroll...even if you only go take some photos of the Lewis Pass Tarn you will not be disappointed. It is a lovely area and deserves some of your attention...

Access: From SH 7 (Lewis Pass Highway) a short boardwalk track leads to the Lewis Pass Nature Loop Walk. You can access several other tracks from the carpark including the Lewis Tops Track, Rolleston Peak Track and the St James Walkway.

Track Times: It is two minutes to the Lewis Pass Loop Walk from the carpark (follow the signs). Other tracks are from 30 minutes to several days depending on length.

Miscellaneous: The Lewis Pass carpark is in a high alpine area and as such is prone to extreme weather. There is a toilet and trampers shelter near the tarn available to all visitors. Severe avalanche risk on the Lewis Pass Tops & St James Walkway in Winter/Spring so only proceed if safe (check the Avalanche Advisory website).  

YouTube link: Lewis Pass Nature Loop Track