A variety of camp-sites in Arthur's Pass...
There
are a number of camp sites within the park, all of them are accessible
from SH73 so you tend to share them with freedom campers and tourists in
camper vans. There is one on the western side and five on the eastern
side of Arthur's Pass.
Kelly Creek Camp-site: West Coast
Kelly
creek camp-site is on the western side of the Main Divide about 2
kilometres past Otira settlement. It is a very basic camp-site located
next to the car-park along Kelly's Creek. There is a nice 30 walk near
here called the Cockayne Nature Walk. This is also the start of the
track to Carroll Hut on the ridges over looking Kelly's Creek.
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| Kelly's Creek car-park and camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
- Located 20 km west from VISITOR CENTRE on Highway 73.
- FREE
- NO Advance Bookings - first in, first served!
- Camper vans permitted (no powered sites)
- Facilities: Long drop toilet, water is from Kelly's Creek (treat before use)
- No pets permitted under any circumstances.
- Take your rubbish with you!
- Note: Roadside shelter was removed in December 2007!
There
are a lot of car break-ins at this car park so hide any valuables out
of sight if you leave your car here for any length of time.
Avalanche Creek, Camp-site and day shelter
The main camp-site and the one closest to Arthur's Pass township is the
Avalanche Creek shelter and camp-site.
There is space here for about 10 small tents as well as lots of space
for camper vans to park. The shelter is large and can easily hold a
sizeable number of people.
Note: you may not sleep inside the shelter and this is regularly policed by the local DOC Rangers.
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| Avalanche Creek Shelter and camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
- Located across road from the Arthur's Pass DOC visitor centre
- NO Advance Bookings - first in, first served!
- Camper vans permitted (no powered sites)
- Cost $8 pp / night. Payable at site, or DOC Visitor Centre opposite.
- Facilities: Water, toilets, day-use shelter with tables, rubbish disposal.
- No pets permitted under any circumstances.
- No open fires permitted!
- Warning: Do not leave your tent unattended as the Kea will dismantle it for you!
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| Avalanche Creek Shelter and camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Plenty of space for camper vans at the Avalanche Creek Shelter, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Avalanche Creek Shelter, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Interior of the Avalanche Creek Shelter, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Interior of the Avalanche Creek Shelter, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Interior of the Avalanche Creek Shelter, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Useful information board in the Avalanche Creek Shelter, Arthur's Pass National Park |
The
Avalanche Peak Track starts close to this shelter, it is located right
next to the DOC visitor centre on the opposite side of SH73.
Greyney's shelter & camp-site
Greyney's Shelter camp-site
is the start point for a number of tracks: the Old Coach Road, the
Mingha-Deception Track and the route to Edwards Hut. There is space for
about 3-6 smaller tents, SH73 is right next to the camp-site so it is a
bit noisy. There is no water anywhere near here so you need to bring
supplies with you.
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| The camping area at Greyney's Shelter, Arthur's Pass National Park |
- Located 5 km east from Arthur's Pass DOC visitor centre on Highway 73.
- FREE
- NO Advance Bookings - first in, first served!
- Camper vans permitted (no powered sites)
- Facilities: Day use shelter, long drop toilet
- Limited camping space!
- No pets permitted under any circumstances.
- Take your rubbish with you!
- Fires in shelter fireplace only!
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| Greyneys Shelter, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Interior of Greyneys Shelter, Arthur's Pass National Park |
Klondyke Corner shelter & camp-site
The
Klondyke Corner shelter and camp-site
is located on the edge of the national park just off SH73. The shelter
is open to all visitors and is open on three sides with a fourth wall
which includes an open fireplace. The camp-site is very basic there is
no water so it is really meant to be used by camper vans or self
contained campers.
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| Klondyke Corner Shelter at the edge of Arthur's Pass National Park |
- Located 8 km east from Arthur's Pass DOC visitor centre on Highway 73.
- FREE- no charge to camp
- NO Advance Bookings - first in, first served!
- Camper vans permitted (no powered sites)
- Facilities: Day use shelter, long drop toilets
- Take your rubbish with you!
- No pets permitted under any circumstances.
- No open fires permitted!
- Warning: Do not leave your tent unattended as the Kea will dismantle it for you!
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| Klondyke Corner camp-site in Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Klondyke Corner camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Klondyke Corner Shelter with Bealey Spur in background |
It would be a bit dusty here if any breeze was blowing...
Hawdon Valley shelter & campsite
There
is a vast section of Arthur's Pass to the east of the Waimakariri River
in the Hawdon/Andrews and Poulter River Valleys. All of these areas
have many excellent tramping destinations and there are also two
camp-sites.
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| Looking North west into the Hawdon River Valley, Arthur's Pass National Park |
The
Hawdon Valley camp site is
the largest in the whole park and comprises a area of bush with a huge
open space around it. You could easily pitch a thousand tents here and
still have space to spare. The valley is accessed from the Mt White
bridge turn-off about 30 km's east of Arthur's Pass.
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| Turn off to the Hawdon Valley, Hawdon Camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
- Located 27 km east from Arthur's Pass DOC visitor centre. Turn off onto Mt White Road and follow signs.
- FREE- no charge to camp
- NO Advance Bookings - first in, first served!
- Camper vans permitted (no powered sites)
- Facilities: Long drop toilet, day-use shelter.
- No pets permitted under any circumstances.
- Take your rubbish with you!
- No open fires permitted! There is a fireplace in the shelter that may be used.
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| Crossing the Mt White bridge to the Hawdon Valley |
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| Entrance to the Hawdon Camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| The Hawdon Shelter and upper terrace, Hawdon Camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Hawdon Shelter, Hawdon Valley, Arthur's Pass National Park |
Below are some photos of the camping area and particular spots where it might be good to pitch a tent...
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| Masses of space at the Hawdon Camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Example of the spots at the Hawdon Camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Some campers in residence over a recent weekend...Hawdon Camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Hawdon Camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| No fires allowed at the Hawdon Camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| The ubiquitous DOC long drop...Hawdon Camp-site, Arthur's Pass National Park |
This
camp-site will be very busy at the start of any long weekend, over
Easter and in the Christmas/New Years break. It is sandfly heaven so if
you are camping here get used to raising your tent at the speed of light
or they will consume you alive....
Andrews Shelter shelter & campsite
There is a camp-site and enclosed day shelter at the end of the Andrews River on the Andrews-Binser Saddle Route. The
Andrews shelter
is on the road to Mt White Station it is approximately 6 kilometres
from the Mt White bridge over the Waimakariri River. The shelter is
quite nice, the camp site is a scratch affair, it is basically the flat
area surrounding the shelter.
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| Andrews Shelter on the Mt White Station Road, Arthur's Pass National Park |
- Located 29 km east from Arthur's Pass DOC visitor centre. Turn off onto Mt White Road and follow signs.
- FREE- no charge to camp
- NO Advance Bookings - first in, first served!
- Camper vans permitted (no powered sites)
- Facilities: Long drop toilet, day-use shelter.
- No pets permitted under any circumstances.
- Take your rubbish with you!
- No open fires permitted!
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| The Red Beast parked at the Andrews Valley car-park in 2012... |
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| Andrews Shelter from the Mt White Station road, Arthur's Pas National Park |
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| Andrews Shelter and the surrounding flat camping ground, Arthur's Pass National Park |
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| Arthur's Pass National Park: the shelter and camping area at Andrews Shelter |
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| The Andrews Valley Track is next to the shelter |
Again...lots and lots and lots of sand-flies here.....
