Mount John loop track

Easy route for the whole family and with wonderful views.
The track starts at the Tekapo springs car park. In this car park there is an area only for customers of the Tekapo springs and another one which seems to be free for everyone to park. Parking is free, as in free beer. Keep in mind that this route is quite popular and the parking gets crowded easily.

The track does a counterclockwise loop. The first 3 Km are flat and run along Tekapo lake. Views of the lake are wonderful all the time.
Once we get to the end of this first section we start the ascent. The ascent is never too steep and after another 3 km you will be at the Mount John summit. At the summit you will find the Mount John observatory and also the Astro Cafe.
Views from the summit are once again wonderful, not only from the Tekapo side but also from the West side.
Mention that there is a road that takes you to the summit in case you are so lazy that you don't want to walk.

After taking lots of pictures from the summit we start the descent but first we visit the South summit from where we take a few more pictures.
Going down is a lot shorter since it's only about 2 Kilometers long from the South summit. We walk most of the time inside a pine tree forest and in a short period of time we find ourselves back at the car park.

In summary, this is an easy and enjoyable hike for the whole family, with wonderful views. It's a hike not to miss if you happen to be in the Tekapo area.



Full description and more pictures at Back from Summit: Mount John