Key Summit Trail

Key Summit Trail

One last hike before we board our overnight cruise to Doubtful Sound. I wish we had booked a longer stay in Fjordland National Park so that we could hit all the major day trails. Alas, I had to make a decision between the Kepler track and the Key Summit via the Routeburn track. The overnight snow dusting of the mountain caps and the forecast for sunshine steered me back towards the Milford Sound direction, which meant we were hiking up Key Summit.

We stopped at the same spots as we did the day before and took some comparison photos. What a difference a day makes.

Before and after at the Eglington viewpoint
Before and after at Mirror Lake
Five miles round trip per our estimate.
Nothing technical about this trail. Just a continuous ascent.
Looking towards the Milford Sound direction
This plaque indicates all the mountain ranges surrounding Key Summit (3,046 feet)
The prize of this trail is the view of Lake Marian nestled in the 3 peaks – from left to right, Mt Christina, Mt Crosscut, and Mt Lyttle.
Lake Howden detour added another mile and a half round trip.
And a so-so view

With a bit of extra time left before dinner, we drove toward the Kepler track and just walked along the Te Anau lake.

The layers of mountain ranges seen at the lake.

One of the benefits of not overstaying your vacation is that you’ll want to return, and the Fjordland National Park is one of those places.

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