Green Lake Track, Fiordland National Park

Choose a start, choose a scale

Green Lake Track connects Borland Saddle and Lake Monowai car park with a hut on Green Lake in Monowai, Fiordland. Starting at the Borland Road saddle makes the hut a 8 km approach past Borland Bivvy; starting at the Lake Monowai car park adds a longer traverse beyond the lake. The route suits a long day walk or an overnight stay, depending on which end you choose. DOC

From Borland Road, low tussock country and small lakes lead toward low beech-covered saddles. At the junction, the turn for Green Lake climbs a steep bush-clad hill before descending to the lake’s tussock shoreline. Green Lake Hut stands at the far end, with 12 bunks, heating and mattresses; its tap water is untreated and must be boiled. DOC

From hut to Monowai

The continuation from Green Lake Hut follows the lake shore before climbing to a saddle near Mt Cuthbert. From there the track descends into bush again and passes the Rodger Inlet Track junction on its way to Lake Monowai car park. The two listed sections give different ways to experience the landscape: an approach through open wetland and small lakes, then a shore-and-saddle traverse into forest. DOC

The source lists 8 km from Borland Road to Green Lake Hut and 11 km from Green Lake Hut to Lake Monowai car park; those are separate legs, not a single distance to the hut. The track is graded advanced, with a listed 3.5 - 6 hr to hut. Photography and fishing are opportunities along the way. DOC

The road is part of the outing

Borland Road is unsealed, narrow and steep in places, and can be affected by slips, washouts, snow, ice, high winds and fallen trees. From the gate near Borland Lodge it runs about 15 km to Borland Saddle, where parking, a toilet and natural history information are available. The road is not suitable for campervans, caravans or trailers, and there is no fuel, communication or emergency service along it. DOC

Lake Monowai and Borland Road lie about 67 km from Te Anau and 120 km from Invercargill. Access is via Lake Monowai Road off Blackmount-Redcliff Road; from Invercargill, the approach passes Clifden and Clifden-Blackmount Road. The choice of start therefore also means choosing a road approach whose surface and conditions can determine whether the outing is practical. Dogs are not allowed. DOC

A hut at the far shore

Green Lake Hut’s position at the far end of the tussock-covered shoreline makes it a natural turn-around for the shorter outing and a waypoint for the longer crossing. The lake-edge walking gives way to a saddle near Mt Cuthbert and then forest, so continuing toward Monowai changes both the terrain and the character of the trip. DOC