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The Routeburn Track
The Routeburn Track is just a short distance from the Milford Track, but has a completely different character, the track is on the border between the Mt. Aspiring and Fjordland National Parks, and crosses Harris Saddle. In good weather, climbing Conical Hill next to Harris Saddle gives astonishing views of the surroundings, extending to the Tasman Sea.
This area gets much less rain fall than the Milford Sound, and the forests are very different, especially on the eastern side of the saddle, where there are a lot of large pines and other trees, and relatively few ferns. The track spends a long time on the high ridges around Harris Saddle, for spectacular mountain scenery, if you are lucky with the weather.
Access to the Routeburn Track is not as tightly controlled as the Milford Sound and camping is allowed, though both huts and camping spaces must be booked in advance. There is also a choice of which direction you can travel, and which huts to stay in.
On the western side, everyone stays at the MacKenzie Hut, which is enormous, but on the eastern side, you can stay at the Falls Hut or Flats Hut. The Falls Hut is more popular, since staying there breaks up the climb to the saddle better, especially coming from the east, but camping is not allowed at Falls Hut.
Much of the Routeburn Track is also accessible to day hikers, especially Key Summit on the western end, the site of a popular viewpoint and nature walk not far from the road.
The usual base for the Routeburn Track is Queenstown.
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