Tongariro Alpine Crossing

You have the option to take a shuttle for a fee, but I arranged with fellow hikers to leave our vehicle at the trail's end. The hike itself is stunning, especially on a crisp, sunny morning. The journey does become a bit challenging halfway through, particularly at the crossing where the ledge can be slippery, so it's advisable to avoid looking down. Overall, the trail is generally well-kept, although the crossing area is definitely the toughest section. The views throughout the hike are absolutely breathtaking!

Excellent trail for a decently challenging hike and stunning scenery. As the trail is quite well explored, the paths are largely easy to walk, with the exception of the climb up to the highest point and the subsequent descent. Although walking sticks aren't essential per se, it'll be of good assistance for the portions without a path, especially since the descending path consists entirely of sand with minimal support. Beyond this, the usual advice applies -- find a day with good weather, bring plenty of refreshments (there's no shops at the end of the trail) and bring layers just in case. Generally a really enjoyable experience and definitely a must do if you're in for an adventure!

Amazing! Wasn't as hard as everyone makes it out to be, and this coming from someone who never exercises; the most being walking to work and back every day. The trail is really well maintained, but yes, you do need good shoes, I will say that. So bring hiking boots. We chose an average day, but it only rained for a couple hours on the way down and without even rain jackets we survived. I think the key is to not be too soft either. Spectacular views, seems like after every rise is a new kind of scenery. Amazing.

Great hike. Lots of people even though winter season just started. I imagine it’s best to avoid the crossing during summer months if one wants to avoid tourist masses. The track is challenging at few sections due to steep sections. Some people seemed to have trouble which might have been because of inappropriate footwear. It’s a nice day hike. Just don’t underestimate it and prepare for all sorts of weather conditions.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is an excellent hike that should not be missed. Weather conditions play a significant role in the experience, and in my case, most of the hike was foggy. Despite this, it was still enjoyable. The trail is popular, so you will not be alone. It can get very windy, and some sections pass through very rough terrain, so proper preparation is very important. Good shoes, gloves, and a head covering will make a big difference. If you have any experience with hiking in the Alps above 1800m, it is kind of similar.

Beautiful and unique hike! We did an out an back to the red crater from the parking lot (5h). I would recommend leaving late! All the people taking the shuttles leave between 7-10am. There were 100’s of people on the trail with even queues forming on the climbs. After 10am it’s so peaceful and quiet! On our way back we barely saw anyone after crossing the last groups from the shuttles.

Come prepared FOR SURE. The whole hike took us almost 9 hours but we stopped a handful of times. Weather kept changing and it got very cold and windy at the top! But SO worth it for the views of what feels like an alien landscape.

Really wished it was a clear day, the visibility was a bummer. But the view is beautiful, and the different landscape for every 1/4 of the hike is so unique, where you go from volcanic plain, to steep windy inclines full of lava rocks, to thermal lakes, to a bushy plain and then into rain forest, definitely most epic day hike. Wear layers and be careful of the wind at the top, almost couldn’t proceed from the wind.

This is a must do for those who are strong hikers. The initial 3 miles or so is a gentle grade through the volcanic planes, then it traverses upward and the views start. Some of the areas were muddy and a bit treacherous even with high quality hiking boots so do not try this in anything less. We saw several persons trying to do the walk in regular athletic shoes and they were often on their rear end trying to go down the slope of the red crater to see emerald lakes. The Emerald and blue lakes are spectacular. The final 6 miles or so are all downhill with a few very short gentle uphills and hiking poles are highly recommended to take weight off of your knees. The last couple of miles are through lush green forest and bush, which was a pleasant surprise and offered cooling shade.

MOUNT DOOM!!! I traveled halfway around the world to destroy the Sauron's Ring of Power...but I'm not much a hiker, and certainly I'm not going to survive the 8-9 hours of hiking it takes to do the full Tongariro Alpine Crossing. So I ended up keeping the Ring instead...but I did enjoy a solid 2.5 hours worth of hiking along the south end of the hike. Lovely landscapes, a nice little stream flows along the well maintained path, and the views of Mount Doom are spectacular, especially for Lord of the Rings fans such as myself. The New Zealand government does a fine job of keeping the trails and bridges in great condition. Beware of the bathrooms though, be sure to bring some toilet paper and wet wipes...its gross inside!!!

Nice hike but a lot of boardwalks the first 3 km which was weird! Definitely bring coats and gloves, we could have gone farther with the right gear. Starts out super flat and easy. Think that doing it in reverse would make sense, easy stuff at the end. New, clean outhouses at 2 and 5 km. We will be back to try to complete it.

Tongariro alpine crossing is a popular hiking destination in Ruapehu along an active volcano, Mt. Tongariro. It is located in Tongariro National Park on north island. If you are doing the full hike, your starting trailhead is traditionally Megatepopo carpark and ending is Ketetahi carpark. Wow what an amazing hike this was. This stands as my most favorite hiking experience of my life thus far. It's a long one and makes for a long day, but well worth it. We did the entire 13 miles, we did an extra little side trail right before the red crater. This was in Dec during the NZ summer but weather was nice with a few clouds. You can park your car on one side and they will shuttle you to the starting trailhead for a reasonable fee. I think it was 20 or 30 bucks or so for two of us. We started mid morning, around 9 am. Probably started hiking at 10 am.. and finished by about 3. On average it seems to take about 6 hours and it think we were just a bit shy of that. There is water and bathrooms at the Megatepopo trailhead, but not again till nearly the end of the hike. I recommend at least 2 liters water per person, lunch and snacks, and Gatorade or some form of electrolytes. Also my biggest regret on this hike was that due to the elevation change it is very windy and cold at the top, while I had a jacket and sunglasses on I did not wear a hat or reapply my sunscreen during the hike.. Big mistake. You don't feel like you're getting burnt but wow! My fair skin has never experienced a sunburn this bad. The first few km into the hike seem like no big deal. Then devils staircase is something else. My friend and I are in really good shape and were pretty sore the next day, I blame it on all those blasted stairs! After that you pass Mt. Tongariro, then the yellow crater, you can take an optional climb of Mt. Ngauruhoe that takes another two hours which we didn't have time for. After the yellow crater, climb some more and then have another optional hike for a fantastic view, which I recommend..only took about 40 mins total. At the red crater summit it's a little over 6,000 ft.. Coming from around 3500 ft at the trailhead, that is a significant elevation gain. At this point you pass the red crater, then descend to emerald lake and some smaller geothermal pools. After emerald lake it's another couple hours to reach Keetahi carpark and the water and restrooms are on the way. So if all that plus my pics doesn't give you enough reason to want to tackle this hike there is always Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Tongariro crossing is the film location for mordor. Much of frodo and Sam's journey through mordor was filmed in this national park. Just walking up devils staircase should give you a flashback of Frodo, Sam and Gollum climbing the lava rock. And while hiking I chimed in with more than one group oh hiking nerds in humming the LOTR music..

TLDR: One of the best, if not the best, one day hikes you can do anywhere in the world. If you're staying in Taupo, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is one of the outdoor activities that you can do. It's about a 45 minute bus ride from Taupo and there are several companies that offer round trip rides, some that even have all types of equipment (jackets, backpacks, boots, etc.) for hire. I recommend checking out the I-SITE for more details on what suits your needs the best. Most people will start at the Mangatepopo Car Park and work their way towards the Ketatahi Car Park. It's about 18-19 km in total distance and can take anywhere from 6-9 hours to do. Some sources that the hike is intermediate in difficulty, and I would say that it probably averages out to intermediate. There are definitely portions of the hike that are fairly easy, and there are some portions that are more difficult, including a fairly steep ascent and descent towards the middle of the hike. If you're planning your trip, it's highly advisable to check the weather frequently as this can really influence the visibility for photos and for what to wear/bring. Also, plan to wake up early as it's advised that you should start the hike by 8 am to make it to the end with day light. What makes the hike so incredible is that you aren't hiking to a point that has a great view or is some landmark that mother nature made. The entire hike has a wide variety of great views and landscapes that will leave you in awe. Your initial hike will start with a plains/desert type of landscape and as you make you ascent, you'll get more mountainous as you pass the volcano. As you make you way down, there are a couple of lakes that are pretty much untouched by man, and there are plenty of views of valleys and forests. As you get towards the bottom, it's pretty much tropical weather and landscape. During peak season, there's a good amount of people that hike the trail so you shouldn't get lost. Overall, it's such an amazing experience and something that you must do if you're in New Zealand.

We did this hike today and it rained the entire time and although that wasn't ideal, I still recommend this hike. Keep in mind that you need to bring the following with with: rain pants, base layer, ball cap, jacket, beanie, gloves, hiking shoes. We got on the 7:00 a.m. shuttle from the Ski Haus and were down back at the parking lot by 12:30 p.m. but we're also from Colorado and hike all the time plus, since the weather was so poor, we weren't able to look around much. After you reach the summit, the gravel is very lose so be sure to watch your step or have some hiking polls to help you out.

This is situated in the Tongariro National Park. This is challenging for anyone I would say. I climbed this from 6am-3pm in trainers. Apparently some scenes from the Lord of the Rings were used at the beginning of the trail. The Tongariro Crossing provides an opportunity to experience some of the most scenic volcanically active areas of the park. The track runs the Mangatepopo Valley to the saddle between Tongariro and Ngauruhoe Mountains. It climbs to Red Crater (1886m), then drops down to the vivid Emerald Lakes. After passing the Green and Blue lakes the track sides around the northern slope of Tongariro, then descends in a zig zag to the Ketetahi Hut. I lost my group by going at my own pace, but it enabled me to have a little rest and sit and take in the Emerald Lakes view. It obviously got colder towards the summit and there were times I struggled to breathe, so you do need to be relatively healthy to complete this challenge but it is extremely worth while. If you're a keen hiker, this is a must do and I'm very proud I have done it.

The Tongariro Crossing is a spectacular hike. During the hike there are great views and plenty of good spots to take pictures. The scenery is quite varied with parts of the hike where it looks like Mars to parts of the hike where you walk through a forest and see massive ferns and other interesting plants. Additionally the hike involves crossing mountains walking past some blue lakes. In the end the hike is well worth doing.

Well, the crossing is completely and utterly cool. There is no other way to describe it. Well, maybe I almost wanted to give up during the last 2 hours. Those endless steps really put a toll on your knee joints. Nevertheless, if I can do it, then there shouldn't be anyone that can't.