A Guide To The Mount Alford Track In Mid Canterbury
Tucked away in the Mid Canterbury region you’ll find the beautiful hike that takes you to the summit of Mount Alford sitting at 1171m. On a clear day you’ll be rewarded with expansive views across the Canterbury Plains and the Ashburton Valley. We thoroughly enjoyed the hike and would highly recommend to anyone with a reasonable level of fitness!
The Mid Canterbury region is full of plenty of incredible walking tracks including the Mount Alford hike. We walked this track in less than ideal conditions (Icy cold winds & drizzle) and still rate it as one of the best in the area! The track is easy but you’ll definitely work up a sweat as you climb for an hour and a half.
This guide to hiking Mount Alford will give you all the information you need to plan your trip to perfection. Well that’s the goal anyway ;). Enjoy!
Where is Mount Alford?
The Mount Alford hike is located in the Mount Alford Scenic Reserve, 10 minutes from Methven or 90 minutes from Christchurch. If you’re coming from either location you want to get onto the Arundel Rakaia Gorge Road and head south. When you reach Alford Forest Settlement Road hang a right and follow the signs to the end where you’ll find a small carpark.
There are a couple of free camps in the area if you’re travelling in a self contained vehicle, which will help if you’re wanting to do the hike for a sunrise or sunset (like we did). Taylors Stream is our go to camp but Bowyers stream is also a great alternative. We tend to avoid this one solely because of it’s long drop….WORST in the country I tell you what LOL! However the mountain views definitely make up for the stinky dunny.
The Track
Allow yourself 3-4 hours return to complete the track. I believe it took us 2 hours up and just over an hour to get down. The track itself isn’t difficult necessarily but there are steep and slippery parts. Goose slipped onto his butt coming down at least 5 times, so I suppose our advice here is pack the right walking shoes. We’d recommend hiking boots over runners.
The start of the track takes you through private farm land (note: this track is CLOSED from mid Sept to mid Oct for lambing) before entering the Mount Alford Scenic Reserve. For the first 30 minutes or so you’ll slowly climb through the stunning beech forest until you reach an open section with the first views over the Canterbury Plains. The forest is often damp and muddy and there are a few small streams carving their way towards the larger braided ones on the plains.
Once you’re in the open the track rises a little bit quicker through tussock farmland. You’ll head through a gate, follow the fence line up to the next gate and before you know it you’ll of reached the picnic table aka the half way point… possibly just over half way but who’s measuring? This is the perfect spot to have a rest, catch your breath and take in the spectacular views of the Ashburton River.
The next part of the track gets a little bit steeper and the poles become a little more difficult to locate, although we had no trouble finding our way to the top. It’s also incredibly exposed in this section so pack a good jacket no matter the weather. The crazy wind certainly caught us off guard!
Once you reach the final ridge, the walk levels out a little and is a nice easy stroll to the top. This is also the section where the views start to become next level amazeballs! The huge surrounding mountains will have you picking your jaw up off the ground and if you’re super lucky there may even be snow up the top. Unfortunately the wind was just to much while we were up there we only managed to hang around for 20 minutes or so. You could easily spend hours up here just taking in the views.
Be careful heading down as it’s easy to lose the poles. We lost the track multiple times as we were to busy looking out at the Canterbury Plains. Although don’t worry too much as it’s super easy to figure out where you’ve gone wrong and you can’t really get lost up here. Again be careful as you descend through the forest. It’s super sludgy and slippery so be aware where you’re putting your feet. It won’t feel like long and you’ll be back at the carpark before you know it!
I hope you prepared your van fridge with some cold bevvies otherwise it might be a good idea to pop up to either the Brown or Blue pub in Methven. It’s time to celebrate completing a beauty of a hike.
Cheers!
Toitu Te Whenua // Leave The Land Undisturbed
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Where to next?
Wanting to hang around the area? Check out these blogs with more information on other hikes in the region.