Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai-Torlesse Tussocklands Park, Canterbury NZ

A short but sometimes steep walk up Mt Lyndon (1489m) for great views over Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park, the Craigieburn Range & Lake Lyndon.

Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park

I had been saving Mt Lyndon for a day with limited time and/or energy. And so it was on a Waitangi Day long weekend, after doing 6 tramps in the past two weeks, that we plumped for this short but steep climb to the summit of Mt Lyndon (1489m). From this easily accessed vantagepoint the scenes are an attractive patchwork of scree and tussock as you look out over many surrounding peaks in Korowai-Torlesse Tussocklands Park, the Craigieburns, and further afield. You also get good views of Lake Lyndon on your way up and down, and of the main road over Porters Pass.

I had misunderstood track notes that estimated 2.5 hours for this walk, thinking this was just to get up, but was in fact for the whole walk. So this is pretty short but sweet. The views are a bit similar to those from the summit of Trig M just on the other side of Lake Lyndon. There is no formal track up Mt Lyndon however, just an impact track that gets pretty steep on sometimes loose rock, but is never too tricky. Track notes at the end. You can also climb Mt Lyndon from the other end of the lake, starting at the lodge, and you can continue on to Cloudy Hill to extend your views. See that blog post here.

Mt Lyndon ascent: The Scenery

Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
A panorama north from a bit before the summit of Lake Lyndon.
Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
Cloudy Hill and the Craigieburn Range at the back.
Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
Blue Hill to the right. Porters Ski Field is just off picture to the right.
Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
Mt Hutt viewed from the summit.
My Lyndon Cloudy Hill Traverse, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
A bit of Lake Coleridge there backed by the Southern Alps around the Rakaia River. (From another day up Mt Lyndon). 
Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
Cloudy Hill on the left, and the Torlesse Range to the right.
Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
Sophia on the summit of Mt Lyndon (1489m), looking towards Mt Enys, the high point of the Craigieburn Range.
Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
The Torlesse Range inlcluding Foggy Peak and Castle Hill. The road over Porters Pass on the right.
Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
Lake Lyndon. The views of this were not quite as good as those from Trig M which is just on the other side of the lake. The Ben More Tops are behind.
Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
Lake Lyndon
Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
The northern end of Lake Lyndon.
Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
An ephemeral lake
Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
Beautiful white flowers at the northern end of Lake Lyndon. Without a permanent stream feeding the lake the water level changes a lot with snow melt and rain. When it drops it exposes land that is quickly populated by quite rare plants. Some of these are endangered. They are hardy, but sensitive to being trodden on.

Track Notes

Mt Lyndon ascent, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park
There’s an unmarked impact track that starts at the northern end of the lake and continues up a spur to the tops. It’s then a short walk to the flat summit area.

There’s an unmarked impact track that starts at the northern end of the lake and continues up a spur to the tops. It’s then a short walk to the flat summit area. I got this walk idea from Canterbury Foothills and Forests: A Walking & Tramping Guide. Mostly straightforward walking with some steep sections on slightly loose rock.

You can walk on to Cloudy Hill, but we saved that for another day. You can also walk on to Red Hill (which we climbed from the Porter River in winter: that trip report here).

Author: Edward Hathway

I'm a clinical psychologist and keen hiker.

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