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.
Mt Lyndon ascent: The Scenery
Track Notes
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).
