Queens Drive – Wye Creek Circuit, The Remarkables, Queenstown NZ
The Queens Drive Wye Creek Circuit is a dramatic & sometimes hair raising circuit walk high up in the Remarkables Range near Queenstown.
This lesser known walk in the prominent and dramatic Remarkables Range near Queenstown is a real humdinger, and will feel quite adventurous for all but the more experienced hikers. After a shortish climb to Shadow Basin Lookout from the ski field car park, there are extensive views over Lake Wakatipu and surrounds, then stark cliffs and hair raising drop offs on Queens Drive, which runs across the western face of the Remarkables at 2000m of elevation. The walk then enters an extensive boulder field with the Remarkables summit cliffs towering overhead, followed by the picturesque Wye Creek Basin, and then back to the skifields via Lake Alta.
Appropriate Walking Conditions
We had to turn back on our first attempt at this walk because too much snow on Queens Drive made that track a bit risky. I recommend doing this walk in mid summer to autumn when there is less snow. When viewing The Remarkables from below, if there is an almost continuous line of snow across the top then you’ll probably want to take some crampons. Mind you, we saw a European guy taking the snowy sections well and truly in his stride on that first attempt, so experienced alpine walkers might feel more comfortable. Track notes at the end.
Queens Drive – Wye Creek Circuit: The Scenery
I’ve mixed in photos from a few occasions, so don’t get confused by the changing conditions.
Tarns on the track up to Shadow Basin Lookout (Dec 2016). Lake Wakatipu surrounded by some familiar landmarks like Cecil Peak (centre left), Bayonet Peaks (left), Queenstown and Ben Lomond on the right, and Jacks Point bottom centre. Queenstown Sophia on the Queens Drive: roughly centre of picture. You get a sense of scale on this one: Sophia is bottom left. Sophia about half way along the Queens Drive track. Lake Wakatipu, Cecile Peak and Bayonet Peaks behind. (Dec 2016) This wasn’t the steepest part of the track but you get the idea. Rocks on the west face of the Remarkables. This is the face viewable from all around the Queenstown area. Sophia bottom left. (Dec 2016). Another shot of the lake views, from further along the Queens Drive. I took so many shots that all looked a bit the same without ever capturing the true drama of the location.
Entering the extensive boulder field at the end of the Queens Drive.
The summit of the Remarkables looms overhead. Lots of nice rock designs on this walk. Here’s just a few. I quite liked the stark aesthetic, and also the scale in this scene, which I tried to portray by waiting patiently for my small blue wife to walk in front of a large boulder. The things we do… I loved these alpine plants that I saw for the first time on this walk, and at least this one appeared to love me back. I liked this cosy combination of alpine plants. A cute alpine plant. Our lunch spot on the edge of the boulder field. One day we’ll do the walk up or maybe down Wye Creek. Wye Creek The big tarn in Wye Creek Basin. I took a 5 minute diversion to get a picture with the whole of the tarn in it. You know the views are good when Sophia bothers to get out her phone to take a picture.
I took a similar picture of this spot last time, but lighting and colours were quite different this time. There were various tarns in Wye Creek Basin. Looking back at the Remarkables: Single Cone here I think. Wye Creek Basin Dainty fern like plants. I liked these small version of New Zealand’s rather spiky spear grass. The small angry dog of the plant world. Alpine plants. Wye Creek Basin One of the tarns higher up in Wye Creek Basin. Wye Creek Basin Lake Alta as we descended from the saddle. More interesting alpine plants. Or at least I find them interesting because I’m not in alpine areas that often. A colourful Lake Alta with Single Cone and Double Cone behind (March 2008).
Track Notes
We walked this circuit anti-clockwise. (The vehicle track to Shadow Basin Lookout does not follow the chairlift as neatly as I have depicted, but it’s obvious without snow cover and so you will have no trouble finding your way.)
Shadow Basin and Queens Drive
Starting at The Remarkables ski field car park, you walk up the road a bit until a junction with another vehicle track to the right. Take this right turn and follow the track beneath the Shadow Basin Chairlift to the viewpoint over Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown.
This is at the top of the ski lift on way to Shadow Basin Lookout. There’s a cairn in shot which marks the beginning of a short constructed path through a boulder field. If you miss it (as we did on the previous occasion we did this walk), then you will have to boulder hop your way to the lookout.
If you don’t like heights you can go back down from here, but otherwise your adventure is about to begin. The Queens Drive starts just 20 or 30 metres to the left (south) of the lookout, and climbs steeply to then run along the western face of The Remarkables. This section is dramatic and a bit scary, but in good weather and with little snow I doubt there is any real danger.
This is the initial route up onto the Queens Drive. It’s quite steep and on loose scree, but it get’s easier after this, although there are more dizzying heights later on. The start to the Queens Drive viewed from Shadow Basin Lookout.
A Boulder Field, Wye Creek Basin, and Lake Alta
You’ll eventually emerge onto a large boulder field: just head on through this, eventually keeping to the left to enter Wye Creek Basin along the edge of the biggest tarn, and drop down to the middle of the tarns to join the Wye Creek Route. This route is marked on some maps but I don’t think we ever saw a proper track, so you have to do your best not to tread on delicate alpine plants as you head up to the saddle on the left of point 2050m. From there the track is obvious enough as it heads down to Lake Alta, and then returns to the ski fields and car park.
