Cobb Valley Track
WalkTasman
- Grade
- Advanced
- Walking time
- 5 hr
- Distance
- 13 km
- Dogs
- No dogs
Access: read before you go
The road is unsealed from the Cobb Power House. The road is narrow, has steep drop offs and can be difficult passing another vehicle – care is required and 4WD is recommended in winter due to ice and or snow.
Source: DOC Te Papa Atawhai.
Getting there
We have not checked a road end or car park for this place yet, so we do not give driving directions to it. Check how to get there before you go. Some routes cross private land and need the landowner's permission.
How to get there, on doc.govt.nzThe track starts at the head of the Cobb Reservoir. Turn off SH 60 at Upper Tākaka. Follow Cobb Valley Road, then Cobb Dam Road to the end (28 km).
The road is unsealed from the Cobb Power House. The road is narrow, has steep drop offs and can be difficult passing another vehicle – care is required and 4WD is recommended in winter due to ice and or snow.
Source: DOC Te Papa Atawhai.
Map and tracks
Track lines: DOC Te Papa Atawhai. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Topo map: LINZ, CC BY 4.0. 41.09046° S, 172.56606° E
About this place
Walk up the valley beside the Cobb River to Fenella Hut. There are several huts along the way and plenty of options for swimming, picnicking and fishing.
The route
A well defined tramping track leads from the road end at Trilobite Hut up the valley, alongside the Cobb River, to Fenella Hut.
Trilobite Hut to Chaffey Hut
Time: 1 hr 30 min
km Follow the walking track from Trilobite Hut up the Cobb valley for 1 hour 30 minutes to reach the restored historic Chaffey Hut. This is a good option for kids.
Chaffey Hut to Cobb Hut
Time: 2 hr 30 min
km The tramping track continues up the valley floor, passing the restored Tent Camp. It takes about 2 hours 30 minutes to get to Cobb Hut.
Side trip: Lake Cobb and Round Lake
From Cobb Hut it is a 30-minute walk to Lake Cobb, with Round Lake a further hour beyond that.
Cobb Hut to Fenella Hut
Time: 30 min
km Beyond Cobb Hut, the track climbs for about 30 minutes to a series of glacier-worn rocky steps to Fenella Hut. Fenella Hut was built as a memorial to Fenella Druce who was killed in 1977 when the Three Johns Hut was blown over a bluff in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.
Beyond Fenella
Marked and unmarked routes branch off in all directions from here. To the north lies the Douglas Range and a day trip to Kakapo Peak (1783 m) or a 4-day journey to Boulder Lake; to the west is the Tasman Wilderness Area and eastward the Lockett Range, an adventurous return route to the Cobb Dam via Lake Sylvester.
Source: DOC Te Papa Atawhai.
On this track
In walking order.
Nearby stops
Trilobite Hut
Standard • 12 bunks • Tasman • 5.7 km
Trilobite Hut is a standard 12-bunk hut located in the Golden Bay area of the Tasman region.
Heating • Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush
Cobb River Campsite
Basic • Tasman • 5.9 km
Cobb River Campsite is located in the Tasman region and offers a place to camp beside the Cobb River. The river provides opportunities for swimming and fishing.
Fire pit/place for campfires (except in fire bans) • Non-powered/tent sites • Water from stream
Myttons Hut
Basic/bivvies • 4 bunks • Tasman • 6.8 km
Myttons Hut is a basic four-bunk hut located in the Golden Bay area of the Tasman region.
Heating • Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush
Sylvester Hut
Serviced • 12 bunks • Tasman • 6.8 km
Sylvester Hut is a serviced 12-bunk hut located in the Golden Bay area of the Tasman region.
Heating • Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush
Soper Shelter
Basic/bivvies • 2 bunks • Tasman • 9.7 km
Soper Shelter is an historic tent-style replica hut located in the Golden Bay area of the Tasman region.
Heating • Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush
Walks nearby
Notes from people who have been
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Sources
- DOC Tracks (API) · CC BY 4.0Crown Copyright: Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai. Data sourced from the DOC Developer Portal (api.doc.govt.nz).