Alex Knob and Louisa Peak
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 9.62 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,930 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 3,930 ft
- Max elevation
- 4,219 ft
- TrailRank
- 56
- Min elevation
- 4,219 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 4 hours 48 minutes
- Coordinates
- 1341
- Uploaded
- January 2, 2023
- Recorded
- December 2022
near Franz Josef, West Coast (New Zealand)
Viewed 248 times, downloaded 10 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
The track starts at the parking next to the Franz Josef Glacier road. The parking is not too big and the area is quite popular so better be early to make sure you find a spot to park.
This is a DOC track (Alex Knob track from DOC site) and is very well maintained and marked all the way to the top.
Not long since you start walking on the track you will find a turn-off to Lake Wombat. This track does not visit the lake but if you decide to do so the signpost says 450 meters and 15' to get there. Don't forget to add another 15' to come back.
There are two lookout points in the way up to Alex Knob. You will find the first one, Rata lookout, after about 4 Kilometers from the start. The second one, Christmas lookout, after 5.5 Kilometers.
From both lookouts you have great views of the Franz Josef glacier.
At about 7Km from the start you will see Louisa Peak which looked quite overgrown and difficult to get to the top. I decided to leave it for when I was on my way down and it turned out to be a good decision because from a higher point I could see much better how to approach it.
I continued walking on the track and about 700 meters further up I got to the summit of Alex Knob. The views from the summit are really wonderful, from both sides. On one side the glacier and the snow-capped mountains and on the other side the sea, the coast and rivers.
On my way down I decided to give it a try to Louisa Peak. I saw that a bit on the left-hand side of the ridge the plants were not so overgrown and looked a lot easier to get through. In fact I went on that part of the ridge when I walked up to get to the top and although I moved slowly it didn't take much to get to the summit of this additional mountain.
Just to make it clear enough, the official track from DOC does not go up to the summit of Louisa Peak. This means that there is no track and no marks. Since it was only about 100 meters I decided to give it a try and I found it was not that bad at all.
I didn't find this track difficult beyond being fairly steep from beginning to end and that once you are near the top you have to be careful with the weather which can change fairly quickly as in any other alpine terrain in New Zealand.
Full description and more pictures at Back from Summit: Alex Knob
This is a DOC track (Alex Knob track from DOC site) and is very well maintained and marked all the way to the top.
Not long since you start walking on the track you will find a turn-off to Lake Wombat. This track does not visit the lake but if you decide to do so the signpost says 450 meters and 15' to get there. Don't forget to add another 15' to come back.
There are two lookout points in the way up to Alex Knob. You will find the first one, Rata lookout, after about 4 Kilometers from the start. The second one, Christmas lookout, after 5.5 Kilometers.
From both lookouts you have great views of the Franz Josef glacier.
At about 7Km from the start you will see Louisa Peak which looked quite overgrown and difficult to get to the top. I decided to leave it for when I was on my way down and it turned out to be a good decision because from a higher point I could see much better how to approach it.
I continued walking on the track and about 700 meters further up I got to the summit of Alex Knob. The views from the summit are really wonderful, from both sides. On one side the glacier and the snow-capped mountains and on the other side the sea, the coast and rivers.
On my way down I decided to give it a try to Louisa Peak. I saw that a bit on the left-hand side of the ridge the plants were not so overgrown and looked a lot easier to get through. In fact I went on that part of the ridge when I walked up to get to the top and although I moved slowly it didn't take much to get to the summit of this additional mountain.
Just to make it clear enough, the official track from DOC does not go up to the summit of Louisa Peak. This means that there is no track and no marks. Since it was only about 100 meters I decided to give it a try and I found it was not that bad at all.
I didn't find this track difficult beyond being fairly steep from beginning to end and that once you are near the top you have to be careful with the weather which can change fairly quickly as in any other alpine terrain in New Zealand.
Full description and more pictures at Back from Summit: Alex Knob
Waypoints
Summit
4,207 ft
Panorama
Car park
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