Lake Marian Track: Iconic Hike Near Milford Sound

Over the years, the Lake Marian Track has grown in popularity for travellers going to Milford Sound – and for good reason. If you’re a sucker for a good lake hike, then this track should be high on your list as it’s one of the most beautiful alpine lakes on the South Island!

After having done over 60 different hikes in New Zealand, we’d still say that Lake Marian is amongst our top 5 best hikes, and it’s one of the reasons why we say a day trip to Milford Sound isn’t enough!

You need at least a night at Cascade Creek Campsite or Milford Sound Lodge to be able to enjoy all the highlights in this part of Fiordland. In this post, you’ll see why!

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What you need to know about the Lake Marian Track

Lake Marian is one of the best hikes to do between Te Anau and Milford Sound – so good that we’ve done it twice!

We first did this hike back in 2017 when we lived and worked at Milford Sound Lodge, so it feels extra special being back here again and doing it almost 10 years later! We brought two friends here, and they were absolutely mesmerized by the beauty of the trail and the lake.

Lake Marian is great to do if you’re already planning to go to Milford Sound and want to spend some more time in Fiordland National Park. You can easily add this hike (or Key Summit, which offers a distant view of Lake Marian) to an already epic trip to Milford to truly make the most of your time here!

How to get to the Lake Marian Track

It’s super easy to get to the trailhead as long as you have a rental car (or your own vehicle), and it takes just 1 hour and 15 minutes from Te Anau, or 3.5 hours if you’re driving from Queenstown.

From Queenstown, it’s not a short drive, and we definitely don’t recommend doing this as a day trip. The driving here always takes longer than it says on Google Maps.

That’s why we recommend either staying a night in Te Anau, at Cascade Creek Campsite (a cheap option if you have a tent or a van), or at Milford Sound Lodge (an incredible experience, if they have availability).

You can find the directions to the Lake Marian trailhead here (use your eSIM to navigate). It’s super easy to get to, and you only have to turn off once on Highway 94, and then you’ll see a big car park on the right-hand side.

From there, the trailhead is just across the street, and you’ll be ready to hike up to one of New Zealand’s most beautiful alpine lakes.

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Here’s a picture of the beginning of the Lake Marian Track: 

Starting the hike from Lake Marian Carpark

The trailhead for Lake Marian is quite easy to find. There is also a pit toilet next to the car park if you need to use it before starting this awesome trek – but just know that it was not in the best condition. (There’s also a pit toilet close to Lake Marian).

When you start the hike, you’ll see a suspension bridge, which takes you across the Hollyford River, and then you’ll start making your way through the forest and up the mountain.

This first section is magical and relatively chill (it gets harder later). You walk next to Marian Creek (fed from Lake Marian) on a nice, relatively flat section where some of the trek is made up of boardwalk.

There are quite a few small cascading waterfalls on the section of the hike, and I think it’s one of the most beautiful stretches on the whole hike. So definitely don’t rush this stretch of the hike!

There are so many beautiful photo opportunities of Marian Creek – and on a nice, warm, sunny day, it’s absolutely magical. We’ve done it in both summer and early winter with lots of snow (we’ve included a picture of this further down the post).

Hike to the Viewing Gantry waterfall platform

This is the last easy section of the trail that continues parallel to Marian Creek and ends at the Viewing Gantry! The people who aren’t looking to do the full hike to Lake Marian come and do the section to this viewing platform and then turn around, since this stretch is quite easy and it’s super beautiful.

I believe that’s also why DOC has made a really nice trail to the falls. Don’t worry, though, it turns into a proper trek once you start making your way up the mountain!

You’ll quickly start to get a feel for the elevation as you make your way up through the forest, and it won’t be long until you make it to the Waldings Tal Viewpoint.

It’s easy to miss this viewpoint, but there will be a little opening in the forest with a rock plateau where you can look out. 

This is where the hike starts to get fun (and hard) because the trail goes from nice boardwalk and good trails to mud, roots, and walking across logs to not get your shoes wet!

Through the forest up to Lake Marian

The beauty of this trail is that it’s challenging, but it’s honestly doable for most people because it isn’t insanely long. We’re not denying that it’s tough, and some stretches feel like they go on forever, but it’s definitely manageable for most (we met a grandma in her 70s doing it with her grandkid).

It zig-zags through the trees, where you get the taste of beautiful Fiordland forest! There’s nothing quite like hiking and being surrounded by ferns, moss, and never-ending greenery.

I wouldn’t say there are many good rest spots on this section, but it’s worth saving it for the lake anyway. Especially after a day of rain, the forest section can get extremely muddy, and that’s exactly why we recommend proper footwear and hiking poles.

It’s a challenging hike, but if you come prepared and have the right gear, you’ll have an awesome time, and the ascent will be completely worth it in the end!

Enjoy the beautiful views from Lake Marian

The trek up will be worth it as soon as you turn the final corner, where the crystal clear blue lake comes to view! I was actually quite surprised by how many people were at the lake, but there was still plenty of room to find your own spot to hang out and relax.

Walk along the lake until you find a spot to take your bag and hiking shoes off, and just enjoy the incredible views. The combination of the alpine lake with the mountain range and peaks in the background is so special!

There’s actually a good chance you’ll see a photo of Lake Marian in a cafe or hotel during your New Zealand travels because it’s that beautiful.

We got so lucky with the weather because as soon as we got to the top, it was clear skies and sunshine, which of course meant a dip in the lake! 😉

PS: The sandflies aren’t actually too bad here! 🪰

Back down from Lake Marian to the trailhead

Since this is an in-and-out trail, you hike back down the same way you came from. There is an outhouse about 100 meters from the lake if you need to use the toilet before going back down.

Take your time on the way down, especially if the trail is muddy. There are lots of roots on the trail and certain sections with lots of mud, and that’s where the hiking poles come in handy!

The way down took us about half the time than on the way up, with a few breaks again at the Waldings Tal Viewpoint and the waterfall platform. For reference, we’re generally quite fast at hiking down.

It’s such a great hike, and the reward-to-effort ratio is really good. It’s so cool that in just over 3 kilometres you can get up to such a stunning alpine lake.

If this were anywhere else in New Zealand, it would be absolutely packed with people, but since it’s not that easily accessible and you do need your own car, it keeps the crowds somewhat down.

Saying that, Lake Marian has grown in popularity over the years as more and more people come and explore this part of Fiordland, and not just Milford Sound!  

What to bring on the Lake Marian Track

I’d bring the essentials you normally bring for a 3-5 hour hike! Lak Marian Track is rated as hard because of the elevation, so proper hiking gear like the right shoes, clothes, etc., is definitely recommended.

Packing list for Lake Marian

• Water! LifeStraw bottles or Nalgene water bottles have been our go-to bottles over the years.
• Sunscreen!! If you spend some time up at Lake Marian, it’s worth bringing some. While you’re covered for a good chunk of the hike, you’re fully exposed at the lake – and the UV in New Zealand can get crazy sometimes (UV 10 is common, even on cloudy days), so be prepared.
• Hiking poles will come in very handy on this hike since it’s quite muddy, even on sunny days. In Milford, they say that if they go 3 days without rain, it’s a drought. That gives you an idea of how often it rains here.
• A power bank is always nice to have – especially if you’re camping the night before.
• Snacks and food! I have no idea why, but we completely forgot to pack snacks to enjoy at the lake. We did have a big breakfast, but we definitely regretted not having some snacks up by Lake Marian.
• The weather can change quickly in Fiordland, so bring some extra clothes (a rainjacket!) in your backpack just in case.
• Towel & swimwear if you want to go for a dip in the lake! Even if you’re not sure you want to go in, it’s worth bringing your stuff. Just in case… 😉

Wear hiking shoes

We highly recommend wearing (waterproof) hiking shoes or trail shoes on this one! You’ll get on the hike and might think that there’s absolutely no need to have worn hiking boots, but after about a kilometre, you’ll understand why!

If you don’t have any hiking shoes, Josie’s Newton Ridge hiking shoes from Columbia are great, affordable, waterproof hiking boots! We can highly recommend them!

📍 Want to know about all the best spots in Aotearoa New Zealand?
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Final thoughts on hiking the Lake Marian Trek

We hope you get a chance to experience this awesome trek near Milford Sound. Not everyone’s lucky enough to do it, but if you have some time in Fiordland, definitely don’t skip out on it! 

If you have questions about Lake Marian, Milford Sound, or New Zealand, feel free to reach out! You can DM us on Instagram @redwhiteadventures or leave a comment below, and we’ll get back to you.

We hope you have the best time exploring Fiordland and this part of New Zealand. It was our home back when we lived here in New Zealand, and it will always have a special place in our hearts!

Have the best time hiking up to Lake Marian – and if you’re a crazy Canuck like me, you might just go for a dip in the lake! 😉

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📍 Want to know about all the best spots in Aotearoa New Zealand?
Then check out our New Zealand Maps with +200 locations around the country that we have visited during our 10 months of living and travelling in NZ! 🗺️