How to Hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing: A Complete Guide

Wanting to hike the renowned Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand`s Tongariro National Park is understandable, as it frequently appears on lists of “world`s best day hikes.” When we returned from our New Zealand North Island road trip, most friends and family asked versions of “what was your favorite part?” In every case, our answer was the day spent trekking along the base of an active volcano.

Is it the finest day hike in the world? Probably not. However, it is absolutely deserving of a day of one`s time because opportunities to hike along the slopes of a volcano in a national park that has been designated a dual UNESCO World Heritage Site (for both natural and cultural reasons) do not arise every day.

What you should be aware of (and the reason we don’t consider this among the top hikes worldwide) is that the entirety of the most impressive sections occur in the first half. The latter half involves a lengthy downhill trek showcasing some scenic views but lacking that `wow` element.

We`re sharing this guide shortly after hiking the Crossing, while the experience remains fresh so we can offer a thorough guide preparing you for all aspects of this hike (including the somewhat difficult logistics).

In this guide, we are going to strive to offer you as comprehensive an outline as we can for hiking this remarkable trail in Tongariro National Park. We`ll cover the key details about the route, such as the starting and ending points, along with essential logistical information and factors to be aware of before undertaking the hike.

Here is what we’re going to cover: 

• Key logistical details that hikers need to know – such as the difficulty level of the hike and what preparations are required, how to arrange a shuttle (and how to determine the best service for one`s needs), and some things to be aware of before starting the trail.
• Guidance for those preferring alternatives to the shuttle transport (a minor caveat: the hike necessitates the shuttle`s utilization).
• A comprehensive overview (described as a play-by-play) of the trail according to our own experience to give you a general idea of what to anticipate.

Our aim here is that, by the conclusion of this guide, you will possess all the necessary information to take on the Crossing safely and with confidence.

Sound good to you? Let’s get into it. 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post, like hotel links, are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we make a little bit of money if you click through and book. That being said, we would never recommend something to you that we don’t stand behind 100%.

Hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing: Trail Details

• Length: 19.4 km / 12.1 miles
• Elevation Gain: 2,765 feet
• Trail Type: A point-to-point route where transportation (you REQUIRE a shuttle!) is necessary.
• Difficulty: Hard
• Starting Point of the Trail: Mangatepopo Trailhead
• Dog Friendly? No

How Difficult is the This Hike?

In all honesty, we thought this hike would be more difficult. Still, the distance and terrain certainly put this hike firmly in the “difficult” category

However, provided you’re ready physically and have the proper equipment (strong footwear, sun protection, rain gear, snacks, and water), you should be capable of completing this hike. It just might take longer (we took nearly exactly six hours, with a long lunch break and plenty of photo stops along the way).

All that being said, we definitely do not want you to underestimate this hike.

This hike traverses mountainous terrain, signifying conditions can change nearly instantly, as we directly experienced when our beautiful sunny morning quickly transformed into a cold, windy, foggy midsection at the high point of the hike.

Another thing to be aware of is that the terrain along the route of this track can be challenging, from long staircases (aptly named “Devils Staircase”), to narrow rocky climbs, to sections of trail that are, essentially, a pile of scree that one is either ascending or descending.

We saw many struggling with footing on the descent from the Red Crater past Emerald Lake, and we would absolutely recommend hiking shoes or, even better, high top hiking boots with ankle support for this hike.

trekking poles would be very useful when traveling through the countryside of New Zealand, and we`re thankful we had ours along for support on our journey.

We saw people setting out from the parking lot at Mangatepopo with jeans and tote bags, and we are truly curious how their day went because this is NOT that kind of hike.

The Route for the Hiking the Crossing

This hike involves starting at one parking area and hiking one-way to another parking area. Meaning you need to arrange transportation between the two trailhead locations before beginning the hike (ideally several days in advance).

This is complicated by the reality that there is a four hour limitation at the parking lots on either end of this hike. We’re quick hikers, and it took us six hours to tackle this trail. We don’t believe there are more than a handful of individuals in the world who could do it in four.

Generally, this issue is addressed by employing one of the various local shuttle services, which allow you to park at a lot near the end of the trail and shuttle you to the starting point. We have an entire section below with more detailed information on this.

Anyway, back to the route itself. 

As mentioned, this is a one way hike starting at the Mangatepopo car park and ending at the Ketetahi car park.

The rationale for undertaking it in this specific sequence is that the Mangatepopo Trailhead is approximately 350 meters (roughly 1,000 feet) higher than the concluding point, meaning more of a downhill hike if tackled this way.

We also have a detailed trail guide below, providing far more particulars on each of these sections, like numerous photos. This is intended to be an overview of the route.

You’ll commence at the Mangatepopo Trailhead and initiate a gentle ascent through a landscape filled with tussocks, with a great vista of Mount Ngauruhoe as you start to climb upward.

From that point, the true adventure began (and by true adventure, referring to the challenging climb ahead). An ascent up the steep stairway known as Devil`s Staircase was required to reach the base of Mount Ngauruhoe, where a mostly level section skirting the mountain`s northern slopes would be crossed (which served as Mount Doom in the film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings for fellow fans of the work).

At the distant end of the crater is the second tough ascent, which takes you to the highest vantage point on the hike overlooking the Red Crater.

From here, the hike is nearly all downhill for the rest. You`ll descend past a couple alpine lakes and lava vents which strongly smell of sulfur, then cross another large open crater that is largely flat, bringing you to Blue Lake (a wonderful spot for lunch).

From here, the descent starts. You’ll begin on an open section hugging the hillside with excellent views over Lake Rotoaira and Lake Taupō in the distance.

Then, the real slog starts. The last third of this hike is a relentless downhill section, starting with lazy switchbacks crisscrossing the mountainside, turning into multiple staircases for descent, and ending with an, all things considered, rather pleasant easy wander through a moss-covered forest.

You’ll exit the forest at the Ketetahi Car Park, where you`ll either stop to catch the pre-arranged return shuttle (if you scheduled a roundtrip shuttle) or continue down the road to the parking area for the one-way shuttle services.

Arranging a Shuttle to Get to the Mangatepopo Trailhead

Arrangement of the shuttle transport was arguably the most intricate part of the hike, though determining your plans wouldn`t be too onerous.

Here is the information needed to choose which shuttle service to book.

There exists a wealth of shuttle options as well as various pickup and dropoff points.

You should be aware that as of mid-2024 (January), there is essentially no viable approach to tackle this hike without a shuttle. More on that below.

Essentially, we could divide the possibilities into two broad categories:

1. The one-way trip: Park your vehicle at a designated parking lot near the end of the hike (there is a sizable parking area along Highway 46 that multiple companies share) and get transported to the starting point for the hike. Complete the hike, return to your vehicle, and drive home!
2. The round trip transport: Get picked up and dropped off from a designated location, either in a town near the park (like National Park, Turangi, or even Taupō), or even at your lodging (depending on which company you opt for). Straightforward and hassle-free, but less adaptable.

The decision for your specific situation comes down to a few key factors:

• Where you’ll be residing. If you’ll be staying near one of the round trip pick-up points, that might be the best option so you don’t need to drive to the trailhead early in the morning (you can use that extra time to get a few minutes of extra rest).
• Regardless of vehicle ownership status. If you don’t own an automobile, you don’t need to worry about parking arrangements! However, you do require shuttle transportation to and from the trail head, which will necessitate a return trip.
• The pace of your hike. If you book a round trip shuttle, you have a fixed pickup time at the end of the hike, which is usually something like 7-8 hours after the drop off. This could leave you either needing to hurry downhill near the end to try to make the shuttle time, or sitting at the end for an hour or two after you’ve already spent six hours in the intense New Zealand sun. Neither situation is desirable.

In general, we would suggest selecting the one way shuttle option where you leave your vehicle at the end of the hike (really, just 900m down the road from the endpoint) and take a shuttle back to the trailhead to start.

That is what we did – with Backyard Tours, which was great – and we would undertake the same in a heartbeat for a couple of reasons.

The primary reason is that this provides more flexibility regarding your timing on the trail. Instead of hiking with a scheduled pickup time, you can spend as much or as little time on the trail as desired (or, in the reverse situation, you won’t need to wait at the endpoint for pickup after hiking 20 km).

Among the primary benefits of the one way option is that during peak season it offers a 6am pickup time meaning that you will be among the initial people on the trail. Yes it`s early but it is certainly worthwhile.

Expect to pay approximately $60 NZD per person for any shuttle service (though it varies by operator and itinerary – e.g. if you’re getting a shuttle from National Park, it will be cheaper because it’s so close to the beginning of the trail).

What if You Don’t Want to Take the Shuttle?

On the way down, we were chatting with a fellow hiker (hello, Robin from Grenoble!) about how exactly you would do this hike without transportation assistance.

The brief answer is, given the four hour parking restriction at the trailheads on either end of the hike, we’re not really sure how you could feasibly do this trail without the shuttle.

You may think you can complete a there-and-back hike from either trailhead in four hours. However, if you’re traveling all the way from the Mangatepopo Trailhead up to Emerald Lake, you likely can’t. It’s roughly 27km and involves a significant amount of elevation gain (around 1,000 meters).

You may then say “well, perhaps we’ll just risk it and hope the rangers don’t catch us.” This is one of the most popular treks in New Zealand, and rangers are at the trailhead all day long. They will detect you and either ticket you or remove your vehicle.

The sole method we could devise was hiking out-and-back from the bottom, where in limited and precise areas you can technically park along the road.

However, this trail involves a long and strenuous hike ascending over 10 kilometers before any rewards appear (and then you need to return back down). Not to mention you are beginning the climb from the lower altitude end, making it more uphill.

So, given that trekking the entire Crossing without a shuttle isn’t really practicable, we’d alternatively recommend heading up to Whakapapa Village to hike the Tama Lakes Track, which we’d say is a close second in terms of our favorite hike in the park.

If inclement weather cancels your shuttle, which happens regularly (it did the day before our crossing), we`d also recommend that hike as a suitable alternate with comparable scenery.

Things to Know Before Your Hike

Here are a few elements we think you should be aware of before undertaking this hike.

Making online booking with the Department of Conservation ahead of time is advisable for tackling the Crossing. At present, enforcing this rule is not required in the summer of 2024, but talks are ongoing about necessitating it later in the year to curb the crowd numbers undertaking the Crossing. Your transportation operator may also ask you to show your booking reference number, so be sure to get it organized. It takes a minuscule amount of effort, is cost-free, and you can sign up here.

There is very little shade along most of this trail route. However, the final two kilometers or so are forested. But for the vast majority of the hike, you are fully exposed to the natural elements, including the sun. It`s important to remember that sunlight can be intense in New Zealand, so continually applying and reapplying sunscreen on this hike is advised. Hikers usually prefer clothing like long sleeves and pants to cover up, even when temperatures are quite warm. Additionally, sunglasses – especially those that are polarized – will serve you well here.

An ample supply of water is necessary, as none can be found along the trail. Given the exposed conditions and distance covered, approximately 2 liters of water per person must be brought. Although that quantity sounds substantial, it will likely be consumed on hot summer days by the halfway point during the descent section (around 75% completion).

You need to get ready to become wet. As you can see from our images, we experienced great weather on the trail as we made our way up to the highest point on the crossing, just above the Red Crater. From there, clouds and fog rolled in for about an hour, obscuring views of the crater and lakes and blasting our sweaty bodies with a very cold wind blowing across the ridge. Then, on the way down, it rained on us. The key point is that weather can change quickly, so you want to be prepared for multiple seasons in the same day.

Restroom facilities are spaced along the trail. Hikers will find multiple drop toilet options spread throughout this route, including at the trailhead, within the first kilometer at the Mangatepopo Hut rest area, right before Devil`s Staircase, at the peak of Devil`s Staircase, directly before beginning the descent after Blue Lake, and halfway down the descent. Travelers should carry their own toilet paper and hand sanitizer as these restrooms lack both. Furthermore, due to the fragile landscape and lack of coverage, using the toilets is highly recommended over other options.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing: A Complete Trail Guide

In this section, we will go through the hike from beginning to end so you know what to anticipate when starting the trail.

For each section, we’ll give you the (rough) distance and elevation gained in that portion of the hike, along with a relatively brief description of the terrain, calling out anything that we think might be useful to know (e.g. there’s a steep section with some scrambling, there’s a toilet, etc).

It’s worth noting that, as this hike descends more than it climbs (the trailhead is at a higher elevation than the endpoint), the elevation numbers for each section may seem unusual. View them as indicative of direction.

At a high level, the ascent from the starting point to the highest elevation on the hike can be separated into three distinct sections (which is what we’ve done in this guide). The latter two sections – Devil’s Staircase and the climb to the high point above Red Crater – are, by far, the most difficult parts of the hike.

Whether one is more difficult is debatable, and largely depends on individual preferences (e.g. stairways versus steep, slippery rock).

It is undeniable that this initial portion is the most facile of the first three sections. This leg of the trail involves a fairly gentle ascent that will stir your blood and warm your muscles in preparation for the principal event(s) to follow.

Consider it this way – it should not be too difficult to shed layers once warmed up, but also should not be so challenging as to have one stating “what have I gotten myself into?”

Immediately upon leaving the trail head, stunning views of Mount Ngauruhoe greet you, providing a foretaste of the sights ahead on this hike.

As you make progress up the trail, the symmetrical cone form of Mount Ngauruhoe starts to peek out from behind the ridgeline, and fairly quickly you come to a corner and find yourself face to face with the volcano in all its magnificence, from its base (encompassed by dried lava flow) to its peak.

Toward the end of this trail section, a boardwalk takes you through a swamp. To the left is a ridgeline and a softly babbling brook (fed by Soda Springs at the section`s end) surrounded by decent vegetation.

To your right is a much barer landscape at the base of Mount Doom, with lava fields coming into view at the end of this stretch. Very intriguing, and a truly unique landscape to hike through.

As you might have deduced, this section is characterized by what seems to be an endless series of steps.

We mention never ending because there were four separate instances where we assumed we were about to arrive at a saddle or peak signifying the conclusion of the climb, only to realize it was another false summit, and the distress would continue for a brief period longer.

After the initial staircases, restrooms are available off to the right before beginning the next two kilometer climb (a little over one mile). The ascent gains around 300 meters in elevation over that distance, presenting a notable challenge.

However, we have received some positive news regarding this section.

It`s likely that if you resemble us, you`ll be taking numerous breaks as you ascend. And the perspectives behind you are spectacular, specifically if it`s a clear day and you can see the peak of Mount Taranaki (we could, but we couldn’t get a good picture of it).

Taking things slowly, with plenty of breaks, allows one to fully soak up those excellent views (though even more spectacular views are yet to come, we’d claim).

At the top of the ascent (after roughly four false peaks), you’ll finally reach the hilltop, and the trail levels out and brings you into a valley along a (blissfully) flat trail.

Another restroom set is on your left shortly after leveling out. A good spot for a break, some water, and reapplying sunscreen.

Upon entering the crater here – it is not a crater in the usual sense meaning it wasn’t created by an impact from the volcanoes – you are right at the base of Mount Ngauruhoe, and you will have some quite impressive views of the volcano from right at its base.

At the farthest end of this valley, you’ll come upon the base of a ridge and see the trail ascending rigorously up and to the left toward the summit of that ridgeline (forewarning: another false peak lies beyond).

This marks the conclusion of the second elevated phase of the ascent and the beginning of the climb to the hike`s highest point.

Although this section of the route is just a kilometer long, it requires climbing approximately 200 meters in total, most along an inadequately maintained trail full of loose and slippery stones. It`s a steep ascent, but thankfully short.

And, once again, the good news is that the views from atop the ridgeline back towards the volcano and out over the valleys on either side of the ridge are spectacular.

However, we did not get to enjoy the perspectives afforded from the ridge`s highest point due to a thick fog rolling in, which prevented us from seeing beyond the Red Crater, let alone the valleys beyond.

The one thing to know about this section is that you will likely become overheated during the strenuous climb only to be struck by powerful gusts of chilled wind that blow across that ridge. Layers are your ally!

Regrettably, hiking directly downhill for over 11km is troublesome on its own.

This initial downhill section is possibly the most difficult part of the hike, especially for those without proper footwear and/or hiking poles. We had no trouble, but we saw many people who, to put it respectfully, definitely had issues.

Essentially, the downhill section from the Red Crater to the shore of Emerald Lakes is steep and consists of loose soil. We saw several individuals fall in this section, where the key is leaning backwards to fall on your rear rather than your face!

About halfway down, you’ll want to stop and gaze in wonder at the beautiful turquoise lake sitting just under you. If you can see it, anyway. We waited here for 20 minutes for the fog to clear (it never quite did).

It has that same light blue hue seen in alpine lakes worldwide thanks to minerals in the water, and would be far brighter on a sunny day (which was absent) when it illuminates and appears unnatural.

If you look carefully, you can see steam vents around the lake emitting sulphur-y air (hence the lovely smell through this section of the hike).

Once done marveling at this geothermal wonderland, the trail continues leveling out briefly before a short climb up to Blue Lake, the perfect spot for a snack (or packed lunch) and a well-earned break.

It starts out easily enough. You depart Blue Lake, pass another restroom area, and are met with a magnificent vista looking northeast featuring both Lake Rotoaira and Lake Taupō. Truly, it’s a spectacular view.

However, the next checks notes 8km or so of laborious downhill SUCK.

After that initial section with the pleasant views, a series of wide, gently sloping switchbacks begin, declining almost imperceptibly.

Then the trail straightens out a bit, following a ridgeline down to the former location of the Ketetahi Shelter (which closed after the 2012 eruption when rocks came through the ceiling – luckily nobody was inside) where there are another set of toilets.

From here, the trail alternates between steep sets of steps and relatively level sections for some distance. There are some cool sections here, mostly because of the bright red stained rocks along the trail.

Then, for the last 3 km or so, you enter a damp, mossy forest, which is kind of a pleasant change of pace. We enjoyed this section, which follows a stream that, along with the bird songs, provides a nice soundtrack for the end of the hike.

Ultimately, you’ll emerge at the Ketetahi Carpark, where there are bathrooms and a shelter from the elements.

From here, one will either await transportation back to their place of lodging/town via shuttle if a round trip was booked or walk an additional 900m down to the base of the roadway and cross the highway to get back to their vehicle if a one way shuttle was reserved.