Queenstown’s Hidden Mountain Route (Almost) No One Knows

Hidden next to Queenstown Mt Crichton (sometimes spelled Mt Creighton) is one of the wildest mountain routes around Lake Wakatipu. This trip starts on the old Mt Crichton gold miners trail before and unmarked track disappears into the forest and climbs straight up a ridge on a route few people seem to know about. From there the mountain turns into snowfields, loose scree, razorback ridges, and exposed alpine terrain high above the lake. I originally climbed Mt Crichton from the Avalanche Creek side a few years ago, but this time went from the 12 Mile Creek side and completed the full traverse. Along the way I crossed old gold workings, alpine tarns still buried beneath spring snow, and some of the sharpest ridgelines I’ve been on this close to Queenstown. If you’re looking for a proper off-track mountain adventure in New Zealand, Mt Crichton is far wilder than it looks from the lake below.