The Copland Track: A West Coast Tramp with Hot Pools

The Copland Track is probably the best weekend/ overnight tramp on the West Coast.

There is a Great Walk – Paparoa Track – in the region and you could do short walks on the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. But these pale in comparison to what the Copland Track offers: natural hot pools by the hut!

In case you are wondering, Paparoa Track, the newest track listed as a Great Walk, doesn’t sound that appealing even though I am on a Great Walk collection spree. Paparoa Track is a shared track between trampers and bikers, and the scenery was…well…like the Heaphy Track in Kahurangi National Park.

We were recently let off from picking cherries in January due to a freak new-year-day weather. What else to do next but a 3D2N road trip to the West Coast? 

And there you go – a 2D1N Copland Track and one day of heli hiking on Fox Glacier.

What/ Where

The Copland Track to Welcome Flat Hut is, as quoted from DOC, a popular tramp that gives you a glimpse of Westland’s spectacular scenery, with the bonus of natural hot pools.

The tramp from the carpark to the hut/ hot pools takes about 20 km. Along the way, you would cross several one-man-only bridges, and walk in and out of the forest along the Copland River. It is a relatively flat tramp, though some rocky areas and the long distance can bash one’s toes and promote blisters.

The Copland Track was initially designed as a track in the 1910s to give faster access from the Mount Cook village to Fox Glacier over Copland Pass, 2150 m. Douglas Rock Hut lies about a half-day or 7 km tramp from Welcome Flat Hut.

We saw a few trampers with mountaineering gear on our tramp. They may be advancing beyond Douglas Rock Hut towards the Pass.

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Getting There

It takes about 4 hours from Queenstown, an hour from Haast or 40-ish mins drive from Franz Josef to the carpark leading to the track.

We left Clyde before 8 am and started tramping from the carpark just before noon.

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Accommodation

There are two huts, with campsites, along the way to the hot springs – Architect Creek Hut and Welcome Flat Hut.

Architect Creek Hut is a stone’s throw away from the Architect Creek one-man-only bridge, and roughly halfway to Welcome Flat. It is a small hut with just two bunks. There are no toilets within this area.

Bookings are not required but operate on a first-come basis. Tentless trampers starting their tramp after 3 pm would usually bunk in this hut. We encountered at least three along the way during our return tramp to the carpark. I wonder how the small hut would take them in.

Bookings must be made in advance for the popular Welcome Flat Hut or campsite on DOC’s website. It costs NZD 20 per bunk or NZD 10 per person per campsite. The warden at duty would check your reservation so be prepared to have your booking reference printed or kept on your phone.

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Key Points

• Plan to spend at least 7 hours from the carpark to the hot springs. The 7 hours one-way listed on DOC’s site is pretty accurate, unlike for other tramps.
• Check the weather conditions before embarking. Bad weather is common along the West Coast and makes river crossings dangerous. We were blessed with sunny weather on the first day and slight rain on the second day.
• Bring swimwear for the hot pools.
• Do not dip your head beneath the water of the hot pools. Several posters within the hut remind trampers of the danger of contracting amoebic meningitis found in natural geothermal pools. The bugs infect through the nasal mucosa.
• Pack for cold nights despite tramping on summer days. It gets chilly at night in the mountains.
• Flush toilets. There are two flush toilets at Welcome Flat Hut. I did not encounter any other toilet along the way beyond the carpark.
• Bring insect repellent. It’s the West Coast, guys. Lots of hungry sandflies.
• The usual sun protection. Sunscreen, sunglasses, wide-brim hats.
• Obey the one-man-only bridge rule. There’s a reason why DOC labelled it as such.