Hike and Climb at Castle Hill

Castle Hill, New Zealand

3.5/5

based on 2 reviews

Save

View all 10 photos

All 10 photos

Save Review Directions Add Photo

Details

Distance

2 miles

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Tobin Akehurst

Hike around hundreds of giant limestone formations on this short, family-friendly hike. Bring your climbing gear and try some bouldering or sport climbing.

Follow the footpath from the car park. You will quickly arrive at Castle Hill, famous for it's incredible array of giant limestone formations. There is no official path so you are free to wander the maze of rocks. Look for arches and even signs of ancient Maori inhabitants. Its fun to climb among the beautiful boulders but be careful it could be very easy to get yourself stuck or even fall.

Castle hill is a popular area for bouldering and sport climbing. The best free, on-line guide to C.H. climbing is http://climbnz.org.nz/nz/si/canterbury/inland-canterbury/castle-hill-basin/castle-hill-kura-tawhiti

I brought some climbing shoes and had fun finding and trying out different traverses and short climbs not far from the ground.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Photography

Rock Climbing

Chillin

Hiking

Bathrooms

Easy Parking

Family Friendly

Groups

Picnic Area

Scenic

Hike and Climb at Castle Hill Reviews

Taka John

Hike and Climb at Castle Hill

10/25/19

Very interesting place and close to Christchurch. You may climb Leath hill ( may need permission for walking across private land)

4.0

Brendon Graf

Hike and Climb at Castle Hill

01/24/18

Great for bouldering but if you’re planning on sport climbing, bring hangers as most bolts are ‘carrot bolts’

3.0

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Climb Mt. Cloudsley

Park at the Hogsback Trailhead in Castle Hill Village. Follow the Hogsback trail by staying to the right at both upcoming "Y" intersections. Once you reach the bush edge, Long Spur and Mt Cloudsley come into view. Break off from the trail aiming for the toe of Long Spur. Then climb along the crest of the spur until you reach the summit. Return the way you came.Also a great ski touring route!

Hike Mt. Cheeseman

Follow the Hogsback Track until you reach the clearing just after the Waterfall Creek crossing. Hike through the clearing towards the toe of Mt Cheeseman's east ridge.Work your way up the ridge by linking a network of tussock slopes, ledges, scree slopes snow patches and crumbly rock. Eventually you will reach the second, lower summit. Carefully navigate the final ridge to the summit, it can be...

Hike the Trig M Trail

The hiking trail first ascends a hillside to about 1,500 meters. It then follows the crest of a ridge in a southwest direction until you reach the "trig", a marker used in geographical survey. The maintained track ends here but hikers wanting more can continue traveling cross country to Rabbit Hill. Return the way you came.In winter this trail makes for an ideal snowshoe route. The terrain is n...

Hike Foggy Peak and Castle Hill Peak

Park in the gravel roadside parking area at the highpoint of Porters Pass. Follow the faint use path up the lower scree slopes of Foggy Peak northward towards the summit. Upon reaching the summit of Foggy Peak the alpine traverse to Castle Hill Peak becomes obvious. The hike between the two peaks is one of the best in Canterbury, a barren alpine ridge varying in width from one to a few hundred ...

Hike to Foggy Peak Summit

The Foggy Peak trail is an unmarked path leading from the carpark at the top of Porters Pass to the summit of Foggy Peak. The clouds can get very low here so be sure to bring a GPS or be knowledgeable in the mountains. From the carpark just duck under the fence and head on up to the top. The way is very easy but can be slippery in snowy conditions. The trail starts off relatively steep before f...

Ride the Craigieburn Mountain Bike Trails

Being a cloudy and gray day in Christchurch, we decided to pack the bikes up and drive the 100kms on SH73 up to the Craigieburn Forest Park. There are several entrances to the tracks. You can either park up in the Castle Hill Village and enter the Hogs Back Track from there, or park in the Broken River Skifield or Craigieburn Ski Field Road. If you have a smartphone you can download the Craigie...

Hike and Climb at Castle Hill

Details

Description

Download the Outbound mobile app

Features

Hike and Climb at Castle Hill Reviews

Leave No Trace

Nearby

Climb Mt. Cloudsley

Hike Mt. Cheeseman

Hike the Trig M Trail

Hike Foggy Peak and Castle Hill Peak

Hike to Foggy Peak Summit

Ride the Craigieburn Mountain Bike Trails

Discover

Community

Company

Follow Us

Mobile Apps