Mount Cargill Walk
Dunedin · Otago · Out & Back
The dog rule shown here is resolved against the council zone this walk sits in. Route details come from licensed public walk data. Dunedin City Council’s own wording: “Two clauses of the Dog Control Policy 2024 cover this climb. The lower kilometre from the picnic area is Schedule C Tracks, "Bethunes Gully track and picnic area (Note this excludes the playground where dogs are prohibited.)", off lead. Above the Skid Track junction the route enters Mt Cargill Scenic Reserve, which is Schedule A, "Mount Cargill - except on walking track where dogs are allowed off leash", so off lead on the formed track and prohibited off it”. Evidence: a hand-checked correction against the authority. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
Dogs are allowed here. Watch for ground-nesting birds and stock, and read the signs at the gate.
About Mount Cargill Walk
Mount Cargill Walk is an out-and-back of 8.7 km, near Dunedin in Otago.
Dogs are off lead the whole way up, but under two different rules, and the difference matters for where your dog can wander. The first kilometre from the Bethunes Gully picnic area is covered by Schedule C of Dunedin's Dog Control Policy 2024, which names the Bethunes Gully track and picnic area as off lead, with the playground excluded. We tested the council's own track line against its Mt Cargill Scenic Reserve boundary and none of that lower section falls inside the reserve, so the prohibited surrounds people worry about do not apply there. Above the Skid Track junction the climb enters the reserve, and from that point Schedule A takes over: off lead on the formed track, prohibited everywhere off it. So keep your dog close once you are above the junction, and use a lead near the car parks at either end.
Expect hard going, with around 548 m of climb, pitching up to 27 % at its steepest, and takes about 3.5–4 hr to walk.
Along the way there are native forest and big views. Dogs are welcome here. Walkers rate it 4.7 / 5 across 328 reviews.
