Mt Sunday / Mt Riley Track
Marlborough
This walk was suggested by the community and checked against the authority quoted above before it was published. The route line comes from official track data. DOC’s own wording: “The Department of Conservation states this outright on its own page for the track. Under dog access it reads: “Dogs with a DOC permit only. Contact closest DOC office to get a permit.” The track sits in Mount Richmond Forest Park, so the closest office is the Nelson visitor centre, and the permit must be in hand before you go rather than sorted at the road end. DOC’s Northbank hunting block page says the same thing for the surrounding country, “Dogs are allowed with a dog permit from Nelson Visitor Centre”, and adds a detail worth knowing if you are staying out: “Dogs are not permitted inside or under huts, but kennels are provided.” Read 3 September 2026”. Evidence: the rule-setter’s own published wording. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
A DOC dog permit is required before any dog walks here. Apply to the managing DOC office ahead of time; do not turn up with the dog first.
Opens your email app, addressed to [email protected]. You can also call DOC on 0800 275 362.
About Mt Sunday / Mt Riley Track
In Marlborough, Mt Sunday / Mt Riley Track runs 11.8 km.
A long, steep loop in the Richmond Range behind Renwick, climbing from the Davies Road end over Mount Riley at 1311 m and Mount Sunday at 1310 m, with Mt Sunday Bivouac tucked just below the tops. DOC makes it about 15 km and eight hours return and grades it advanced, and our line comes out at 12.3 km, so treat the day as the honest measure rather than the distance. This is a full day on your feet with well over a thousand metres of climb, most of it in one go. Dre and Hazel put us onto it, and Dre had the rule right before we checked: dogs need a DOC permit here, not just good manners. That is the thing to sort first. Get it from the Nelson visitor centre before you drive out, because there is nobody to ask at the road end and no signal to sort it from the track. Access is off SH6 about 5 km north of Renwick, then Northbank Road, Onamalutu Road, Briggs Road and Davies Road. Forestry work can shut the road in without much warning, so check road status before you commit to the drive. The two ends of the loop come out about 200 m apart on Davies Road, so it walks either way round. The tops are exposed and the weather in the Richmonds turns fast. This is not a walk for a hot day or a dog that is not already fit for long climbs, and there is no water for long stretches once you are on the ridge. If you are staying at the bivvy, remember dogs sleep outside: DOC provides kennels but does not allow dogs inside or under the huts.
Graded expert, it climbs about 1,344 m overall, and takes about 4 hr 35 min to walk.
A DOC dog permit is required before any dog walks here. Arrange it with the managing DOC office ahead of your trip. This walk is on the map because Dre & Hazel suggested it, and we checked it against the source above.