Seven Mile Point Track

This moderate-length walk follows 2.7 km, near Queenstown in Otago.

A walking and cycling track along the shore of Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown that climbs through pine forest and regenerating native bush to views of Wilson Bay from Kirks Terrace. It also provides uphill access to the Seven Mile (7 Mile) Scenic Reserve mountain bike park. This one had been sitting in our data with no dog rule on it, which is why you could not find it here until now. DOC settles it: "Dogs on a leash only. Other pets on conservation land rules." It is conservation land in 7 Mile Scenic Reserve, so that is the rule that counts, and there is nothing to arrange beforehand, just keep the lead on. The lead matters more here than the wording alone suggests. This track doubles as the uphill access to the 7 Mile Scenic Reserve mountain bike park, so you are sharing it with bikes, and the climb through the pines is where they are working hardest and seeing least. The first stretch is the easy part: flat and open along the shore of Lake Wakatipu, with the water right there, before the track turns uphill through pine forest and regenerating native bush to the view over Wilson Bay from Kirks Terrace. DOC calls it 3 km one way and allows 1 hour 30 minutes, and grades it easy to intermediate, Grade 3. Our line measures 2.74 km with about 90 m of climb, so we are reading it slightly shorter than DOC does, and the sign at the carpark wins if the two disagree. Start either from the 7 Mile carpark, 7 km out of Queenstown on the Glenorchy-Queenstown Road, or from the Wilson Bay carpark further along the same road. DOC warns that both carparks get very busy over summer and asks you not to park on the roadside or reverse out into fast traffic, so an early morning or an early evening is easier on everyone, dogs included. Fires are not allowed at any time.

It sits at the easy end and gains roughly 91 m, pitching up to 38 % at its steepest, and takes about 41m to walk.

Dogs are allowed here, on the lead.