A quick guide to hiking the Mt Lyndon track
Mt Lyndon track is located in the Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands area in Canterbury. It stands tall over Lake Lyndon with beautiful views over the lake, Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park and the Craigieburn Range.
I have been up Mt Lyndon a couple of times now. My favourite hikes are ones with lake views down below and this one certainly ticks that off. Only about a third of the way up and you get some epic views of Lake Lyndon. Like many hikes, you do have to work for this view, however it’s totally worth it!
Track Details
649m gain | 5.6km return | 3-4 hour return | Dog friendly
Unlike other reviews of this track that I’ve read, I don’t find the Mt Lyndon track as easy as everyone says. It’s not overly long but does ascends quickly over a short distance. It’s not like Foggy Peak steep but steep enough, paired with it’s rocky terrain that going with someone for moral support is a sure way to get to the top. Going alone made it way to easy to contemplate turning around.
However, I will say that the effort is worth it because the views from the ascent and at the summit are really cool. You have a nice 360 degree view of the surrounding mountain ranges and even a peak all the way over to the Lake Coleridge.
The ascent
This track is very much a choose your own adventure. It is not a DOC trail so it is unmarked all the way to the top. You don’t have to be an expert navigator and all though you need some sense of direction of where to head, the mountain makes it pretty easy in that you just want to go up. Having navigation like topo maps would help in choosing the most efficient route.
Starting from beside the lodge at the far end of Lake Lyndon, there is a well formed trail through the shrub that heads out from the lodge and follows the stream. If you’re facing the lodge you’ll see to the right of the fenceline beside it, the track that takes you do the base of the mountain. This trail goes for about 10 minutes before you start to see tracks that head up to Mt Lyndon. This is surprisingly a popular spot for mountain bikers so the tracks you see are ones that they have made and the best way to start to ascend.
The first half and hour or so on these goat tracks move through matagouri and tussocks so you’ll want to be aware of your movement along the trails so you’re not getting scrapped by these plants. As you go higher the shrubs started to get smaller and the sandy terrain turns more into rock.
It’s pretty surprising how much elevation is covered in the first part of the track. Before I knew it I was looking at stunning views over Lake Lyndon. About half way up there’s a spot where the track does flatten out a bit and makes for a good plan b if you’re not keen to keep going to the top. You’ll have good views, a spot for lunch and you’ve already put in a great effort!
As you keep heading up, the rocky terrain is a bit more loose. Not completely scree like but it does require a little extra effort. It’s definitely easier walking down on it than up. If you’re out there when there’s snow, just before careful of how deep the snow is or if there’s an icey layer.
The last push to the top is always a challenging one for me. It’s not as steep as the start but because there’s no one single track, you’re trying to see the most efficient way to get up and if you catch a few false summits it feels like it takes forever. At this point, you’ve just gotta push through.
The top of Mt Lyndon is signified with a cairn or a large pile of rocks. The view of the lake is gone but replaced by the surrounding mountains. They’re especially stunning with a blanket of snow on them.
Keep in mind when you’re at the top that the northwest side (looking out to the highway) has a pretty steep dropped down so just be careful how close you get to the edge.
The descent
I found for the most part getting down is definitely much easier than going up. There were scree like sections that I could descend rather quickly.
The most challenging part on my last trip started about half way down when the scrub started to get taller. I did find it hard to spot a track. In some areas I had to push through bush and be quite careful stepping down from one section to another.
Once I found a bike track I was pretty good for a bit. I did stay to the left of the mountain but then ran in trouble in the last section where the matagouri was present. I think I should’ve migrated more to the right coming down. I got quite nervous at one point. The scrub was tall, it was steep and I got to a point where I had no idea which direction to go. One thing I learned was to just breathe deeply, stay calm and go slow. I eventually found the trail by the stream and made it back to the car.
alternative routes
The other way to get up the summit of Mt Lyndon, still on DOC land is at the northern end of the lake by the carpark off the highway. I have not hiked up this way before. From reading other track notes, it sounds like there’s an unmarked impact track. It’s shorter to go up this way, also steep with loose rock in some areas but not overly challenging.
Cloudy Hill- Another route either to or from Mt Lyndon is via Cloudy Hill. You could get up to Mt Lyndon, go over to Cloudy hill, turn around and come back down. Or, you can traverse over to Cloudy hill and descend to the road. If you choose to go this way, you’ll need two cars or to be picked up at the end. You will also need permission as the land coming down from Cloudy hill is private. If you want to do this track, please ask for permission. I’m not sure who is the contact but you could try reaching out to the Christchurch tramping club. They may be able to point you in the right direction. Edward from hiking scenery has a post about this traverse here.
How to get there
The start of the track is on Lyndon Road which is off of highway 73. The road has an sign that says ‘fine weather only’. This pertains mostly to the section that passes through to Lake Coleridge. The road to the lodge at the end of the lake is usually not a problem. Follow the road along the lake. You’ll see by the end there’s a road on the right. Take that one which goes to the lodge. Be aware that the road is not regularly maintained so take extra care if you don’t have much clearance on your car.
Other hikes in the area
The Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands area has a lot of great hikes with varying difficulties. Trig M is a great beginner hike with two different ways to get to it, depending on the season. Foggy Peak is more advanced with the option of hiking on to Castle Peak. And if you want some easy exploring, Castle Hill is only 8 minutes down the road.