If you’ve been to the Mid Canterbury region, chances are you’ve spotted the towering presence of Mt Somers. This striking volcanic mountain, with its rugged red rock formations and sweeping 360-degree views, is a must-do for hikers seeking a challenge.
The Mt Somers Track offers a variety of routes, each weaving through lush beech forests, tussock-covered ridges, and exposed alpine terrain before reaching the summit. While the climb is demanding, the reward is well worth the effort—expansive views stretching across the Canterbury Plains, out to the Southern Alps, Mt Cook and beyond.
The track is maintained by the Mt Somers Walkway Society, a dedicated group working alongside DOC (Department of Conservation) to preserve the trails and huts in the area. Whether you tackle it as a long day hike or as part of a multi-day adventure, summiting Mt Somers is a great achievement an unforgettable experience for any keen hiker.
My route
There are a few ways you can get up to Mt Somers depending on the length of the track you want to take. The most direct route and shortest route is from Sharplin Falls car park in Staveley and going up the South face of the mountain. This is the most popular way of getting up there and although I say it’s the ‘shortest’ route it doesn’t take away from its difficulty.
The track to Mt Somers track is outline below with alternative routes listed afterwards.
Track details
1687 meters | 1100 meter gain | 9.4 km return | 5-8 hour return- very dependant on fitness
Sharplin Falls car park to Staveley Hill
From the Sharplin Falls carpark, there is a main trailhead to start on which shares the start to both Sharplin Falls and the route the Pinnacles Hut. The tracks are clearly signed but be sure to stay left to get to the start of the Mt Somers south face ascent.
Once you’re on the Mt Somers south face track, the climb begins almost immediately. Thankfully, the steep section is short-lived—after about 15 minutes, the trail eases into an undulating ridge nestled within the trees. This is one of the flattest sections of the hike, so take a moment to enjoy the reprieve—it won’t last for long!
It leads to an opening called Hookey Knob at 731 meters before climbing more steadily through subalpine vegetation. The path is covered with boulders half embedded into it, making for some big steps to get up and over. Although straightforward, it is steep and uneven footing.
The track heads on to Staveley Hill. This is where you’ll find the track junction to head up to the summit. The vegetation becomes more lowland shrub and tussock on the hill giving way to already beautiful views of the Canterbury Plains. There are several spots along the way to sit down for a break if you’re not in any hurry. It took me 1.5 hours to get to the junction without any long stops.
Sharplin Falls to Staveley Hill (track junction) 1.5 to 2 hours
Staveley Hill to the summit
Once at the junction, the track to the summit is very clearly marked. The vegetation moves through a mix of tall beech and shrubs for a short time before coming into lowland scrub and shingle path to the spur. It is relatively steep and becomes rockier the further you head up. Because I went in May, parts of the track closer to the junction were still slippery from frost. It’s good to note that the south face gets very little sun at that time of year.
Once at the spur around 1200 meters, the entire face is covered in volcanic rock. Markers poles lead the way to the top and there are various tracks that people have taken. It’s steep going and besides a few spots with some loose shingle, it’s not too hard to navigate. You do have to watch out as many of the rocks aren’t as stable as they look so just be careful when you’re choosing what to walk up on.
I ended up following other paths at some points but always kept an eye on the marker poles to make sure I was staying within the same vicinity.
There’s one more spur about 1500 meters, that’s awesome for a wee break before the last push to the ridge up to the summit. It’s still steep so if you don’t like heights this may make you a bit uncomfortable but my plan of attack was just slow and steady up. I won’t lie it did feel like a relentless climb but once the ridgeline was properly in view it gave me the push I needed to keep going.
The ridgeline to the summit is pretty cool. Lots of rocks and although you can see down both sides, it’s wide enough to walk on and it is easy to navigate. The views are pretty spectacular and worth all the effort.
It’s a massive summit on Mt Somers and the views are unreal. On a clear day, it’s likely you’ll see Aoraki/Mt Cook. The views go across the plains, over the Hakatere and Lake Heron. You can see the Two thumbs Range and directly to the north the Winterslow Range.
Staveley Hill (track junction) to summit 1.5 to 2 hours
The descent
I went down the same way I came up. Although I was worried about navigating the loose shingle downhill, I felt steady on my feet and to my surprise it wasn’t too bad. The more challenging part was the track closer to the junction as it was still slippery from the morning frost and stepping down over the big rocks on the track.
It took me 2.5 hours to get down from the summit back to the carpark.
Alternative routes
There are two marked routes you can take to the summit. Besides the south face marked route, you can also head up the track on the saddle between Woolshed Creek Hut and Pinnacles Hut.
The track from the saddle can be accessed from Woolshed Creek car park, potentially the easier way or from Sharplin Falls carpark following the Pinnacles Hut track. The track from the saddle is 2.7km and approximately 2 hours to the summit.
Another option is starting from Woolshed Creek car park. Head up the Rhyolite Ridge Track (bus stop loop track), take the south face track to join up with the Staveley Hill junction and then up to the summit. From south face junction to the the Staveley Hill junction, it is about 6 km on an undulating track and then 1.7km to summit. This could take approximately 4.5-6 hours one way.
I highly discourage anyone from trying to ascend and especially descend on the north face close to where Pinnacles Hut is. It would incredibly easy to get bluffed out there and sadly there have been causalities there before.
When to go
It’s possible to hike up to the summit of Mt Somers all year round but depending on your experience and the conditions. The wintertime of course is the hardest as the face sees very little sun. It gets really icey, can be very snowy and alpine skills are needed.
Summertime can of course be quite hot and windy. So make sure you’ve got enough water and sun protection. I wouldn’t suggest heading up when it’s windy. Wait for a calm day as it would get very dangerous on the ridge in gail.
My favourite time is Autumn. Every time I’ve hiked Mt Somers it’s been at at the beginning of May. The track is a bit muddy in places, and you don’t have as much daylight but it’s also not incredibly hot.
Mt Somers isn’t the biggest mountain or hardest hike by any means but it is a good challenge. If you’ve been getting out regularly for hikes and have some confidence over rocky terrain, definitely give this one a go! If you’re not feeling quite ready yet, hiking up to Staveley Hill and turning around is a great effort or going around the mountain on the south face track as a point to point. This will give you a good idea of what the track is like.
Because there are other tracks on the walkway the car park tends to be pretty full, especially in the summertime. Many end up parking along the road that leads to the car park. Unfortunately, there have been break-ins in the area before so just make sure not to leave any valuables in the car.
One Response
Hi Lauren,The poster girl for Mt Somers!I’m Lew Shaw,a tive in the outdoor community & live in Metnhven.I belong to the Mt Somers Walkway Society,a small group who look after tracks & assets on our fav mountain.We have a f/b page, Mt.
Somers Walkway which is open to look at.Because I’m one of the editors,we welcome other photos or story,contributions.As a Society,we welcome younger people to come along to our monthly meetings,2nd tuesday each month,7:30pm,at the Mt Somers Tavern.Tonight as it happens.I like your photos good work.