The Lake Marian hike, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Hiking to Lake Marian, Fiordland National Park

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Last Updated on May 23, 2022 by Jon Algie

Due to its remoteness and lack of tourist infrastructure, most people rush through the Milford Sound region without really getting off the main road. Stick around a while and you’ll be treated to some world-class hikes. Hiking to Lake Marian generally takes 3-4 hours. It’s fairly straight forward and the final viewpoint will blow you away.

Marian Falls

The hike to Lake Marian starts off pretty low-key. First you’ll cross a bridge then amble through the forest for 10 minutes or so before reaching Marian Falls. This large set of rapids and small waterfalls is surrounded by pristine forest. There’s a wooden boardwalk skirting the river — this is the most scenic (and the easiest) part of the track. It doesn’t last for long though, and soon you’ll be hiking steadily uphill towards Lake Marian.

Marian Falls, on the way to Lake Marian, Fiordland National Park, New ZealandMarian Falls, Lake Marian Track, Fiordland, New Zealand

The Climb

It’s not what I would describe as difficult, but the majority of the Lake Marian Track heads steadily uphill. It gets a little tiring but most people should be able to handle it. It’s not a particularly exciting section of track either as it very rarely leaves the cover of the forest. There are lots of tree roots and boulders to climb over and some patches of mud to navigate. Keep going though, as you’re about to see something pretty special.

Lake Marian

When hiking uphill you can generally be confident that you’ll eventually reach an incredible viewpoint to make it all worthwhile. Seeing this alpine lake, surrounded by steep, snow covered hills, is certainly special. We only had to share it with two other people, one of the advantages of deviating slightly from the tourist trail (and travelling in winter).

The shores of Lake Marian are covered in large boulders. Those boulders were themselves covered in frost when we visited, which made it difficult to get down to the water’s edge. We eventually made it (after almost slipping a few times) but we didn’t try and walk far around the lake. We spent about an hour at the lake, taking in the view, scrambling over boulders and eating lunch. I’ve heard of people camping at Lake Marian and I’d love to try it sometime (probably not in winter though).

Hiking to Lake Marian, Fiordland National Park, New ZealandLake Marian, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Getting to Lake Marian

The Lake Marian car park is located 1 km down Hollyford Road, just off the main Milford Sound Road. It’s located a short distance from the Divide Car Park (for the Key Summit Hike) and you could easily do both hikes and Milford Sound on a long day trip in summer (it stays light until after 9 pm). Otherwise you can camp in one of the DOC campsites in the area or stay at Milford Sound in one of the lodges.

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Jon Algie

I'm a South Island local -- born in Timaru and raised in Dunedin. I left the island in 2006 and returned 10 years later. Having seen a good chunk of the world I realised how special this place is -- the most beautiful island in the world! Seven years (and almost 400 posts) later I'm still helping locals and tourists alike plan their trips around the South Island.
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