Friday 27/02/2026 Bob’s Peak / Skyline Gondola Top Complex (787m) – Skyline Access Road – Luge Track crossing – Ben Lomond Track – Douglas fir forest zone – Alpine tussock zone (treeline ~800m) – Ben Lomond Saddle (1,326m) – Moonlight Track junction – Ben Lomond Station (private land) – Ben Lomond / Te Taumata-o-Hākitekura Summit (1,748m) with rock cairn (built 1960s by Henry Barker) – Ben Lomond Saddle (1,326m) – Ben Lomond Track – Bob’s Peak / Skyline Gondola Top Complex (787m)
Ben Lomond Track
Ben Lomond Scenic Reserve
Queenstown-Lakes District, Otago, South Island, NEW ZEALAND (Aotearoa)
Te Waipounamu – Ngāi Tahu (Kāi Tahu) rohe (Ngāi Tahu / Kāi Tahu people, incorporating Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha)
Participants: Beth Davies, Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report), Pablo Ureña Vega
We arrived in Queentown late the previous night. With a two-hour time difference and the associated tiredness, we were off to a slow start.
We headed off to find some breakfast and then drove to buy some food for lunch. By the time we walked to the gondola station and reached the top, it was after midday.
Max elevation: 1749 m
Total climbing: 1054 m
Total descent: -1054 m
Average speed: 3.00 km/h
Total time: 05:29:53
We were grateful to pay the $66 NZ per person to avoid the additional 400m vertical climb, which we had already done on a previous trip.
By the time we started from the top of the Gondola, it was about 12:30pm. We had to battle past the mountain bike riders and the go-karts. It’s very busy up there!
We headed up through a very dense pine forest, which made it quite dark to see. The pine needles made for soft walking through the forest. From here it was up and up. We were glad to pass the mountain bike riders, but one solo rider made it all the way up to the saddle. It was a solid climb up to the saddle, and the sun made it quite warm. We had lunch just before the saddle with sweeping views of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables and the Cecil/Walter Peaks. I had just been wondering where I could stop to go to the toilet, and I was pleased to find that there was a drop toilet at the saddle.
Ben Lomond
We decided to continue up to the peak as we had enough time, even though we had a late start. The track was rougher and steeper from this point, with a little scrambling required. We were soon rewarded with 360-degree panoramic views in all directions. It was definitely worth the effort!
We started to get cool at the top and decided to start our descent. Beth and Pablo started later but caught up to us on the way down and joined us for the remainder of the walk. We took in all the views as the skies remained clear for the rest of this fabulous hike.
We caught the goldola down, pleased that our knees would no longer be punished by the descent, and headed straight into town for some food. This is a fantastic day hike out of beautiful Queenstown, New Zealand.
Amongst other photographically recorded observations during this walk, we were able to confirm sightings of each of the following species: Sweet Briar (Rosa rubiginosa)
Wild Adventures Facebook Group
Trip Post
Clickable icons on this world map will open the related trip report
A detailed, searchable trip list with links to reports, photo galleries
The local landscape features, geology, scenic highlights, flora, fauna, Indigenous history, white history and other nearby walks in the area (Perplexity AI Model)
Landscape features
The Ben Lomond Track from the Skyline Gondola top complex traverses a pronounced altitudinal and ecological gradient above Queenstown. From Bob’s Peak, the route initially follows a gently undulating spur above steep forested slopes before committing to a long, steady ascent along the mountain’s eastern flank. The track passes from closed‑canopy conifer forest into open subalpine terrain characterised by broad tussock slopes, shallow gullies and increasingly rocky ribs leading to Ben Lomond Saddle. Beyond the saddle, the landscape becomes overtly alpine: steep, narrow ridges and boulder‑strewn upper slopes culminating in the distinctive summit of Ben Lomond / Te Taumata‑o‑Hākitekura, which provides uninterrupted views over the Wakatipu Basin and surrounding ranges.
Geology
Ben Lomond lies within the schist‑dominated bedrock of the Queenstown‑Lakes region, formed from deformed and metamorphosed sedimentary sequences of Mesozoic age. Over repeated glacial cycles, erosion and ice sculpting have carved the Wakatipu Basin and adjacent valleys, leaving steep slopes, cirque‑like headwalls and a network of ridges radiating from the main summit. The mountain’s upper slopes comprise resistant schist and associated colluvial and glacial deposits, expressed at the surface as angular rock outcrops, blocky talus and thin mineral soils that favour open tussock rather than dense forest. These geological controls underpin both the track’s alignment—following benches and stable spurs where possible—and the striking contrast between the smooth lake surface below and the rugged peaks that encircle it.
Scenic highlights
Scenically, the route is notable for its progressive revelation of the wider landscape. Initial views from Bob’s Peak frame Queenstown and Lake Whakatipu beneath a foreground of bike trails and forest, offering a strong sense of vertical separation between town and mountain. As the track climbs above the Douglas fir belt, expansive vistas open towards the Remarkables, Cecil Peak, Walter Peak and, in clear conditions, more distant summits such as Mount Earnslaw and Mount Aspiring. Ben Lomond Saddle acts as a natural balcony, giving wide views into the Moonlight and Shotover catchments as well as back over the lake. The summit is the principal highlight, providing a full 360‑degree panorama in which the geometry of ridges, valleys and lake arms can be read in a single sweep.
Local flora
Vegetation along the route reflects both altitudinal zoning and land‑use history. Lower slopes around Bob’s Peak are dominated by dense stands of Douglas fir, an introduced conifer that has expanded extensively across the hillside and is often mistaken for native pine. Remnant pockets of native beech persist within and above this belt but are largely confined to sheltered gullies and less accessible slopes. Approaching and above treeline, vegetation shifts to open tussock and herbfields, with scattered shrubs occupying more sheltered aspects and shallow depressions where moisture and soil accumulate. This transition from closed forest to open grassland not only marks ecological change but also progressively increases the visual exposure experienced by walkers.
Local fauna
The Ben Lomond area supports a mix of native and introduced fauna associated with forested slopes, open tussocklands and rocky alpine habitats. Forest sections provide habitat for woodland birds and invertebrates adapted to shaded, needle‑littered floors and complex vertical structure. Open tussock and subalpine zones favour species that utilise grassland cover, rocky refuges and the stronger wind exposure typical of high ridges. Aerial predators, including large birds of prey, are frequently observed using ridge‑top thermals and updrafts, particularly around the saddle and summit areas, emphasising the ecological connectivity between the mountain and the wider Wakatipu Basin.
Indigenous history
Ben Lomond and the wider Queenstown‑Lakes area lie within Te Waipounamu and the rohe of Ngāi Tahu (Kāi Tahu), incorporating Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha. For these groups, the landscape is embedded in routes, stories and practices linked to seasonal movement, food gathering and the pursuit of pounamu, as well as to deeper cosmological narratives associated with the formation of lakes and mountains. The mountain known as Te Taumata‑o‑Hākitekura references ancestral figures and events, anchoring the peak within a network of place names that encode history, rights and responsibilities. Contemporary recognition of this history is reflected in dual naming, treaty‑based settlement processes and ongoing efforts to embed Ngāi Tahu values in regional planning, conservation and tourism management.
White history
Non‑Indigenous engagement with Ben Lomond intensified during the nineteenth‑century gold rush and subsequent pastoral development in Otago. The mountain became both a backdrop and a reference point for early settlers in Queenstown, its slopes incorporated into grazing leases such as Ben Lomond Station and its name imported from Scotland by European newcomers. In the mid‑twentieth century, station owner Henry Barker constructed the summit cairn that now serves as a focal point for walkers, symbolising a period when recreational use began to emerge alongside pastoral production. The subsequent development of the Skyline Gondola, bike park and formalised Ben Lomond Track by local authorities and tourism operators has transformed the area into a prominent recreation landscape while retaining traces of both pastoral and mining histories in place names, land tenure and infrastructure.
Clickable icons on this world map will open the related trip report
A detailed, searchable trip list with links to reports, photo galleries
