Child friendly rating: 2 stars

Distance: 4km

Signposted time: 4 hours

Bookings Required? In season yes

Suitable in Winter? No

Camping Available? Yes limited spots not really suitable for larger tents

4wd required? No

Parking:

 Park at the White Horse Hill Campground in Mt Cook Village.

The Track:

 The first 0.5km or so of the track is wide and flat simply getting to the start of the Sealy Tarns Track turn-off. This part is nice and wide and basically wheelchair accessible almost.

Then you start heading uphill. The steps very quickly get to the point where it is just uphill steps - not really any space to stop and sit down to have a break just steep uphill steps that feel steeper than they are wide.

These steps continue all the way to the Sealey Tarns lookout which is basically the halfway to the hut point. But to get here, you do climb 500m of elevation over just 1.5km.

Many people are not a fan of the steps, but I personally find the steps to be easier than the next section of track which is basically just as steep, but on rocks. Even in summer the track can be under snow.

After Sealey Tarns, there is another approx. 450 metres of climb during the next stage. There are no more steps, and often there are compacted snow sections all year round which can be hard to cross safely without slipping. There isn't really a 'track' as such, just poles every now and then to point out the correct way to go. Sometimes you may have to go different ways based on where the compacted snow is, as this can be extremely slippery.

The last section then involves heading around the corner, and climbing the last 100m in elevation over just more than 0.5km. You can see the hut at this point, and this last section is also often snow covered, so you do need to be careful with footing.

In season it is a very popular track, so you will often be able to see where others have walked on the compacted snow, but do be careful.

The entire track is exposed, and conditions can change very quickly.

When we walked it with a 15 month old being carried the whole way and an 8 year old walking the whole way, it took us 6 hours to the hut at a leisurely pace, including the 8 year old playing in the snow.

The next day on the way down, conditions had quickly changed, and visibility was next to none with very high winds and heavy rain. I powered down with the 15 month old in the carrier, and made it down to the shelter at the carpark in 85 minutes. (Where I got some hot food on for the rest of the group) The rest of the group (including the 8 year old) took just under 3 hours to get to the shelter.

Hut:

 The hut is a large spacious alpine hut. There are gas cookers and separate bunkrooms with platform bunks. A large communal cooking area with tables, as well as seating on the deck with fantastic views of Mt Cook in clear weather.

Recommendations:

For kids who have done some overnight missions before, this can be an epic bucket list type trip. It is a popular walk due to the amazing views of Mt Cook in the spectacular alpine environment. However it is also not a trip to underestimate.

Conditions can deteriorate extremely fast even with a clear weather forecast so it is best for safety reasons to only visit this hut with kids that can walk at decent pace (Aged approx capable 7yo+) or kids that you have the capability to carry the whole way if the weather turns and you need to get down quickly.

You are exposed to the weather conditions the whole way on the walk, and with the hut being at over 1,800m above sea level, it is much colder than at sea level and can snow even in the height of summer. Ensure you have good winter layers no matter the forecast.