Up bright and early to beat the crowds on the Hooker Valley Trail, we saw a gorgeous sunrise above our YHA lodge. Watching the mountains turn a bright shade of pink was the perfect way to begin our morning.
We were some of the first on the trail, and in awe of the valley itself. From the ridges in the Hooker Glacier to the clear glacial rivers to our first view of Mt. Cook, this trail blew us away at every corner.
A relatively flat, well-maintained path allows for this 3-hour roundtrip Hooker Valley Trail to be done by virtually anyone; I did it with a very sore knee with no problems. It’s fantastic that you don’t need to push your body to it’s limits for outrageous views in Mt. Cook. Instead, you just get to stroll along at your own pace while surrounded by pure natural beauty. Give yourself a morning to soak it all in.
We, on the other hand, had to complete the Hooker Valley Trail in 2.5 hours, including picture breaks, because we scheduled a helicopter tour around Mt. Cook with HeliWorks and were tight on time!