The Hooker Valley is about a 3-hour return walk in normal conditions. A few minutes in is a monument to the roughly 80 climbers who have died on Aoraki Mt Cook, Freda’s Rock, which commemorates the first female climber of Aoraki Mt Cook in 1910.
Beyond this are two fabulous high swing bridges over the Hooker River, two excellent viewpoints of the Mueller Glacier lake, and then a walk across the flats to the Hooker Lake. If the weather is right (it hasn’t been when we have done the full walk), you will get a close-up view of Aoraki Mt Cook.
Normally, you would not expect snow in the valley despite the surrounding mountains and glaciers. But we have done it after snow, which is an entirely different look and feel.
If you are doing the walk in late spring or early summer, wild flowers are plentiful. Look out especially for the Mt Cook buttercup, the largest buttercup in the world.
A similar but easier option is the short walk to Tasman Lake, which only takes about 15 minutes each way.
