with Karolin McGeown
Difficulty: Easy Time: 90 mins
I did this one in the first few days of November when it was warm and really felt like summer.
It’s a great hike for a hot day as it’s mostly through beautiful old forest that shelters you from the heat of the day. Getting there is pretty straight forward. Enjoy the beautiful road to Glenorchy, head on out towards Paradise, take the road as if you were to do the Routeburn and then turn right after about 10 minutes towards the Lake Sylvan DOC Campsite.
Once parked up use the swing bridge to cross the river and either head to the lake via the old tramline (about one hour, turn right) or the shorter way (about 30 minutes, turn left). We did the whole loop anti clockwise which lead us through red beech forest, along streams and past the old tram lines. If a hobbit had crossed our path I wouldn’t have been surprised. The lake is surrounded by trees on all sides which gives it a really secluded feel. When we were there it was choppy but beautiful with snow capped mountains in the background and ducks at the shore. There’s even a viewing platform if you want to take that perfect snap.
From here it’s only about another 30 minutes to get back to the swing bridge and car park. This spot is way too beautiful to just head off again so have a picnic, or maybe even stay the night. I would recommend bringing some bug spray though. It’s sandfly season again!