more stats
5.6 miles
Distance
4,573 ft
Climb
-84 ft
Descent
02:58:26
Avg time
4,489 ft
Altitude change
783 ft
Altitude min
5,299 ft
Altitude max
809 ft
Altitude start
5,299 ft
Altitude end
15.1%
Grade
-11.2%
Grade max
63.8%
Grade min
5 miles
Distance climb
3,091 ft
Distance down
1,358 ft
Distance flat
02:58:26
Avg time

Mount Fishtail Route Details

  • Activities
    • Hike
    • Mountain Bike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Nelson
  • Difficulty Rating
    Double Black Diamond Rate
  • Local Popularity
    10 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 50 in Trail Running
    • 50 in Hiking
  • Global Ranking
    #124282 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #105393 in Trail Running
    • #61806 in Hiking
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T1 Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM
  • Climb Difficulty
    Double Black Diamond
  • Physical Rating
    Extreme
  • Season
    Not recommended in the wet
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • TTFs on Trail
    Rock Face

Relentless, extremely steep, and extremely technical - strewn with brutal rock gardens and gnarly root infested chutes - Fishtail is a reputation track and among those that can actually ride it is considered possibly the best descent in New Zealand, and one of the best anywhere. To get to the top either push, carry and grovel with your bike up the track (riding up is impossible) or get a helicopter. Most people start the descent from the treeline but you could theoretically go from higher up if you happen to be Danny MacAskill or of similar ability. This is a backcountry track far from help if things go wrong so be prepared. In wet conditions the difficulty rating goes from "extreme" to "ridiculous". You have been warned.

Access Info

From Northbank road go up Pine Valley road and through 2 farm gates (leave them as you found them). Continue across the river to Mill Flat camp site and then follow the obvious track.

Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

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  • Last: Feb 6, 2026
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Mount Fishtail Route Trail Reports

statusdatedescription
Feb 11, 2023 @ 2:48pm
Feb 11, 2023
 Completely fucked in the wet but also very very good fun. A few trees down and we found a wasp nest on the trail at around 1000m, worth going...
Nov 2, 2019 @ 12:50pm
Nov 2, 2019
Nov 16, 2018 @ 11:49pm
Nov 16, 2018
 Pretty awesome. A few big trees down that slow your flow, but all very rideable from the bush line down. We pushed to the hut, riding back to...
more »
Status:
on Feb 11, 2023
Wet
Avg: 4.13 (1 votes)
Your vote: 0

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  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Partial
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
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        Directions to mount-fishtail-route trailhead (-41.506340, 173.513940)

        Photos

        7 more »
        247 |
        Jun 13, 2017 @ 3:08am
        Jun 13, 2017
        213 |
        Jun 13, 2017 @ 3:11am
        Jun 13, 2017
        169 |
        Nov 18, 2018 @ 9:14pm
        Nov 18, 2018
        173 |
        Nov 18, 2018 @ 9:14pm
        Nov 18, 2018

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        Nearby Trails

        Nelson

        • By Murdoch-the-Horse-Fracker & contributors
        • #38994 - 6,712 views

        Frequently Asked Questions About Mount Fishtail Route

        ▼ Where is Mount Fishtail Route located?
        Mount Fishtail Route is located in Nelson, New Zealand. It is part of the Nelson trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates -41.50634, 173.51394.
        ▼ How hard is Mount Fishtail Route?
        Mount Fishtail Route is rated as Double Black Diamond difficulty. The physical rating is Extreme. The average grade is 15.1%. The climb difficulty is rated Double Black Diamond.
        ▼ What is the elevation gain for Mount Fishtail Route?
        Mount Fishtail Route has 1,394 m of elevation gain. The trail has 26 m of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 239 m to 1,615 m.
        ▼ How long is Mount Fishtail Route?
        Mount Fishtail Route is 9.1 km long. The trail type is singletrack.

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