Where is Treble Cone?

Treble Cone is located within the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, only 26km northwest of the town of Wanaka. Queenstown is 90km to the southwest of Treble Cone.

Driving To Treble Cone

From Wanaka it is a 26km drive to Treble Cone, which takes about 30-35 minutes. The drive from town to the turn-off is incredibly picturesque. The road winds around the shores of Lake Wanaka, and on still sunny days many people stop on the side of the road to take photographs of the mountains reflected in the water.

From Queenstown the 90km drive takes about 1.5 hours via Crown Range Road and the Cardrona Valley. The Crown Range Road is very steep and windy, and sometimes subject to icy conditions.

The 7km access road up to TC is rather typical of New Zealand ski fields, and is windy, steep, and unsealed. The road has the occasional guard rail, but otherwise it’s pretty sketchy! Chains are required for all vehicles, which can be hired in Wanaka from Outside Sports, or it’s best to organise chains when you hire a car.

As is typical of NZ, the parking is free but the carpark has a tendency to be a mud pit and rather unappealing. The trademark kea parrots hang about the carpark, munching on anything that takes their fancy. Don’t forget to close your roof racks in order to minimise the damage!

The car parking is often at capacity, and once full, cars have to park along the access road which makes the road even narrower. On a very busy day, the parking can be quite a distance away from the ski area. Thankfully they sometimes run courtesy buses. Or on a really busy day, you’ll need to park at the base of the mountain.

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Treble Cone Bus from the Base

One alternative to driving all the way up is to park at the bottom of the mountain and there are free Treble Cone buses that travel up and down the road.

There are plans underway to build a gondola from the base of the mountain up to the day lodge, to remove the necessity of the hairy drive and white knuckle syndrome. This would be a god-send and significantly improve the quality of the Treble Cone experience.

Shuttle Buses from Wanaka to Treble Cone

Shuttle buses are available from Wanaka to Treble Cone through various operators. The Treble Cone bus that offers hotel pick-ups can take a long time to get there and back, particularly if the bus driver has to wait for stragglers.

Treble Cone Resort offers a free bus service twice daily from Oakridge Resort, Distinction Resort, Town Office, Edgewater Hotel & Ramada Hotel. Bookings need to be made for the Treble Cone bus and spots are very limited.

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Shuttle Buses from Queenstown to Treble Cone

From Queenstown there are several shuttle bus services departing from multiple locations around Queenstown and the scenic journey across the Crown Range can take 90 mins to 2 hours each way depending on the weather and road conditions.

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Ski Resorts Nearby

Cardrona is 34km from Wanaka (in the opposite direction of Treble Cone) – a great ski resort for families, beginners and intermediates.

Snowfarm is a dedicated cross-country skiing resort that is also in the Cardrona Valley.

There are also great Wanaka heli-skiing opportunities nearby. Both Southern Lakes Heliski and Harris Mountain Heli-ski operate out of Wanaka.