Mt Peel is one of our 75 Top Trampers’ Peaks. View all peaks in the list.

Begin at Lake Peel Track car park at the head of Cobb Reservoir. The first 1km of the track skirts the edge of a grassy meadow and leads to the cosy and well-maintained four-bunk Myttons Hut, built in 1959 by George Lord.

From the hut, moss-lined Lake Peel Track climbs steadily through beech forest. The track is in good shape, and a series of switchbacks makes travel easy despite the 550m elevation gain between here and the saddle. 

At 1300m the track exits the forest and enters a rocky alpine scree zone marked with orange poles. 

​A four-way junction sits square in the middle of the saddle with views back to Cobb Reservoir and over the tablelands to Wharepapa Arthur Range in the distance. These views will invigorate you for the rest of the day on the tussocky tops. 

Follow the sign towards the Lake Peel lookout. There is no official track past the lookout, but the anti-clockwise route around the cirque is well travelled.

The start of the loop, along the ridge above the north side of the lake, is the most technical section. While none of it requires exposed scrambling, there are a few steep sections of class 2 hiking (simple scrambling, occasionally using hands to steady oneself). The ridge on the south side of Lake Peel is a wide, smooth top that can be done as an out-and-back if the north side feels unsafe to your party.

​For the first 500m, follow along the wide tussocky top until you reach 1440m of elevation, which marks the roughly 1km technical section. The unmarked track generally follows the ridge or stays slightly north of the ridge. If the weather is clear, navigation is easy and allows you to pick the route that seems most straightforward.

The high point of the ridge is reached at 1510m of elevation, completing the technical section. Cross the wide saddle and head through the tussock up the broad shoulder of Mt Peel to the summit.

The views from Mt Peel (1654m) are extensive. On a clear day you can see into the heart of Kahurangi, and ridges seem to repeat endlessly down the spine of the South Island. Lake Peel and Cobb Reservoir shimmer below.

Gradually descend the ridge to the west and south of Lake Peel. Though covered in small rocks, the ground has a spongy feeling akin to the rubber surfaces in children’s playgrounds. It’s really quite otherworldly up here. 

The views remain consistently panoramic as you head southeast along the 2.5km ridge to rejoin the track a few hundred metres past Pt 1534. Head north on the rocky track for about 1km to reach the shore of Lake Peel, a peaceful spot for a break and a view of the cirque you’ve walked above.

From the lake the trail follows along the mountainside before a short climb back to the four-way junction from earlier in the day. Head down to reach the car park.

Note that in winter the road to Cobb Valley can require 4WD due to ice and snow, and Lake Peel can be surrounded by deep snow. Make sure to prepare accordingly, as freezing alpine conditions can occur at any time of year.