Wilson Creek Canyon is spectacular. It’s like something out of a fantasy novel: towering silver walls, brilliant turquoise water and the feeling of being transported to another world. To experience the best the canyon has to offer you need to be an experienced canyoner, or go with a guide. However, you can still see a little of the jaw-dropping scenery without doing anything more than hiking.
We opted for the latter, and though it left us wanting more, it was still amazing to see even a small part of this incredible place.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the start of Wilson Creek Canyon.
Know before you go: canyon safety
As mentioned if you don’t have canyoning experience and don’t want to hire a guide, you can only safely explore the very beginning of the canyon. This is roughly a 150m stretch. It might not sound like much, but trust us it’s worth seeing!
Even though the start of the canyon doesn’t require any technical experience, it’s still a spot that receives low footfall and has no phone reception, so take care.
I would recommend visiting with at least one other person, just in case you run into any difficulties. It’s very close to the road, but nobody speeding by would know you were in there.
Like all canyons, do not visit after or during heavy rainfall, or when rain is forecast in the area due to the risk of flash flooding. Only go as far as you feel comfortable - there’s a good natural turn around point which we’ll mention later in the guide.
Also note that there are loads of sandflies inside the canyon, so you’ll want to bring some repellant and probably cover up a bit too!
Wilsons Creek Canyon Walk
Getting into the canyon
From the parking area (the specific location is at the bottom of this article), cross over the road and walk behind the metal safety barrier. You’ll see a little gravel path which leads to some large rocks.
Carefully climb down the rocks (it’s not difficult but watch out for any slippery bits) and you’ll immediately see the start of the canyon. It’s just 150m from the parking area to the start of the canyon.
You can keep your feet dry on the first section over the rocks, but then you quickly reach the water and from there you need to accept it’s going to be icy!
You might not notice it at first, but once you’ve been in the water a while your feet will feel super cold.
We visited in spring so it might be a little better in summer, but as most of the canyon is in shade all day long I can’t imagine it gets much warmer!
Just embrace it though because it is more than worth it! If visiting in winter or you feel the cold very badly, I would recommend bringing a pair of neoprene socks if you’re planning to spend a little while inside the canyon.
Inside the canyon walls
The water colour inside the canyon is phenomenal. It’s that same beautiful turquoise that you’ll find in several spots along the Haast Pass, but looks somehow even more spectacular inside the canyon itself.
The first section of water was around knee deep for us, it could be lower depending on the season. You can easily avoid a lot of the deeper water by criss-crossing the creek using the rocky river beds.
You’ll quickly see the narrowing of the canyon walls and it becomes more and more jaw-dropping. You feel dwarfed by the swirling rock and the whole scene feels wild and magical.
A log crosses the water and just behind it is a large mossy boulder which is incredibly picturesque.
The water becomes much more shallow, more like ankle deep and it’s easy enough to walk through. There are rocks on the creek bed though, so watch out for any slippery ones.
You’ll also see a tall waterfall drop into a turquoise pool, with the wind coming down the canyon it had the effect of blowing it over us like rain! Just as you cross towards the waterfall the water significantly deepens.
When we visited it was chest height, which made it the natural turning point. It was so tempting to go a little further, but with that water level and what looked like a second waterfall further along we decided it was best to turn.
This was 150m from the start of the canyon and due to the water level, the end of what I would call the easy bit of the walk.
Despite the short distance, the time we spent in the canyon was unforgettable.
The best time to visit Wilson Creek Canyon
The best time to visit is summer in terms of a warmer air temperature - but more important than the season - you want to go when the water levels are low and no rain is forecast. We visited in October.
The canyon will never be warm as it’s a bit of a wind tunnel, rarely has any sunlight crept in and the water is very cold. As you only go a short distance into the canyon you can afford for it to be colder than if you were planning a whole day canyoning adventure.
In terms of photography we went in the afternoon. I don’t think it matters too much as the canyon has little light coming through due to the tall walls. You might not want to go too close to sunrise or sunset though as it would be even darker inside, but really it would be pretty good in all conditions.
Getting to Wilson Creek Canyon
Wilson Creek Canyon is located directly off the Haast Pass and just before Fantail Falls. There is no official car park for the canyon, but you can pull right off the road on a decent size gravel lay by just before Wilson Creek (which is marked with a small signpost). The coordinates are -44.086026, 169.369989 or you can click here to get the rough position on Google Maps.
From the car park follow the notes above to access the canyon.
Note that there are no facilities whatsoever here so please take all rubbish out with you and keep the beautiful canyon pristine.
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