How To Travel The Road To Cardrona Alpine Resort

Cardrona Alpine Resort is a ski resort at an elevation of 1.660m (5,446ft) above the sea level, located in the heart of the South Island of New Zealand. It’s one of the highest roads of the country.

Cardrona Alpine Resort

Can you drive up to Cardrona?

Tucked away in the Cardrona Valley, the road to the summit is totally unpaved. It’s called Cardrona Skifield Road. The road is reasonably wide but often has corrugations and can be rather slippery. There are some safety barriers half way up and guard rails towards the top. The road was built in 1980.

Do you need 4WD for Cardrona?

Set high in the Crown Range, the road is suitable for most vehicles including 2WD cars. However, a 4WD or AWD vehicles are recommended. In winter time it is essential that chains are carried and ready to be used if needed.

Is the road to Cardrona steep?

The road to the resort is very steep, hitting a 14% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting at the paved Cardrona Valley Road, the ascent is 12.3km (7.64 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 1.148 meters. The average gradient is 9.33%. A chairlift service road (-44.857101, 168.944966) at the resort climbs up to 1.876m (6,154ft) above the sea level.

 

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