Tongariro Alpine Crossing: 19 km in Tongariro
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a named day walk in Tongariro. The governing figure used here is 19 km (DOC · Tongariro Alpine Crossing), not a straight line between towns.
Typical time on the route is 1 day. Grade: Alpine crossing. Season window: December to March; guided in winter.
DOC length 19.4 km. Shuttle is effectively compulsory — do not park at Ketetahi. National Park village, Whakapapa and Tūrangi are the beds. Volcanic alert levels close it. This is a day walk with alpine consequences.
The itinerary on this page is the published stop sequence: National Park, Mangatepopo, Red Crater, Ketetahi. Cabins and holiday homes load live around each stop; hut and trailhead pins without a town page still search by radius.
Book DOC huts and Great Walks on the DOC system where that applies. Town beds are what this site lists. Carry the day’s food on remote legs — several of these routes have no shop between ends.
Stop by stop
National Park — village beds, shuttles. Mangatepopo — start. Red Crater — high point. Ketetahi — finish, shuttle only.
Distances, grades and seasons above follow DOC · Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Confirm opening dates, slips and hut bookings on the operator or DOC page before you travel; alpine and West Coast tracks close or reroute after weather.
