Which is harder, GW - 02 Tongariro Northern Circuit or GW - 06 Routeburn Track?

GW - 02 Tongariro Northern Circuit is the tougher of the two on distance and elevation (28 mi (44 km), 4,091 ft (1,247 m) of climbing). See the full side-by-side breakdown.

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GW - 02 Tongariro Northern Circuit vs GW - 06 Routeburn Track

A side-by-side look at distance, elevation, difficulty and the best time to hike each — so you can pick the right route.

Units

	GW - 02 Tongariro Northern Circuit	GW - 06 Routeburn Track
Distance	28 mi44 km	20 mi32 km
Elevation gain	4,091 ft1,247 m	3,780 ft1,152 m
Typical duration	2 days	2 days
Difficulty	—	—
Route type	Point-to-point	Point-to-point
Network	National	National
Country	New Zealand	New Zealand
Best time to hike	Best from January to March	Best from January to March
	map Route & GPX	map Route & GPX

GW - 02 Tongariro Northern Circuit vs GW - 06 Routeburn Track: which should you hike?

At 28 mi44 km, GW - 02 Tongariro Northern Circuit is the longer route — roughly 7.6 mi12 km more than GW - 06 Routeburn Track (20 mi32 km). If you want the bigger challenge or a longer trip, that's the one; for a shorter or first multi-day hike, GW - 06 Routeburn Track is the gentler pick. Check the elevation and best-season rows above, then open each route for the full guide and a free GPX download.

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