© Eusebius@Commons · CC BY 2.0 Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Mount Tongariro summit side trip
Expert 3.0 kmreturn +1.5–2 hr return from Red Crater ↑ 220 m
Summit · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Mount Tongariro summit
1,967 m VolcanicAlpinePanoramaSnow
A 1,967 m summit side trip from Red Crater, with the whole crater complex at your feet.
A poled route leaves the Crossing near Red Crater and climbs the broad western ridge to Tongariro’s highest point. The view includes the Blue Lake, Ngāuruhoe, Ruapehu, the Kaimanawa Ranges and Lake Taupō. Adds about two hours to the Crossing. The summit is sacred; stay on the route and treat the mountain with respect.
❄ Snow from May to October; a winter mountaineering objective.
Mount Tongariro summit © Eusebius@Commons · CC BY 2.0 
© Eusebius · CC BY 3.0 Tracks that reach Mount Tongariro summit
© Eusebius@Commons · CC BY 2.0 Also nearby
Mangatepōpō Valley © Geoff McKay · CC BY 2.0 
© Porcinno Rondus · CC BY 3.0 
© Michal Klajban · CC BY-SA 4.0 Lava landscape· 1,200 m · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Mangatepōpō Valley
A glacial valley floored with young lava flows beneath the cone of Ngāuruhoe.
Springs· 1,400 m · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Soda Springs
A cold spring seeping from the base of a lava flow, surrounded by alpine wildflowers in summer.
Crater· 1,660 m · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
South Crater
A flat, silent moonscape between Ngāuruhoe and Tongariro.