Camping near Wānaka

There are 50 DOC campsites within 150 km of Wānaka, and 10 of them are free. 34 can be reached by car. The closest is Lindis Pass Historic Hotel Campsite, about 29 km away in a straight line.

Drive-in campsites (34)

Campsite	Distance*	Type and fee	Good to know
Lindis Pass Historic Hotel Campsite Lindis Valley area	29 km	Basic Free	drive-in, first come, first served
Kidds Bush Reserve Campsite Hāwea Conservation Park	31 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Macetown Campsite Macetown Historic Reserve	31 km	Basic Free	drive-in, dogs on a leash, first come, first served
Boundary Creek Campsite Hāwea Conservation Park	39 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Skippers Campsite Skippers area	39 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Moke Lake Campsite Queenstown area	55 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
St Bathans Campsite St Bathans area	56 km	Basic Free	drive-in, dogs allowed, first come, first served
Diamond Lake Campsite Glenorchy area	59 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Homestead Campsite Oteake Conservation Park	60 km	Basic Free	drive-in, dogs on a leash, first come, first served
Twelve Mile Delta Campsite Queenstown area	61 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, first come, first served
Cameron Flat Campsite Makarora area	62 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Kinloch Campsite Glenorchy area	64 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Sylvan Campsite Glenorchy area	65 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Ahuriri Bridge Campsite Omarama area	73 km	Basic Free	drive-in, first come, first served
Lake Middleton Campsite Twizel area	74 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, first come, first served
Round Bush Campsite Ruataniwha Conservation Park	77 km	Basic Free	drive-in, first come, first served
Pleasant Flat Campsite Mount Aspiring National Park	79 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Temple Campsite Ruataniwha Conservation Park	86 km	Basic Free	drive-in, dogs on a leash, first come, first served
Cascade Creek Campsite Fiordland National Park	86 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Upper Eglinton Campsite Fiordland National Park	90 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Kiosk Creek Campsite Fiordland National Park	92 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Lake Poaka Campsite Twizel area	94 km	Basic Free	drive-in, first come, first served
Deer Flat Campsite Fiordland National Park	95 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Danseys Pass Campsite Naseby area	96 km	Basic Free	drive-in, dogs on a leash, first come, first served
Piano Flat Campsite Waikaia Forest Conservation Area	96 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Mavora Lakes Campsite Mavora Lakes Conservation Park	98 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Totara Campsite Fiordland National Park	99 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Walker Creek Campsite Fiordland National Park	102 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Lake Paringa Campsite Haast, Paringa and Moeraki rivers area	111 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Henry Creek Campsite Fiordland National Park	119 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
White Horse Hill Campsite Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park	134 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Mt Nimrod Campsite Hunters Hills area	141 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Glencoe Campsite Moeraki area	141 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Otaio Gorge Campsite Hunters Hills area	144 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable

Walk-in and boat-access campsites (16)

Campsite	Distance*	Type and fee	Good to know
Aspiring Campsite Matukituki Valley area	45 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, first come, first served
Dart Campsite Mount Aspiring National Park	50 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, first come, first served
Shelter Rock Campsite Mount Aspiring National Park	52 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, first come, first served
Young Forks Campsite Mount Aspiring National Park	59 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, first come, first served
Daleys Flat Campsite Mount Aspiring National Park	62 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, first come, first served
Beach Point At Walter Peak Campsite Queenstown area	64 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, first come, first served
Quailburn Campsite Ahuriri Conservation Park	65 km	Basic Free	first come, first served
Mid Caples Campsite Greenstone and Caples Conservation Areas	71 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Routeburn Flats Campsite Mount Aspiring National Park	73 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Greenstone Campsite Greenstone and Caples Conservation Areas	75 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Lake Mackenzie Campsite Fiordland National Park	76 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Greenstone Saddle Campsite Fiordland National Park	80 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, first come, first served
Mckellar Campsite Greenstone and Caples Conservation Areas	80 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Welcome Flat Campsite Westland Tai Poutini National Park	136 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Brod Bay Campsite Fiordland National Park	139 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Iris Burn Campsite Fiordland National Park	149 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable

*Straight-line distance from the city centre; the drive is longer.

Want a roof instead? Compare holiday parks on Holiday Parks NZ or stays near Wānaka on our Stays page.

Campsite list: Department of Conservation open data (CC BY 4.0), refreshed weekly. Fees are DOC’s published category fees; some campsites differ and prices can change. Always check the DOC page for alerts and closures before you go.

Plan the rest of the trip

Find a campsite by region → Packing checklist Cheap car hire

Questions

What is the closest campsite to Wānaka?

From DOC's list, Lindis Pass Historic Hotel Campsite is the closest, about 29 km away in a straight line.

Are there free campsites near Wānaka?

Yes, 10 of the DOC campsites within 150 km are free basic campsites.

Do I need to book?

Many standard and serviced DOC campsites need booking, especially in summer. Basic campsites are usually first come, first served.

More camping guides: all camping guides