How to get to Cardrona from Queenstown & Wānaka – all your winter transport options here...
Getting to Cardrona is easy, no matter where you’re staying! Located in the heart of the Southern Alps, we’re a short drive from Wānaka, Queenstown & Arrowtown. Let us drive you – with regular daily buses from Queenstown & Wānaka we can get you right to the front door & onto the snow faster!
Cardrona is just a short hop over the Crown Range from Queenstown Airport, so it’s super easy to pick up your rental car and drive straight here!
Cardrona is located in a high alpine environment, with weather that can change quickly. We are located at the top of a 14km long, unsealed access road, so please take care and keep to the left to maintain 2-way traffic the whole way.
Both the Crown Range road and the Cardrona mountain road can be affected by snowfall, so it’s best to always carry chains and know how to use them.
If you don't want to drive the whole way up the mountain road, we offer free mountain shuttles from the Pine Trees carpark, located at the 1km mark on the access road.
Cardrona is an easy drive from NZ’s most famous resort towns – Queenstown & Wanaka. These 2 lakeside destinations are surrounded by breath-taking alpine scenery & offer a dizzying array of activities, sights & sounds. If you’re looking for the ultimate holiday destination, this is it!
Drive Distances:
Wanaka 34km
Queenstown 58km
Arrowtown 37km
As a start point, it always pays to check before you pack your car if chains are required on our Snow Report. It's updated from around 6am daily, and it'll let you know whether you're fine to put all your gear in the boot on top of your chains, or whether you'll need to have them handy. It'll also let you know if chains are required on all vehicles, or just on 2WDs.
Our friendly road crew will be positioned at the spot on the access road where you'll need to fit chains. Pull over to the side of the road where they are – even if you think the road looks sweet to drive, always put chains on where directed because they know where the safest spot to do it is, and also what the road conditions are like further ahead.
If you've never fitted chains before, check out this super helpful video we made to show you a few different types:
We don't hire chains, so please double check with your rental car company that you have them in the boot, and have a practice in town in the dry the night before you come up so you are confident with putting them on and taking them off. If you don't want to fit chains, you can always jump on the Pine Trees shuttle!
We offer a Cardrona bus service from Queenstown, with heaps of pickup points throughout town to get you up the mountain. You can pick up passes & rental gear from Cardrona Queenstown (37 Camp St) and head straight to the lifts when you arrive on the mountain!
| Queenstown Bus Service* | Adult | Child |
| Return Transport | $35 | $30 |
*Queenstown bus service runs from opening day - October 9 and will not be running in the last week of the 2022 winter season.
Please book at least 48 hours in advance to confirm. Seats are subject to availability.
The Wanaka bus service has a four pickup points around town – pick up all your gear & passes from Cardrona x Treble Cone Wānaka (50 Cardrona Valley Road) the day before so you can get off the bus & go straight to the lifts! Please check the timetable below the map for departure information.
| Wānaka Bus Service | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Return Transport | $35 | $30 |
Wanaka bus service runs from opening day - October 9 and will not be running in the last week of the 2022 winter season
Please book at least 24-48 hours in advance to ensure availability.
Let Yello! help you with your private transfers from Wānaka and Queenstown for the day to Cardrona and Treble Cone. With apartment and airport transfers also available, make your stay stress-free and book your Yello! transfers here. BOOK NOW
Wanaka Ski Concierge. Hassle-free private transfers from your Wānaka accommodation to Cardrona since 2008. We take care of the little things so you don't have to. BOOK NOW
Black Van Luxury Transfers (by Wānaka Trike Tours) - offer private door to mountain transport from Wānaka & Queenstown CBD or Airport to Cardrona mountain or bottom of the mountain car park. No hassle schedule to suit you, subject to availability. BOOK NOW.
