York Road Loop Track
Alerts
Avalanche NZ
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NIWA weather risks
NIWA's Parks Weather site lists daily weather risks for the forecast point below.
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Forecast point: North Taranaki VC (960m) · 5.5km away
Check the DOC website for current alerts and conditions before you go. This site gets current alert info from DOC, but is not an official source of information.
Explore the remnants of the old Egmont Branch railway quarry complex while walking through native forest.
Elevation
Cover mapped summer 2023/24.
Description
York Road Loop Track follows part of the old Egmont Branch Railway Line.
It best walked in a clockwise direction and passes ten numbered sites of interest along the way.
Getting there
From Stratford, head north along State Highway 3 for 6 km, turning left into York Road. The track starts at the end of the York Road.
Know before you go
Be ready for changeable weather
Taranaki Maunga has changeable and unpredictable weather. Check the forecast and carry enough clothing and equipment to ensure you are able to cope with any type of weather, at any time of the year.
Snow, high rainfall and storm damage can make tracks impassable.
History and culture
The railway evolved in 1901 when the local Road Boardand Council lobbied the Minister of Railways to construct a branch railway for metal quarrying on the mountain. Until the late 1920s, the quarry provided metal for Taranaki roadsand rocks for Port Taranaki in New Plymouth. World War II created a major setback for the quarry and it was finally closed during the late 1940s.
Weather
Forecast at the start of the track