Avalanche Creek Shelter Campsite
Arthurs Pass
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Avalanche Creek Shelter Campsite
This standard camping site is just off the main road in the Arthur’s Pass village, almost directly opposite the visitor centre.
A bit of a funny one....Its quite tight for camping spots here, but there is plenty of space for parking and staying in your car. There is a huge shelter here - this is for hanging out and cooking in only, not for staying the night.
Good facilities and right across the road from the visitors centre. It can be very cold and windy here. there are heaps of walks start from this area.
This is right next to the main train station, there are lots of signs that state no camping in the carpark, please adhere to these requests.
There are lots of Kea's hovering around waiting for food scraps. Please do NOT feed the birds!
Notices
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Avalanche Creek Campsite shelter and toilets closed
The shelter building and toilets in Avalanche Creek Shelter Campsite will be closed from 30 November to 6 December while maintenance and painting is taking place.
The campsite is still open, but these facilities will not be useable.
Use the public toilets, 200 m from the campsite, while the campsite toilets are closed.
First published on 26 November 2025.
DOC Campsite Pricing
Avalanche Creek Shelter Campsite is categorised as a DOC Standard Campsite. The following pricing indicates usual pricing. Prices vary for some campsites and may include seasonal pricing. Visit the DOC website for exact pricing.
DOC Standard Campsite
Standard campsites have a more limited range of facilities and services than Serviced campsites. These campsites have toilets, a water supply that could be treated or untreated tap water, or from a stream or lake, and vehicle or boat access. Bring your own soap for washing hands. Untreated water should be boiled before use to ensure it's safe. Wood BBQs and fireplaces, cold showers, picnic tables, a cooking shelter and rubbish bins may be provided; this will vary from site to site.
| Feature | Value | Value |
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| Unpowered Site | Adult | $10.00 to $15.00 per night |
| Unpowered Site | Child | $5.00 to $7.50 per night |
| Unpowered Site | Infant | $0.00 per night |
Adults are 18+ years, children are 5-17 years, infants are 0-4 years.
Details
| Feature | Value | Info |
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Organisation |
DOC CanterburyCentral government organisation |
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Location |
South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Arthur's Pass |
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Categories |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Directions Springfield Office Office |
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Coordinates |
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Websites |
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Basic Camping
Google Maps
Reviews
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Very basic. 👍
Sammy Fyfe -
Beautiful area with a handy shelter with sinks.
c mccabe -
Great stop.
Kelly Linn -
Stayed one night in early Jan 2018.
Indika Udayanga -
Nice spot - only $10.
Taylor Russell
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Its now $18 a person to stay in a vechice or tent per person and doc rangers check as office is close to campground .
There's a big lodge to use with lights and 2 power points to charge devices good to use on a rainy day .Can be noisy as near train line .use ear plugs .It's near to hikes in mountains or to devil's punchbowl falls so leave car here and walk to falls
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Good campsite unfortunately it is right next to a busy road so it can be quite noisy especially if you are staying in a tent.
Has a nice shelter with clean drinking water and outlets. Very accessible. I paid 15$ for a tent
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In hindsight I think we would have preferred to stay at Klondyke campsite, as it is in a lovely location.
Avalanche campsite is really just a strip of land between the road and the railway, so not very nice.
On the plus side, there are clean toilets. A large hut with tables/benches, two sinks with running cold water and two sockets to charge your phone.
The visitors centre is also on the campsite, with very helpful staff. And several trails start close to this campsite.
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June 2024 showers no longer available due to vandalism issues.
Didn’t stay for the night because of this reason. Camp looked ok but more of a car park than a campsite. Next to busy road as well
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Nice spot - only $10.
Facilities include a shelter with sinks and tables and then there is a bathroom on the other end of the site near the visitor center. Beautiful views and cute town.
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What a great spot right behind the DOC visitor centre.
A little noisy at times with traffic noise and trains, but the central location makes up for it. ... close to cafe/shop/bar/walks and there's also a public shower at the Sanctuary $2 for 4 minutes. Not particularly hot and pressure wasn't great but it was wonderful after days of not having one. Train station toilets best to use rather than the one at the shelter which has an opaque window that you can see through and the room is teeny tiny. Shelter has waste bins and sinks with cold water.
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Very basic.
Amenities across the road no longer available but the toilets at the train station are and are very appreciated as the only toilet at the site has a glass window. Yes frosted but still see through. Indoor area is clean and tidy and site is walking distance to loca cafes and shop! Does the job for being on the pass 👍👍 lady at information desk very friendly
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There are toilets a short walk away, but no shower facilities.
There is a shelter too. Quite a small space, but for a night and if you were climbing Avalanche Peak for example, it works well. $8 per pax.
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Cramped camp site as the other travellers have stated.
Sheltered cooking facilities. Near to railway tracks and quite brightly lit. Alternatively there are sites which are better located in nature but this one has signal which we needed at the time. Public toilets we very clean. Recycling/rubbishy drop off available
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Great stop.
Very close to Avalanche Peak hike! The road and train were not too loud to disrupt sleep. Very close to walk in the village! Beautiful area!
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Stayed there before enjoying Arthur's Pass.
Trains can run by, so maybe a bit noisy. Not so much place so try to get in by time.
Toilets and Kitchen available.
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We stayed here after hiking the avalanche peak in the afternoon.
Campsite was fine. Very basic but toilet was working and the shelter was clean. We paid $16 for two persons.
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Beside the train station, lights were very bright and on all evening, blocking the view of the stars.
Basic kitchen and single toilet no sink to wash or showers. Very basic but served the purpose of close to the track. If I were to do it again, I'd stay at the free location down the road and save the $16. Which ended up being $20 so make sure you have exact change otherwise you'll have to overpay.
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Good but small campground with decent facilities, only a small patch for tents.
Centrally located and close to walks in the area. It gets really cold and windy during the night, be prepared for the conditions especially if camping in a tent!
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Accept it for what it is - an overnight stop and be prepared to listen to the trucks and trains trundle past during the night.
However this was the only place we heard kiwis at night. The ammenities were quite clean and it was close to a little cafe as well as the walking tracks. Arthur's pass itself is a beautiful drive and well worth visiting.
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Really good facilities in terms of sinks, toilet and meal prep area.
Great for an early start on the walks around the area.
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Good spot for a quick night stopover.
$6.00 per person with shelter for hanging out and good toilets. Yes it's close to the road and train but they weren't a problem. There are free camp spots a bit further out of town but my phone worked here so I could send a few emails. If you are just looking for a park up for the night to start a walk in the morning it's perfect.
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Can't argue with the convenience of this site.
Plenty of places to park up. Be warned - the trains are frequent and noisy so if yur looking for an early night then think again. Also, while the picnic site next to the shelter looks good, its also under the fire service siren (i.e, the siren used to call the volunteers to the station). Could make for a very unexpected surprise if that went off over yur head while fast asleep.
On the plus side there are 2x flush toilets, the shelter inside is huge, and its barely 2 minutes to the general store the next morning to buy an espresso!
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Its now $18 a person to stay in a vechice or tent per person and doc rangers check as office is close to campground .
There's a big lodge to use with lights and 2 power points to charge devices good to use on a rainy day .Can be noisy as near train line .use ear plugs .It's near to hikes in mountains or to devil's punchbowl falls so leave car here and walk to falls
-
Good campsite unfortunately it is right next to a busy road so it can be quite noisy especially if you are staying in a tent.
Has a nice shelter with clean drinking water and outlets. Very accessible. I paid 15$ for a tent
-
In hindsight I think we would have preferred to stay at Klondyke campsite, as it is in a lovely location.
Avalanche campsite is really just a strip of land between the road and the railway, so not very nice.
On the plus side, there are clean toilets. A large hut with tables/benches, two sinks with running cold water and two sockets to charge your phone.
The visitors centre is also on the campsite, with very helpful staff. And several trails start close to this campsite.
-
June 2024 showers no longer available due to vandalism issues.
Didn’t stay for the night because of this reason. Camp looked ok but more of a car park than a campsite. Next to busy road as well
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Nice spot - only $10.
Facilities include a shelter with sinks and tables and then there is a bathroom on the other end of the site near the visitor center. Beautiful views and cute town.
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What a great spot right behind the DOC visitor centre.
A little noisy at times with traffic noise and trains, but the central location makes up for it. ... close to cafe/shop/bar/walks and there's also a public shower at the Sanctuary $2 for 4 minutes. Not particularly hot and pressure wasn't great but it was wonderful after days of not having one. Train station toilets best to use rather than the one at the shelter which has an opaque window that you can see through and the room is teeny tiny. Shelter has waste bins and sinks with cold water.
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Very basic.
Amenities across the road no longer available but the toilets at the train station are and are very appreciated as the only toilet at the site has a glass window. Yes frosted but still see through. Indoor area is clean and tidy and site is walking distance to loca cafes and shop! Does the job for being on the pass 👍👍 lady at information desk very friendly
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There are toilets a short walk away, but no shower facilities.
There is a shelter too. Quite a small space, but for a night and if you were climbing Avalanche Peak for example, it works well. $8 per pax.
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Cramped camp site as the other travellers have stated.
Sheltered cooking facilities. Near to railway tracks and quite brightly lit. Alternatively there are sites which are better located in nature but this one has signal which we needed at the time. Public toilets we very clean. Recycling/rubbishy drop off available
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Great stop.
Very close to Avalanche Peak hike! The road and train were not too loud to disrupt sleep. Very close to walk in the village! Beautiful area!
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Stayed there before enjoying Arthur's Pass.
Trains can run by, so maybe a bit noisy. Not so much place so try to get in by time.
Toilets and Kitchen available.
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We stayed here after hiking the avalanche peak in the afternoon.
Campsite was fine. Very basic but toilet was working and the shelter was clean. We paid $16 for two persons.
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Accept this place for what it is : an overnight place, when you are tired after walking all day, or when you want to get up early and begin to walk early.
Or else go elsewhere, there are free campsites lower (sometimes noisy too!)
Very little place. Lots of campervans, so be prepared to hear the delicate sound of cars doors opening and closing for hours if you are unlucky. People can park here late, you will need ear plugs. And a mask because of the lights near the station.
I wonder how many people really paid, like in the others places managed by the DOC.
Trains are noisy, trucks are more noisy, but ppl are worse:). Some friendly keas around, you can hear them.
You can cook in the shelter if the others let you a place to cook. Too many people sleep in the shelter (forbidden), some of them looked drunk.
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Stayed one night in early Jan 2018.
Location-wise, very good & close to entrance of many tracks and train station as well.
Shelter is good.Ample space and warmer inside with few benches and large tables(fixed not moveable). Garbage dump available few meters away from shelter.
However
(1) No showers. I used one and only public shower 100m away from here, which was good to have than nothing($2 /4min). Not god water pressure.
(2) If using tent, set up tent early. And worst part is most part ground looks having stable concrete under the ground. So difficult to pin down pegs for tent ropes. You may need to check several place for right set up place.If there are many camp cars then limited options for place.
(3) Only one toilet attached to shelter. If out of order you will be in a trouble
(4) Some signs board says not to keep valuable stuff in tent if you r absent for longer time.Possibly you may lost them.
(5) Never feed Kea birds or left food outside as Kea may attached for food.
Very nice service at DOC centreopposite side of road. Have better toilets, open until 17:30 in summer though (for some famous tracks have to move 14km towards Christchurch. For those who get their by train; trail bikers - carry your own bike hikers-hitchhiking will be the only option)
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Beautiful area with a handy shelter with sinks.
The toilets were out of order during our stay (August 2017) so a bit pricey considering no ammenities. $16 for 2 adults per night. A few restaurants a short walk away. They shut early during winter however; 8pm.
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Beside the train station, lights were very bright and on all evening, blocking the view of the stars.
Basic kitchen and single toilet no sink to wash or showers. Very basic but served the purpose of close to the track. If I were to do it again, I'd stay at the free location down the road and save the $16. Which ended up being $20 so make sure you have exact change otherwise you'll have to overpay.
-
Good but small campground with decent facilities, only a small patch for tents.
Centrally located and close to walks in the area. It gets really cold and windy during the night, be prepared for the conditions especially if camping in a tent!
-
Accept it for what it is - an overnight stop and be prepared to listen to the trucks and trains trundle past during the night.
However this was the only place we heard kiwis at night. The ammenities were quite clean and it was close to a little cafe as well as the walking tracks. Arthur's pass itself is a beautiful drive and well worth visiting.
-
Really good facilities in terms of sinks, toilet and meal prep area.
Great for an early start on the walks around the area.
-
Good spot for a quick night stopover.
$6.00 per person with shelter for hanging out and good toilets. Yes it's close to the road and train but they weren't a problem. There are free camp spots a bit further out of town but my phone worked here so I could send a few emails. If you are just looking for a park up for the night to start a walk in the morning it's perfect.