Skyline Gondola on Bob's Peak, Ben Lomond Summit Hike (1,748m) & Queenstown Hill

The iconic postcard photograph of Queenstown, looking straight down across the woodedhook of Queenstown Gardens to the turquoise elbow of Lake Wakatipu and the jagged wall of The Remarkables, is captured from the steep northern slopes directly behind the town centre. You can reach these high vantage points in five minutes by cable car or on two classic half-day and full-day alpine hikes.

1. Skyline Queenstown Gondola & Gravity Luge on Bob's Peak (790m Elevation)

• The Steepest Cable Car in the Southern Hemisphere (skyline.co.nz): Departing from the top of Brecon Street (a five-minute walk from The Mall), the upgraded 10-seat Doppelmayr cabins of the Skyline Gondola climb 450 vertical metres up a 37.1-degree incline through Douglas-fir forest to the upper terminal on Bob's Peak (790 metres above sea level).
• 220-Degree Viewing Decks, Two Luge Tracks & Night Stargazing: Step out onto the cantilevered viewing terrace for uninterrupted views across Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cecil Peak, and Walter Peak. Above the terminal, a dedicated chairlift carries riders to the start of two gravity-fed Skyline Luge tracks (over 1,600 metres of banked curves, tunnels, and dippers overlooking the lake, where three-wheeled carts are controlled by a simple pull-push handlebar brake). After dark, guided telescope tours ascend into a shielded clearing higher on the ridge to observe the Southern Cross, Magellanic Clouds, and Milky Way.

2. Hiking the Ben Lomond Track (1,748m) vs the Queenstown Hill Time Walk (907m)

• Ben Lomond Saddle (1,326m) & Summit (1,748m, DOC Track): Queenstown's premier full-day alpine hike climbs to the sharp pyramid of Ben Lomond rising behind Bob's Peak. Starting from lake level via the Tiki Trail beside the Brecon Street gondola base (or saving 450 vertical metres of forest switchbacks by riding the Skyline Gondola to Bob's Peak), the well-graded path emerges from native beech and Douglas-fir bush onto golden alpine snow tussock at Ben Lomond Saddle (1,326 metres; 3 to 4 hours return from Bob's Peak, or 4 to 5 hours from town). From the saddle, a steep, demanding 1.5-hour scramble up a rocky ridge leads to the 1,748-metre Ben Lomond Summit (6 to 8 hours return, 1,438 metres total elevation gain from the lake), rewarded on clear days with views north to glaciated Mount Earnslaw / Pikirakatahi (2,830m) and Mount Aspiring / Tititea (3,033m). Check Department of Conservation conditions before setting out, carry warm windproof layers and 2 litres of water, and avoid the upper summit cone in winter snow without alpine crampons and an ice axe.
• Queenstown Hill Time Walk (Te Tapu-nui, 907m, 2.5 to 3 Hours Return): If you want a shorter, sheltered half-day climb (500 metres elevation gain), start from the trailhead on Belfast Terrace just above town. Winding through fragrant Douglas-fir forest with historical plaques charting Wakatipu geology and Māori history, the track passes Caroline Robinson's woven steel sculpture The Basket of Dreams before reaching the 907-metre grassy summit overlooking the Frankton Arm and the Kawarau River outlet.