Empress Hut
Empress Hut is a Department of Conservation alpine serviced 12-bunk hut in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. It’s in the Aoraki/Mount Cook area, and the route to the hut is highly technical—suitable only for very experienced mountaineers—because the approach and conditions change with the snowpack and there are multiple hazards.
Use is first come, first served for the 12 bunks; serviced alpine bookings aren’t required. You’ll do a daily radio check-in and weather update for Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park alpine huts at 6:45 pm, with instructions provided in the hut. Fees are $20 ($10 if you’re a New Zealand Alpine Club member, and free for Canterbury Mountain Club members), paid at the Aoraki/Mount Cook Visitor Centre; Backcountry Hut Passes and Backcountry Hut Tickets can’t be used here. The hut has 12 sleeping places, drinking water is untreated, a pit latrine toilets setup, and there’s no fireplace; it does have lit lighting and mattresses.