This hidden lake near Queenstown is completely free – and locals want to keep it secret

Just 30 minutes from Queenstown’s packed lakeside bars and $12 flat whites lies a place most tourists will never see.

No signs. No tour buses. No ticket booth.

Just a still, mirror-like lake tucked behind a ridge of native bush — and a growing number of locals who’d rather you didn’t know it exists.

The lake with no road signs, no crowds — and no entry fee

Its official name appears on topographic maps, but there’s no mention of it on TripAdvisor or travel blogs.

To reach it, you need to park near an unmarked gravel track off Glenorchy–Paradise Road, walk for 25 minutes through beech forest, then climb a short ridge.

At the top: a perfectly still, spring-fed lake, surrounded by tussock and native ferns.

No boats. No jet skis. No noise.

Just silence — and water cold enough to steal your breath if you dare to jump in.

“I bring my kids here in summer, but we don’t tell many people about it,” says Cara, a Glenorchy resident.

“It’s our place. We’d like to keep it that way.”

Not a DOC site, not fenced, not monetised

The lake is on public conservation land, but it’s not listed as a destination on the DOC website.

There’s no infrastructure, no toilets, no bins — and that’s exactly how the locals want it.

“Once places get promoted, they change,” says Jack, who’s lived in the area for 12 years.

“Look at what happened to Moke Lake — now it’s packed by 10am. This one’s still untouched.”

Why locals are worried

Word of the lake has started to spread on niche forums and TikTok videos, with some hikers hinting at its location without naming it.

Now, longtime visitors fear it’s only a matter of time before:

• Tour operators add it to their itineraries
• Campers leave behind rubbish
• Instagram geo-tags draw crowds

“We don’t want to gatekeep nature,” says Cara. “But we also don’t want it ruined. Once a place gets exposed, it’s hard to undo.”

Will it stay hidden?

For now, yes.

There are no plans to develop the area, and the track remains unmarked. DOC has not issued any public access upgrades or restrictions.

But if its name continues to circulate online, change could come quickly — and not everyone’s ready for it.

So if you do find it, treat it like the locals do:

Don’t post the name. Don’t drop a pin. Just listen to the birds, float in the water, and leave nothing behind.

Because in a country where almost everything wild now comes with a price tag or a crowd, this lake is a rare thing.

A secret still kept.