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Franz Josef or Fox Glacier: how to choose between the twins

Half an hour of highway separates two glaciers that look alike on a map and feel different on the ground. Here is what each one offers on foot, on the ice and from the air.

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Editorial team, foxglaciertours.comUpdated October 25, 2026read in 7 minutes27 sources

The tour that goes with it Fox Glacier heli-hike 4.9 (359 reviews) 4 hoursUp to 3 hours on the iceBoots, crampons and poles included from$467per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

Quick answer

01Distance apart: About 30 minutes by car.¹
02Fox: 13 km of ice, with its face under 300 m above sea level.² ³
03Franz Josef: Its face is also under 300 m above sea level.⁴
04Heli-hike: Fox from $467, Franz Josef from $529.
05Best plan: Sleep in one town and visit the other glacier by car.

Twin glaciers half an hour apart

Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier both pour out of the Southern Alps into the rainforest of Westland Tai Poutini National Park, and each has a small township on State Highway 6 at its foot.⁵ Tourism New Zealand gives the drive between the towns as 30 minutes.¹ That short distance is the most useful fact on this page: you do not have to choose one glacier and miss the other.

Both glaciers end unusually close to the sea. DOC puts the terminal face of Fox Glacier less than 300 metres above sea level and calls it one of two in the park this close to the coastline.³ Its page on Franz Josef says the same height for that glacier and calls it one of three this close.⁴ The pages count differently, but the point is the same: here, ice meets temperate rainforest.

Fox carries the name of Sir William Fox, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1869 to 1872, and Tourism New Zealand calls Franz Josef its twin.⁶ Franz Josef was named in 1865 by the geologist Julius von Haast after the Austrian emperor.⁷ Between them, the two towns hold most of the beds, cafés and tour desks of the glacier region.

A two-glacier plan

Both glaciers in two days

Arrival afternoon

Arrive in Fox

Walk the 4.4 km Lake Matheson loop in the evening light.⁸
Next morning

Fox on the ice

The heli-hike, 4 hours from check-in to return.
Midday

Drive north

About 30 minutes to Franz Josef.¹
Afternoon

Franz Josef valley

The 1.7 km return walk to the glacier view.⁹
Spare morning

Fly over both

A twin-glacier flight if the sky is clear.

Seeing the ice on foot

At Franz Josef, the short walk from the end of the Glacier Access Road is 1.7 km return and takes about 30 minutes.⁹ DOC notes that the river has cut off access further up the valley, so it is not possible to go further on foot.¹⁰ Check the DOC visitor centre before you set out, because these valley tracks change.

At Fox, the South Side Walkway/Cycleway is 6.4 km return and takes about 2 hours on foot.¹¹ Its final viewpoint is hundreds of metres from the face of the glacier, and DOC tells walkers not to go past it because of extreme flood hazard.¹² ¹³ The walk itself is lovely, through old podocarp forest on ancient moraine, but the glacier stays a view rather than a destination.

Fox also has an advantage away from the ice. Lake Matheson, 6 km out of town, reflects Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman on calm, clear days, and Franz Josef has nothing quite like it.¹⁴ If you want one easy walk with a famous view, that tips the scales towards Fox.

Side by side

The two glaciers compared

What	Fox Glacier	Franz Josef Glacier
Glacier face	Under 300 m	Under 300 m
Short valley walk	6.4 km return	1.7 km return
Heli-hike on ice	Up to 3 hours	Up to 2.5 hours
Heli-hike minimum age	9 years	10 years
Famous extra	Lake Matheson	Twin-glacier flights
Drive from Wanaka	3h 30m	Further north

Heights, walks and listing figures from DOC, Tourism New Zealand and the GetYourGuide listings.³ ⁴ ¹¹ ⁹ ¹

Where to base yourself

Fox, Franz Josef or both

Lake Matheson

Stay in Fox

Quieter, closer to the lakes

Heli-hike: Up to 3 hours on ice
Easy walk: Lake Matheson loop
From Wanaka: First town north

Book the Fox heli-hike

More choice

Stay in Franz Josef

Bigger, more departures

Heli-hike: 4 to 8 hours listed
Easy walk: 1.7 km to a view
From Hokitika: First town south

Book the Fox heli-hike

Two chances

Split your nights

One night in each

Weather: A second morning to fly
Drive between: About 30 minutes
Best for: Road trips

Book the Fox heli-hike

Decision helper

Pick your glacier

Answer by what you want most

I travel with a 9-year-old I want a long scenic flight I want mirror-lake photos I want a short free walk to a view I arrive from Wanaka

Fox

Fox excludes only children under 9.

Franz Josef

The 1-hour Grand Circle reaches the Tasman Glacier.

Fox

Lake Matheson is 6 km from Fox Glacier.¹⁴

Franz Josef

The valley walk is 1.7 km return.⁹

Fox first

It is the first glacier town on the road north.¹

Like its twin, Franz Josef, the glacier descends from the Southern Alps down into temperate rainforest just 300 metres above sea level.

Tourism New ZealandSource 6

Getting onto the ice: the two heli-hikes

Neither glacier can be walked on from the valley today, so both towns sell heli-hikes, and the choice between a Fox Glacier or Franz Josef heli-hike comes down to details. On Fox you get up to 3 hours on the ice, 4 hours in all, with flights of about 5 minutes each way. On Franz Josef the listing runs 4 to 8 hours and the helicopter legs take around 4 minutes each way.

Limits differ too. The Fox trip is not suitable for children under 9 or for people over 115 kg. The Franz Josef trip asks for children aged at least 10, weighing at least 35 kg and at least 137 cm tall, and excludes people over 115 kg and pregnant women. Franz Josef also needs a minimum of 4 people per departure.

On ratings and price, Fox is rated 4.86 from 359 reviews and starts from $467, while Franz Josef is rated 4.77 from 391 reviews and starts from $529. For an even longer day, Franz Josef also has an extended heli-hike with lunch, limited to 4 participants, at 8 hours.

Map

Fox Glacier, its walks and the road in

The township and the short walks around it, the two glaciers side by side, and State Highway 6 from Queenstown, Wanaka and Christchurch.

Map of Fox Glacier township with Lake Matheson, Lake Gault, Peak Viewpoint, the South Side viewpoint and Gillespies Beach on the coast — Township and walks

Map of Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier with their townships and Lake Matheson — Two glaciers

Map of the South Island from Queenstown and Wanaka over Haast Pass to Fox Glacier, Franz Josef, Hokitika and Christchurch — The road in

1
Fox Glacier township
On State Highway 6, 171 km south of Hokitika.⁵
In Google Maps ↗
2
Lake Matheson
A 4.4 km loop of 1 hr 30 min, 5 min by car from the township.⁸ ¹⁵
In Google Maps ↗
3
Lake Gault
8 km return from the Lake Matheson car park, about 3 hours.¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
4
Peak Viewpoint
A 9 km drive towards the coast, with views of the neve.¹⁷
In Google Maps ↗
5
Fox Glacier South Side viewpoint
At the end of a 6.4 km return walk of about 2 hours.¹¹
In Google Maps ↗
6
Gillespies Beach
A 21 km drive from the township, at the coast.¹⁸
In Google Maps ↗
7
Fox Glacier
13 km long, its face less than 300 m above sea level.² ³
In Google Maps ↗
8
Franz Josef
The twin township, 30 min by car to the north.¹
In Google Maps ↗
9
Franz Josef Glacier
Its face is also less than 300 m above sea level.⁴
In Google Maps ↗
10
Hokitika
The closest commercial airport, with daily flights from Christchurch.¹⁹
In Google Maps ↗
11
Christchurch
The city with daily flights to Hokitika.¹⁹
In Google Maps ↗
12
Haast
The southern way in on SH6, about two hours to the park.²⁰
In Google Maps ↗
13
Haast Pass
Tiora-patea, 'the way is clear', on the road from Wanaka.²¹
In Google Maps ↗
14
Wanaka
3h 30m by road to Fox Glacier.¹
In Google Maps ↗
15
Queenstown
4h 30m by road to Franz Josef.²²
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Planning two glaciers

Route

Sleep in the first town you reach
Allow 30 minutes between the towns
Book the heli-hike for your first morning

On the ground

Stay behind every DOC barrier
Pack rain gear for both valleys
Save Lake Matheson for a calm evening

Compare the costs

Heli-hike or guided walk, for your group

Pick an option and the number of people

Fox heli-hikeUp to 3 hrs on icefrom $467 Franz Josef heli-hike4 to 8 hrs listedfrom $529 Franz Josef lookout walk3 hours, on footfrom $65 Fox valley nature walk3.5 hours, on footfrom $65

People 2

Total from$934

pp from $467

Check availabilityfree cancellation

We take the lowest GetYourGuide fare for each trip, multiply it by the people in your party and show it in your currency at European Central Bank rates; your date sets the real total.

Video

Should you visit Franz Josef or Fox Glacier?

We only contact YouTube after you tap the play button.

Flights from each town

From the air the twins come together. Several flights from Franz Josef cross both glaciers: one 35-minute trip spends about 10 minutes over each and lands on Franz Josef for a 10-minute stop. From Fox, the 25-minute snow landing flight stays over Fox Glacier. The 35-minute Fox flight lands at the top of the glacier and passes Aoraki/Mount Cook.

Franz Josef has more choice at the long end. Its 1-hour Grand Circle runs from Franz Josef past Fox and La Perouse to the Tasman Glacier. Franz Josef Glacier tours by air also come in many short versions, which is useful if you only have one afternoon and want a sure departure before the weather turns.

So the rule of thumb is simple. If your heart is set on a long flight or a wide choice of departure times, base yourself in Franz Josef. If you want a quieter town, Lake Matheson at sunset and a short flight right from the main road, Fox does it well.

The towns themselves

Both townships sit on the park boundary, and DOC lists accommodation, service stations, grocery stores and souvenir shops in each.²³ Each town has its own feel, and both are small. From Fox, the lakes and lookouts towards the coast make an easy evening outing, while Franz Josef keeps you closer to the departures for the longer flights.

Your direction of travel matters. Coming north from Wanaka over Haast Pass, Fox is first; Tourism New Zealand puts Fox 3 hours 30 minutes from Wanaka.¹ Coming south from Hokitika, Franz Josef is first, at 1 hour 45 minutes.²² A long drive the day before is a good reason to stay in the first town you reach and book its heli-hike for the next morning.

Glacier activities in both towns depend on the weather, and the West Coast is wet. The park sits in the path of the prevailing westerlies, with up to five metres of rain a year.²⁴ A night in each town gives you a second chance at a clear morning, which matters more than which glacier you pick.

Which one has changed more

Both glaciers have shrunk a great deal. A 2014 study in Global and Planetary Change found that Franz Josef and Fox have lost about 3 km in length and at least 3 to 4 km2 in area since the 1800s, with the greatest loss between 1934 and 1983.²⁵ It called the retreat of 2014 the fastest in the records of both glaciers.²⁶

Their histories are not identical. At Fox the record shows advances during 1964 to 1968 of 60 m, 1985 to 1999 of 710 m and 2004 to 2008 of 290 m.²⁷ Franz Josef, explored and named by von Haast in 1865, has a length record of its own in the same study.⁷ ²⁵

For a visitor today the difference is small. Both faces are now reached only by flight, and both valleys carry DOC warnings about floods, river surges and rock fall. Pick by what you want to do around the ice rather than by which glacier is bigger this year.

If you only have one day on the coast

A road trip often gives the glaciers a single night, and that can be enough if you plan the order of things. Book whichever heli-hike or flight fits the town you sleep in for the earliest slot you can get, then use the rest of the day for the other glacier by car. If the morning is cloudy, swap the plan around and walk first, keeping the flight for later in the day.

Do not try to squeeze a heli-hike at one glacier and a long flight at the other into the same day unless the weather is settled. Every activity here depends on cloud and wind, and stacking them leaves no room for a delay. One activity on the ice and one easy walk to a viewpoint or a lake is a full and satisfying day.

Whichever glacier you choose, pack for rain, start early and leave the evening for a quiet lookout. The light changes fast on this coast, and the hour before sunset at a lake or a viewpoint often shows the mountains more clearly than the middle of the day. That is often the picture that stays with you after the drive is over.

Pick your day

Walk on Fox Glacier with a guide

Flights, boots, crampons and rain gear included; free cancellation up to a day before.

Check datesfrom $467 · cancel for free 4.9 · 359 checked reviews

You ask,we answer.

How far apart are Fox Glacier and Franz Josef?

About 30 minutes by car. Tourism New Zealand gives the drive between the towns as 30 minutes.¹

Can you walk to the face of either glacier?

Only to viewpoints. At Franz Josef the river has cut off access further up the valley; at Fox the viewpoint is hundreds of metres from the face.¹⁰ ¹²

Which heli-hike is cheaper?

Fox, on current from-prices. Fox starts from $467 and Franz Josef from $529.

Which heli-hike takes younger children?

Fox. Fox is not suitable under 9; Franz Josef asks for at least 10 years, 35 kg and 137 cm.

Where is Lake Matheson?

Near Fox Glacier. It lies 6 km from Fox Glacier towards the coast.¹⁴

Can one flight show you both glaciers?

Yes. A 35-minute flight from Franz Josef spends about 10 minutes over each glacier.

Which town should I stay in?

The first one on your route. Fox comes first from Wanaka, Franz Josef from Hokitika.¹ ²²

Sources