Ben Lomond, Mountain summit and scenic viewpoint in Otago region, New Zealand.
Ben Lomond is a 1,748-metre mountain rising about 4 km northwest of central Queenstown. Its main track climbs through exotic Douglas fir forest, passes pockets of mountain beech, then opens onto tussock grasslands along a ridgeline to a saddle before the steep summit section. The summit gives a 360-degree panorama of the Wakatipu Basin, including Lake Wakatipu, The Remarkables, Cecil Peak and Walter Peak.
Ben Lomond takes its name from the Scottish mountain of the same name, given by the early shepherd Duncan McAusland, not by William Gilbert Rees. The summit stands about 4 km northwest of Queenstown's town centre at 1,748 metres. Douglas fir was first sown on the lower slopes of Cemetery Hill in the late 19th century in a beautification project led by the local pharmacist Louis Hotop, and further plantings followed in the town's Arbor Day activities in the early to mid 20th century.
The name comes from Duncan McAusland, an early shepherd who named the mountain after Ben Lomond in Scotland. The lower slopes carry a Douglas fir forest sown in the late 19th century by pharmacist Louis Hotop as a beautification project, and further plantings formed part of Queenstown's Arbor Day activities in the early to mid 20th century.
The trail stretches about 11 kilometers with roughly 1,438 meters of elevation gain and takes most hikers 6 to 8 hours for the round trip. Start early in the day and bring sturdy footwear, as conditions on the exposed ridge can change quickly and the weather shifts rapidly at this altitude.
The Douglas fir forest on the lower slopes was sown in the late 19th century during a beautification project led by local pharmacist Louis Hotop, and further plantings formed part of the town's Arbor Day activities in the early to mid 20th century. Since feral goats were culled in the 1960s, the fir has spread quickly up the slopes, and volunteer groups such as Eco Action Network now help control it.
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