Moderate walk
Essons Valley: Humphries Dam Track
A valley walk from the Garden Terrace car park to the old town water-supply dam.
Photo: Pseudopanax / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
2.4 km and about 40 minutes one way up Essons Valley to Humphries Dam. Moderate, out and back, starting from the Garden Terrace car park.
The track at a glance
- Distance
- 2,380 m one way
- Time
- 40 min one way
- Grade
- Moderate (Marlborough District Council)
- Route
- Out and back
- Starts
- Garden Terrace car park, at the southern end of Picton township
- Dogs
- Not stated by the council
- Cost
- Free
About Essons Valley: Humphries Dam Track
Both Essons Valley tracks leave from the same car park at the end of Garden Terrace, a short walk from the town centre, and follow the valley behind Picton to a pair of dams. Humphries Dam is the shorter of the two: 2,380 m one way, about 40 minutes.
Know before you go
- The council spells it Essons Valley; you will also see Esson's.
Sources for this page
Location: OpenStreetMap contributors via Nominatim (Humphries Dam; feature).
Facts on this page were checked against the sources listed on 5 Sep 2026.
Nearby
Straight-line distances from Humphries Dam.
Essons Valley: Barnes Dam Track
The longer of the two dam walks up the valley behind town.
Tirohanga Track
The climb from the edge of town to a hilltop lookout over Picton.
Picton Library
The town's modern library and service centre, on High Street.
Picton Heritage & Whaling Museum
Two thousand items of Māori, whaling and maritime history, on the site of the original Waitohi pā.