Snow Chains 101: Getting Ready to Drive in Queenstown This Winter

Queenstown's ski fields are all reachable by car, but driving up a mountain road in winter is a different game to summer. Snow chains are part of that game, and on some roads carrying them is not optional. Here is what you need to know before you head up, and how to sort chains with your car from Evolve Rentals.

Do you need snow chains to drive to Queenstown's ski fields?

Yes, you need to carry them. Coronet Peak's guidance is that snow chains must be carried at all times, and The Remarkables asks every driver to always carry chains and know how to fit them before arriving. Whether you actually have to fit them on a given day depends on the conditions that morning.

New Zealand's transport agency gives the same advice for winter driving in general: be prepared for snow, and carry chains that you know how to fit and use.

Which Queenstown roads need snow chains in winter?

The roads that catch visitors out are the mountain access roads and the alpine passes:

• Coronet Peak, 16km from town on a fully sealed alpine road, where chains must be carried at all times
• The Remarkables, 24km from town, where the road is sealed for the first 10km and the last few kilometres are unsealed but regularly maintained
• The Crown Range Road to Cardrona and Wānaka, where chains must be carried from May to October in every vehicle, including 4WDs
• Treble Cone, beyond Wānaka, at the end of a mountain road of its own

Our guide to which Queenstown ski field to pick and how to get there compares the drive to each one, and our Coronet Peak winter guide covers that mountain in more detail.

There is now a $750 fine for not fitting chains

This is new from the 2026 winter season and it is the part most visitors have not heard. Under the Queenstown Lakes District Council Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2025, a driver who fails to fit chains in snowy or icy conditions on a Council managed road can be fined $750. Police issue the infringements.

It applies to every Council managed road where conditions warrant it, not to one famous hill. The Crown Range gets the attention because it is the highest risk alpine route in the district, but the access road up to Coronet Peak sits under exactly the same rule. Council staff or contractors decide when snow or ice has made a road unsafe, and it applies when a chains required sign is showing, or when Police, ski field operators or Council staff and contractors tell you to fit them.

The reasoning is practical rather than punitive. Vehicles that get stuck or abandoned in snow block the grit trucks, and a blocked road takes far longer to clear and reopen for everybody else. The Council and Police have said they are taking an education first approach to begin with, so the point is getting chains onto cars rather than collecting money. The fine is still real, and $750 is an expensive way to learn something a ten minute practice run would have taught you.

How do you fit snow chains for the first time?

Practise before you need them. Fitting chains for the first time on a cold, icy roadside with cars waiting behind you is the hardest way to learn.

Take ten minutes at your accommodation on a dry afternoon, open the kit, read the instructions and fit the chains once. There are two videos worth watching first. Chain fitting at The Remarkables is the one to start with if you are heading up a Queenstown mountain road, because it is filmed on the road you will actually be on, and Cardrona's guide covers three different types of chain, which is useful if you are not sure what is in your kit. Once you have done it on a dry driveway, doing it for real in the snow is far less stressful.

The Council has also run free chain fitting workshops ahead of the season, which is an hour of supervised practice for anyone who has never done it. Worth checking whether they are running again before you travel, because doing it once with somebody watching is worth more than any video.

How do you know if chains are needed today?

Check the snow report for your mountain on the morning you go. Each ski field publishes its road conditions daily, and they can change quickly after overnight snow or a hard frost.

The Council also sends a daily winter road report by email, out between 6.30am and 7.00am each morning, summarising conditions and chain requirements across the district. If you are here for a week in winter it is the single most useful thing to sign up for, and there is a community text alert list as well for closures and unexpected ice. Gates on the Crown Range can close in severe weather, so on a bad morning check before you set off rather than driving out there to find out.

If the road report says chains are required, fit them where it is safe to do so before the steep section, not halfway up. And leave town earlier than you think you need to, because fitting chains and a busy car park both add time.

Do rental cars come with snow chains?

What a rental car comes with varies between companies and can change from season to season, so check rather than assume. If you are hiring with Evolve Rentals and planning to drive up to the ski fields or over the Crown Range, tell us when you book so we know where the car is going and can sort chains for your trip.

What if you would rather not drive up the mountain?

Take the ski bus. Coronet Peak runs a daily ski bus from town, and The Remarkables runs ski buses from Queenstown and Frankton, where booking is essential. You still get the freedom of the car for everything else.

And there is plenty to do in winter that needs nothing more than an ordinary car on sealed roads. Our scenic winter drives from Queenstown cover Glenorchy, Arrowtown, Kelvin Heights and Kingston.

Get your winter driving sorted

Snow chains are a small job that makes a big difference to a winter trip. Practise once, check the road report each morning, and let us know your plans when you book. Book with Evolve Rentals and get your winter road trip properly sorted.

FAQs

Do you need snow chains to drive to Queenstown's ski fields?
You need to carry them. Coronet Peak and The Remarkables both ask drivers to carry chains at all times, and whether you must fit them depends on the conditions on the day.

Do you need snow chains on the Crown Range?
Yes. From May to October, all vehicles must carry snow chains on the Crown Range Road, including 2WD, AWD and 4WD vehicles.

Can you be fined for not fitting snow chains in Queenstown?
Yes. From the 2026 winter season, failing to fit chains in snowy or icy conditions on a Council managed road can bring a $750 fine under the Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2025, issued by Police. It covers the Crown Range Road and ski field access roads such as the one up to Coronet Peak.

How do you find out whether chains are required today?
Check the Council's daily winter road report, which goes out between 6.30am and 7.00am, watch for chains required signs on the way up, and follow any instruction from Police, road crews or ski field staff. If your tyres are slipping on snow or compacted ice, fit them whether or not a sign has told you to.

Is the road to The Remarkables sealed?
The first 10km is sealed and the final few kilometres are unsealed but regularly maintained.

Do rental cars come with snow chains?
It varies by company, so check when you book. With Evolve Rentals, tell us if you are heading to the ski fields or over the Crown Range and we will sort chains for your trip.

How do you learn to fit snow chains?
Practise once at your accommodation before you need them, and watch a fitting video first. Chain fitting at The Remarkables is filmed on a Queenstown mountain road, and Cardrona's guide covers three different chain types.