A Trekking Guide for El Chalten

A view of Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre

Overview

If you’re a hiker, a camper, a climber, or just a lover of the outdoors, there really aren’t many better places in the world than El Chalten.  Options abound for trekkers coming to El Chalten to hike around the Fitz Roy range and Cerro Torre, and those options are the main reason we fell in love with this town and area.

Trails

The variety and number of trails in the area is a main highlight, so picking and choosing may be difficult if you don’t have much time.  We stayed in El Chalten for five nights, and we had the opportunity to check out a lot of the main trails.  Below you can find a short synopsis of the main hikes in the area (and a few we didn’t do) to whet your appetite.  Make sure to get maps at the guard station as they are very detailed, with lengths and estimated time it takes for each hike.

Mirador de los Condores- This is an easy hour hike (out and back) that begins at the guard station before getting into town.  If you read the El Chalten guide, all buses coming into El Chalten stop here for a short informational presentation.  The trails from here are signposted well, and the short half hour hike goes straight up to a beautiful lookout point with fantastic views of the town and Cerro Fitz Roy.

Glacier and Lago Torres (and DeAgostini base camp)- The hike to this lake  and glacier has two trail heads.  Both start in town, with one beginning behind Hosteria Los Nires or from the artisan’s market north of town.  It’s about an eight hour hike (out and back–15 miles or 24 kilometers), with a chance to camp at DeAgostini base camp if you’d like.  About 15 minutes beyond the camp is Glacier and Laguna Torre, with icebergs floating throughout that have fallen off the face of the glacier.  There’s several stopping points along the way for fantastic panoramic views of Cerro Torre and the surrounding peaks.

Note: The trailheads for next three hikes are at the same place, at the end of Av. San Martin, the main street in town.  All three trails are the same for the first couple hours before veering off to get to your final destination.

Laguna Capri- After hiking straight up from the trailhead for a good hour and a half, there will be signs for a campsite and lake, both named Laguna Capri.  Follow the signs and walk through the campsite until you reach Laguna Capri.  The lake is quite beautiful, and if it’s clear, it affords a fantastic view of Cerro Torre.

Glacier and Lago Piedras Blancas- Instead of veering right towards the Laguna Capri campsite and lake, continue on the same trail, with some minor ups and downs, through the forest and eventually down through Camp Poincenot and towards Rio Blanco.  This is when it gets a bit tricky.  The trail crosses the river and then you can continue up towards Camp Piedras Blancas (also known as Camp Rio Blanco) and Laguna de los Tres or turn right and continue walking along the river.  A stream is eventually reached before some minor bouldering brings you to the lake and glacier.  This hike is about 16 miles (25 km) out and back and took us about 9 hours.

Laguna de los Tres- The most challenging of the hikes we did, the hike to Laguna de los Tres was also the most spectacular.  The first 2/3′s are the same as the hike to Glacier and Lago Piedras Blancas.  After reaching and crossing Rio Blanco, hikers will reach Rio Blanco base camp (a camp only for hikers) and start heading up, straight up, for a good hour + depending on how good of shape you’re in.  While this is very challenging, once the destination is reached, it’s well worth it, with a close up view of Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy, along with three very impressive lakes.  This was about a 17 mile (27 km) hike that took us about 10 hours.

Rio Electrico Valley-Piedra del Fraile-Pollone Glacier- This hike actually begins about 10 miles (16 km) out of town and gets hikers a view of the north face of Fitz Roy.  There’s a private campsite about 3 hours into the hike that has areas for both tent camping and rents bungalows.  Continuing on for another 2 hours, hikers will see several glaciers along the way before arriving at Pollone Glacier.  NOTE: This is the one hike on this list that we did NOT do.

Multi-day Treks with Camping or Day Hikes?

One of the things that really appealed to us when deciding how much time to spend in El Chalten was the options we had for hiking, camping, and/or sleeping in a bed at night.  We generally enjoy camping, but we did grow up camping in Missouri.  While there are some surprisingly fantastic backcountry camping options in Missouri, most of the time camping involves driving to a campsite, setting up a tent, building a fire, and drinking copious amounts of beer while barbecuing hot dogs and the like.  That’s typically followed by a lazy float down a river (with coolers) the following day, along with more drinking back at camp that night.  A bit different than camping in the wilds of Patagonia.

Another El Chalten highlight is that there is daylight for about 18 hours during the summer, leaving ample time for a 15+ mile day hike followed by sleeping in a bed.  All of the above hikes can be done by a reasonably fit person in one day during the summer.  The best part?  You can sleep in a bed until 10 or 11am, get up and on the trail by 1, and still have 9-10 more hours of daylight remaining for a long hike.  It’s awesome.

But if you really want to get out in the outdoors, you can either bring your own or rent a tent from an outfitter in town, and camp along the way while combining many of the above hikes into a multiple day trek.  It really is the best of both worlds.  I mentioned campsites above with each individual hike, and if you check out each individual hiking guide, plenty more information is available.

Camp DeAgostini, Camp Laguna Capri, and Camp Poincenot are all free campsites, all with pit toilets only and no other services, that can be found along the above hikes.  They are a first come, first served basis, and while we were there in high season, there seemed to be plenty of room at all.  Keep in mind the weather in Patagonia can be quite fickle, and expect to deal with constant, strong winds day and night.  There are also several campsites in and around town that can be had for cheaper than a room. 

Camp Piedras Blancas (also known as Camp Rio Blanco) is a climber’s only site not far from Camp Poincenot. We’ve never climbed before, so I’m not going to go into logistics for a climbing trip, but from what I understand, climbing Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre is some of the most amazing and challenging climbing in the world.   

Tips for Hiking in El Chalten

Packing Tips- What to pack will obviously depend on whether you are day hiking or multi-day trekking.  For multi-day trekking, take a look at my Trekking Guide for Those who Like to Eat and Drink a lot.  It should give plenty of worthwhile information about what to think about when packing for a trek.  Also, we are inching towards recapping trekking in Torres del Paine in Chile, and there will be tons of upcoming information about spending multiple days out in Patagonia.

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  Be prepared for any weather cause you'll see it all

  Weather- If you’ve never been, you simply can’t anticipate Patagonian wind and weather.  It can literally change in the blink of an eye, going from warm and sunny to cold and rainy.  And the wind, my God, the wind.  It’s insane, it’s strong, and it simply doesn’t let up.  At one point we were literally walking down the streets of El Chalten at a 45 degree angle to combat the wind.  We heard stories of wind literally knocking people over, and we believe them.

  • Clothes- Even if going on a day hike, make sure you layer up.  Even if it’s warm and sunny when you’re heading out, prepare for cold, wind, and rain.  It can and will happen.  A waterproof and wind-resistant jacket is a must, as is a hat and gloves, even in the middle of summer.  Just bring a day pack filled with lightweight, moisture-wicking layers, and be prepared to stop and rip off or add on layers of clothes.
  • Shoes- A good, sturdy pair of hiking shoes is essential.  Having waterproof ones will be a godsend if you have them.  When you’re tackling 15+ miles a day and hiking for 8-10 hours at a time, you won’t regret dropping $150US on a pair of good, sturdy, waterproof shoes or boots.

Just to give you an idea of the weather, how it can change, and how it can affect the hike and views, these next two shots were taken from the same exact spot about 24 hours apart.

Food Tips- Food and water is obviously essential when heading off into the wilderness.  Unlike some other popular hikes in South America, like the Inca Trail and Colca Canyon, you’re not going to find kids on the side of the trail selling Snickers and Gatorade.  So go prepared.  You’re going to be burning a ton of calories, so staying properly fed and hydrated is a must.  Trail mix, salty foods, and sandwiches are all easy things to find in markets in El Chalten.  Bring plenty as you will need to take breaks to eat.

• Water- Possibly one of my favorite parts of hiking in this region was the water.  The rangers will inform you that all running water found on the trails is safe to drink.  Some may think it silly to make such a big deal about water, but being able to dip your bottle into any stream and come back out with ice cold water from glacial melt is just the best.  It’s honestly the best water I’ve ever drank, and it also cuts down on your pack’s weight since you don’t have to bring 3 liters of water for a day hike.

Hiking Tips

• Know your limits.  The terrain isn’t all that difficult and the altitude is not a factor, but if you’re new to hiking, being on your feet and traipsing around Patagonia for 8-10 hours a day is still quite challenging.  Even though we only did day hikes and slept in a warm, comfortable bed each night, while eating a nice, warm, hearty dinner, we were thoroughly exhausted after our 5 days spent in the area.
• Give yourself plenty of time. Since it remains light outside until 10 or 11pm, it’s easy to take your time in the morning getting up and out on the trail, but you still want to give yourself plenty of time.  We are fairly slow hikers, so the time estimates on the map were shorter than what it took for us to complete them.  Just be honest with yourself about your abilities.
• Rest. This is so important.  I tend to be an inpatient person, so stopping and resting when I’m not particularly tired has never been my cup of tea.  But as a rule of thumb, you should be resting for about 10 minutes every hour when on a long hike.  Just get off your feet, maybe take your shoes off, grab a snack and drink of water, and just rest for a few.  It’s amazing what a little rest can do for the quality of your hike.

Hiking in Patagonia is a remarkable thing, and even if you’re not the most experienced of hiker, as long as you prepare and take the proper precautions, you can have an amazing time seeing some of the most spectacular natural beauty in the world.