A view over the Rio Blanco, along the trail to Lago Piedras Blancas
A view over the Rio Blanco, along the trail to Lago Piedras Blancas
Details
Length-16 miles (25 kilometers)
Time- It took us about 9 hours, with about 2.5 of those coming on the final mile of the “trail” and an extra hour added on because we made a detour to Laguna Capri.
Difficulty- This was more difficult than the hike to Lago and Glacier Torres, but not as challenging as the hike to Laguna de los Tres. This can be done by anyone who is in reasonably good shape, but the final part was tricky with some minor bouldering involved, so be aware.
Trail Description
Trail Head- The trail head for this hike is found at the end of Av. San Martin. It is actually the trail head for several hikes, including the ones to Laguna de los Tres and Laguna Capri.
Route- Like the hike to Lago Torres, the initial ascent is challenging as the first hour and a half has hikers going straight up. Luckily there’s a natural breaking point along the way with some spectacular views that provides a good spot to take a rest. Shortly after, you will come to a split in the trail that can bring you to a campsite and lake, both named Capri. The lake is quite beautiful, and the campground is basic. This can be combined with the hike to Lago Piedras Blancas or Laguna de los Tres, but it will add some time (about an hour).
Continuing on, a mirador with a spectacular view of Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre (as long as the weather cooperates) greet hikers, and some good signage explains the views you are seeing. The next part of the trail has some minor ups and downs, crossing some streams along the way (drink the water!) before descending into the valley and Camp Poincenot. Eventually hikers arrive at Rio Blanco (a small river) and have to cross on an interesting bridge (be sure to hold on tight so a gust of wind doesn’t blow you off). After crossing the bridge, you have two options. Continue on towards Camp Piedras Blancas (also known as Camp Rio Blanco) and Laguna de los Tres, or follow the river towards Lago and Glacier Piedras Blancas.
Lago and Glacier Piedras Blancas
This is the only time it was a bit tricky. There really isn’t any discernible trail here as you just hop from rock to rock along the river. Keep an eye out for painted rocks that can lead the way. Eventually you veer left and come to a series of massive granite boulders above a stream coming from the lake to the river. This was the most challenging (and fun) part of any of our hikes in the area. Be careful, especially if raining (as it was when we were on this part), as you have to navigate yourself across the series of boulders to the lake and glacier. It required climbing over huge boulders with no one set way to go. We knew the direction we had to go, but there was certainly no trail. It was a bit harrowing at times climbing over, on, and around these huge rocks with the glacial melt below us in many cases. One wrong step would not have resulted in serious injury or anything, but a shoe submerged in icy water would not have made for a comfortable 4 hour hike back into town.
Finally, the destination is reached, and a great view of the lake and glacier is the reward. It was raining and crazy windy when we were there, and there were waterfalls coming down from above the glacier. The wind gobbled up some of the falls before they even reached the glacier or lake, causing them to disappear in mid-air, which was a spectacular site.
Camping- There are a few campsites along the way if you’d like to combine this hike with a hike to Laguna Capri or Laguna de los Tres and make it into a multi-day trek. The first campsite, Capri, is only about an hour and a half from the trail head. Camp Poincenot is further along the trail and before you reach and cross the Rio Blanco. The final site, Camp Piedras Blancas (also known as Camp Rio Blanco), is found after crossing the river, but it’s a climber’s only camp.
Notes- This was a very fun hike, and we enjoyed the actual trail best out of any that we did in the area (some of the views were more impressive in other hikes). Because of the rain we encountered during the bouldering section, it took us longer than we planned, but it was still a blast. The final part before the lake and glacier was both challenging and fun, and it was nice to experience some different terrain for a change. All in all, a fantastic hike, and once we veered away from the trail to Laguna de los Tres and started following the river, we were practically alone on the trail. This was the least crowded part of any trail.
Pictures
Here are some of our favorite pictures from this hike. It was overcast and rainy most of the day, so we didn’t get as many good shots as other days, but it should give you a good idea of the beauty of the area.
Break point at the beginning of the trail
On the Trail to Lago Piedras Blancas
Hold on tight!
The Trail along the Rio Blanco
Some minor bouldering
Finally there!
Lago and Glacier Piedras Blancas
Icebergs floating in the lake
Close up of disappearing waterfall
Lago and Glacier Piedras Blancas
We also decided to take a detour and check out Laguna Capri on our way back
View of town from near the trail head
Tomorrow will be the final installment of the photo series 100 Things I Love about Travel, and next week will highlight our final El Chalten hike, along with a picture post of our time in El Chalten (some great pictures didn’t make the cut for these individual posts). Be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed or email list to get updates whenever a new post goes up!
