Early morning view of Fitz Roy from our El Chalén hotel—C.Helbig
On our first morning in El Chaltén, Argentina we woke up to a fiery red Mount Fitz Roy. I was beyond excited. Clear days are few and far between in southern Patagonia. Our guesthouse host recommended we do the Laguna de los Tres hike (also called Cerro Fitz Roy) for the best close-up views of the crown jewel of Patagonia. This hike, located in Los Glaciares National Park, has it all—granite spires, giant glaciers, turquoise lakes and pretty forests that pop with unbelievable colours if you’re lucky enough to be there in fall. Laguna de Los Tres is surprisingly accessible and relatively easy if you’re reasonably fit. From start to finish, this hike is as stunning as they come.
There are two approaches to Laguna del los Tres…
One starts at the end of the main street in El Chaltén (purple line on map just above El Chaltén) and is an out and back hike of about 24 km return. The other starts 17 km away, by Hostería El Pilar, on the gravel road to Lago del Desierto (intersection of purple and red lines at the top of map) and is a semi-loop ending back in El Chaltén. We selected the latter. It’s marginally shorter and has a more gradual incline than the one starting in El Chaltén. But the main reason for choosing the El Pilar option is that you get to see even more territory and there’s only minimal retracing of your steps. Most hotels in El Chaltén can arrange shuttle bus transport for hiker drop-off at El Pilar.
Pick up this free map at Los Glaciares National Park Visitor Center
Plan on an 8-10 hour day…
We hiked slowly, took hundreds of photos and spent about 45 minutes hanging out at Laguna de los Tres. Altogether, it took us 9 hours, not including the bus ride from El Chaltén to El Pilar. The terrain is easy going except for the last 2 km. This hike is totally doable as a day hike, but some people camp at Poincenot to break up the hike or to get an early start for sunrise at Laguna de los Tres.
It’s a gorgeous, easy walk from El Pilar to Poincenot campground…
This section follows the Rio Blanco through a beautiful lenga forest (southern beech) that was ablaze in colour. I can’t imagine a nicer time to visit than early April. We barely noticed the gradual uphill gradient as views opened up to spectacular Glaciar Piedras Blancas and the Fitz Roy range framed in crimsons and golds .
Wide, easy trail through lenga forest—C.Helbig
Perhaps my favourite photo from our Laguna de los Tres hike—C.Helbig
One of many views to Glaciar Piedras Blancas—C.Helbig
Close-up of Glaciar Piedras Blancas—C.Helbig
Dramatic Aguja Poincenot—C.Helbig
Recharge and take in the view around Poincenot…
The trail from El Pilar intersects with the one coming from El Chaltén just before the Poincenot campground. It’s a lovely area of low lying ñire shrubs with unimpeded views. Take a close look at the photo two down and you’ll see the trail snaking up the mid-distance hill on the final approach to Laguna de los Tres.
Intersection of trails coming from El Pilar and El Chaltén —C.Helbig
An easy stretch before the final leg, up and over the mid-distance ridge—C.Helbig
The final steep section to Laguna de los Tres is not that bad…
The elevation gain of the entire hike is 750 m (perhaps a little less using the El Pilar route), but the majority of it (400 m) comes during the last two km from Poincenot to Laguna de los Tres. The really steep section, starting at the Rio Blanco basecamp (used by mountaineers) lasts only 500 m. The rocky path is jagged and uneven with some high steps, and there’s a bit of frustrating scree near the end. However, the anticipation of what lies just ahead, and the marvellous views looking forward and back made this section far less daunting than we had expected.
The views back make it less of a grunt—C. Helbig
Almost there…just over the crest—C.Helbig
It’s all worth it when you reach the crest…
Before us lay shimmering Laguna de los Tres, named for the three granite peaks that tower above it—Mt. Fitz Roy (3405 m), Aguja Poincenot (3002 m), and Saint-Exupéry (2558 m). The setting is beyond dramatic and becomes even more so if you venture along the short path to the left of Laguna de los Tres that leads to Laguna Sucia.
Our first glimpse of Laguna de los Tres—C.Helbig
Taking a break at Laguna de los Tres
Laguna Sucia on the left and Laguna de los Tres on the right—C.Helbig
Amazing view down to Laguna Sucia—C.Helbig
There’s nothing anticlimactic about the return to El Chaltén…
It was tough to drag ourselves from Laguna de los Tres but we knew we had at least a 4 hour hike back to El Chaltén. On many hikes it tends to be all about the destination, but I can honestly say I enjoyed every step of this hike. The section from Poincenot to Laguna Capri is especially pretty with meadows criss-crossed by little streams and ponds. We were awed by Laguna Capri and vowed we’d return another day (we did—it makes a perfect short hike from El Chaltén). Near the end, the approach into town is amazing, especially at the Rio de las Vueltas viewpoint
Coming down from Laguna de los Tres—C. Helbig
No shortage of Fitz Roy views on the way down—C.Helbig
Laguna Capri makes a great destination in its own right—C.Helbig
Rio de las Vueltas viewpoint—C.Helbig
And there’s beer and good food and a warm bed at the end….
We made it back to El Chaltén at about 7pm. The trailhead dumps hikers right onto the town’s main street. We were a tad confused about the location of our guesthouse so we stumbled into La Cerveceria, a cute microbrewery, to ask for directions. Several refreshing beers and a massive lasagne later we headed back to our guesthouse, just a block away. Does it get any better?
Perfect ending to a great hike
To read more about what makes El Chaltén the perfect base for day hikes in Argentina’s Los Glaciares National Park, please read my post: El Chaltén, Argentina: The Day Hiking Capital of Patagonia.
Writes of Passage 
OMG Caroline….the photos here are spectacular!! What a wonderful trip for you all. I also don’t see a gazillion people in the background either! It was pretty packed when we were there.
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Thanks Pam. April is at the tail end of the main hiking season, so it wasn’t too busy. Some restaurants and services were already closing for the season. The weather is certainly more fickle than Dec-March, but we were lucky with some clear breaks, and the amazing fall colours just made this an over-the-top experience.
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Seriously…fall colors make me so happy. I just love all of your pics.
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Me too!
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Wow maybe I’ll have to go back to El Chalten in the fall, those colors are incredible. I think sometimes Argentinian Patagonia can feel a bit bleak with all its greys compared to the greener Chilean Patagonia, but clearly that’s not the case in fall!
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The colours made our stay in El Chalten all the more special. After our experience in fall (April) I can’t imagine a more beautiful season.
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I’ve been drooling over all your Patagonia posts for the last half hour now (finally having a chance to catch up on reading now that we’re settled in our new place) and I could literally just sit here all day staring at your photos. They’re so beautiful and the landscape and colors are unreal! Patagonia has always been high on my to-do list but this is making me want to just drop everything right now and hop on a plane to Argentina!
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Thanks so much for your nice comments. They make me very happy. It wasn’t difficult taking good photos in such a beautiful place. Knowing your appreciation for hiking and natural beauty, I’m positive you’d love Patagonia. Try to get to both El Chalten, Argentina and nearbyTorres del Paine in Chile (we didn’t have time for the latter, but hope very much to be back).
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Thanks for the advice! I feel like I just want to recreate your trip (+ Torres del Paine) because it all just looks so amazing and it sounds like you had an incredible time.
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Let me know when you’re ready to go and I’ll happily provide more planning info if you like.
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Ok, I blown away. I forwarded these posts to Tom in an effort to convince him we need to go here. Because clearly we need to go. Just those photos of you hiking through the forest are gorgeous. The colors of those lenga trees are spectacular too.
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I know you’d love it, especially if you time it for fall. I sound like a broken record, but it was those trees and their beautiful colours that did it for me, and were just as dazzling as the views to Fitz Roy. You can combine it with a trip to Torres del Paine in Chile…not far away and more awesome hiking/scenery (wish we’d done that…can I come with you?!?)
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I’ll let you know when I’m going!!
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Spectacular scenery and photos!! Makes me want to go there tomorrow!!
Peta
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Thanks Peta! Maybe not tomorrow as it’s winter there right now 😉.
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What a landscape! Wonderful pictures! I already have a lot of books on Patagonia … Hope to get there some time 🙂
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The shards and the blue of the laguna… mesmerising sights, Caroline. They are unreal. And then those autumnal reds! Phew.
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Yes, amazing those colours. It’s really what made this hike so extra special for me.
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You always capture beautiful landscapes ( and sea when there) with amazing shots and involving discussions. You guys certainly have energy and stamina.
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Ah thanks Brian! This day was my top highlight during our time in Argentina, and we had many great days!
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Reblogged this on FitandFunNow.com.
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The weather and colors were/are amazing, Caroline. Your stars were aligned, you were lucky… you name it. But what a trip. The hiking doesn’t seem to be difficult -distance or elevation-wise. The accommodations look very good, and the microbrewery, La Cerveceria, only a block away definitely is worth bonus points -especially after being out on the trail for 8-10 hours! I bet you slept well that night!
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Your assessment is right on Mike. From my pre-trip research I expected the hikes to be more difficult but that turned out not to be the case. The elevation gain was very manageable and it’s also nice for sea level people like me that this area is not high to begin with (elevation of El Chalten is only 400 m/1300 ft). Mind you, there are plenty of extremely challenging peaks to climb that don’t appear on the national park’s tourist map! Yes, I slept wonderfully!
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Wow! So beautiful!
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Yes! It makes me so happy to just look at the photos.
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I honestly cannot believe this is the hike we took! My eyes were popping right out of my head as I read this. I’m sending it to my kids and husband so they can marvel (cry?), too, at what we missed during our 10-hour slog in the rain and fog. Seriously, your photos are spectacular, and I’m so happy you got such a great day and views. April – OK, that’s when we will go back!
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I know, my heart breaks for you! I can’t imagine enduring the rain and fog for 10 hours, and how gruelling it must have been doing that last steep section in crappy conditions. Good for you guys for actually going the whole way. At least you got your exercise. I’m not sure April is any more reliable or whether we were just lucky!
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This is unrecognizable from when we did this hike. Literally all I remember is cold rain and being sore.
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I feel terrible for you guys. I remember reading your mom’s post. Is that you lying on the ground in frustration? I can feel the pain. I hope you make it back there and have brilliant weather.
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That is he! In full disclosure, he also did the hike very soon after an emergency appendectomy so he was a little more tired and sore and couldn’t even carry his own day pack!
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Oh man! That’s rough; poor guy!
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What a perfect day. And I love your photos. We were lucky enough to arrive on a clear sunny day and dumped our bags and headed straight out on the trail from El Chalten. We didn’t go very far, but far enough for some fabulous views of Fitz Roy. What a place Patagonia is!
Alison
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Alison, I’m so glad you mentioned the fact that you really don’t need to go very far on the trail to get to splendid scenery, including those Fitz Roy views. It’s true that you need to seize any clear moments in Patagonia! Thanks, it was a perfect day!
Cheers, Caroline PS: I see you’ve just posted on Japan. I look forward to reading.
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Caroline, your posts like this one make me year to take a trip like this. The beauty!
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*yearn
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Hopefully you’ll get there; it’s very special!
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Great trip it looks like! I’ve planned my trip there for Nov to July. Thanks for getting me excited!
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I’m glad this post got you excited about your upcoming trip. November to July…wow, lucky you!
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Ahhh, another old guy backpacking… interesting 😉
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Pingback: El Chaltén, Argentina: The Day Hiking Capital of Patagonia | Writes of Passage
I really miss Argentina with seeing this great blogpost… . Great pictures, nicely written stories. Good job!
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Thanks so much! I was really impressed with all that we saw in Argentina.
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