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Los Glaciares

Among the glaciers and peaks of Argentine Patagonia

By Northern Adventures

December 21^st, 2015

Introduction

(Tue Dec 15th - Tue Dec 22ND, 2015)

Los Glaciares National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, “Glaciers National Park”) is a federally protected area in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina.

The park covers an area of 7,269.27 km², making it the second largest national park in the country. Established on May 11, 1937, it houses a representative sample of the Magellanic Subpolar Forest and western Patagonian Steppe biodiversity, which are in good conservation status. In 1980, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Visiting Patagonia has been on my wish list for years, and finally, the dream has come true. During this first visit, we decided to venture into the Argentinian side of Patagonia, aiming to see both the southern (Perito Moreno Glacier) and northern areas (Monte Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre peaks) of Los Glaciares National Park.

The Perito Moreno Glacier can be visited as part of a nice day trip from El Calafate, and hiking to Monte Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre is quite accessible from the conveniently located El Chaltén.

At the beginning of summer (December), the park becomes quite crowded, primarily with day-trippers. However, this means that solitude can still be found in and around the campsites within the park boundaries, and some of the trails in the loop we decided to pursue were not crowded at all.

It’s a beautiful place, indeed. Sometimes it can be difficult to reconcile the presence of herds of avid day hikers from El Chaltén with the serene landscape. But then, when the clouds disperse and Mt. Fitz Roy or Cerro Torre comes into prominent view, one immediately starts to feel the majestic beauty of this very special part of the world.

Day 0: Perito Moreno Glacier

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One of the must-sees when in Argentinian Patagonia, the Perito Moreno Glacier is both crowded and a splendid sight.

Day-trippers from El Calafate arrive via numerous tour buses and vans, and the park’s visitor center, which includes a cafeteria, is packed most of the time. Yet the place still retains its magic, in part because only a few tourists venture into the more distant areas of the boardwalk-based trails.

The Perito Moreno Glacier itself is an awe-inspiring sight—magnificent and vast, with spectacular ice falls. It is admirable both from a distance and when approached closely during an exhilarating walk around.

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Day 1: From El Chaltén to Campamento Poincenot

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El Chaltén is a natural starting point for the trails in the northern part of Los Glaciares National Park, and its convenient location in close proximity to both Mt. Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre peaks means that there are many day hikers traveling between the peaks and the settlement.

No more than 10% of the hikers we met set out on multi-day trips, carrying tents, sleeping bags, food, and everything else needed. This means that while the main trails tend to be crowded, the more distant areas remain quite isolated.

The first day on the trail was relatively short: we started hiking from El Chaltén at the northern end of the town after lunch and made our way along the scenic valley of the Río de las Vueltas, enjoying lovely views of the river delta.

From there, we continued westward through the interesting Patagonian deep woods, arriving at the Campamento Poincenot campsite later in the afternoon. Here, we pitched our tents; unfortunately, Mt. Fitz Roy remained hidden in thick clouds throughout the day.

Day 2: Glacier Piedras Blancas & Eléctrico valley

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It didn’t rain much throughout the night, and during the beautiful yet brief moments of sunrise, we had the chance to see the silhouettes of the massive Mt. Fitz Roy.

However, since the clouds were still obscuring the view of the peaks, we opted for a circular loop heading north, following lesser-used trails and footpaths.

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It took us a few hours to reach Laguna and Glacier Piedras Blancas; here, we enjoyed a few brief moments of sunshine. The footpath to the lake required some bouldering, but it was definitely worth the effort.

The weather started to deteriorate soon after; we continued in light rain further north, finally reaching Eléctrico Valley. From here, in more or less constant rain, we returned to Campamento Poincenot campsite, following the footpath on the eastern side of the Río Blanco.

After the rainy day, we hoped for some sun the next day…

Day 3: Laguna de los Tres, Mt. Fitz Roy, and Laguna Torre

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Mt. Fitz Roy in its full glory… an awesome sight and a timeless moment that will never be forgotten.

I woke up shortly after 4 AM to check the weather; in the darkness, the silhouettes of Fitz Roy were clearly visible under the starry sky.

We set out on the trail before 5 AM, aiming to reach Laguna de los Tres to witness the sunrise there. We were not alone; although around fifty people stayed in the campsite overnight, fewer than ten shared our plan.

It took us more than an hour to reach Laguna de los Tres, where we had a superb view of the spectacular peaks.

Those magical moments there… we stayed at the lake for almost two hours, patiently observing how the rising sun colored the granite peaks of the Fitz Roy massif in the continuously changing light.

It was well below 0°C, with some fresh snow on the ground. The views in all directions were incomparable. We felt grateful; after two days of cloudy and rainy weather, we were blessed with stunning sunrise moments in this spectacular place.

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Having returned to the campsite, we spent some time slowly enjoying breakfast in the shining sun.

It was already around lunchtime when we set out on the trail again, hiking south toward Laguna Torre.

During the hike, we continuously enjoyed prominent views of the Fitz Roy massif, which reminded us that we were trekking through Patagonia’s fairy tale land.

It took us a few hours to reach the point from which Cerro Torre peak became visible for the very first time.

Another splendid sight! Happy that the fine weather continued to prevail, we kept hiking west toward Campamento De Agostini campsite.

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The De Agostini campsite was less crowded than the one at Mt. Fitz Roy, and our evening visit to Laguna Torre was magical and rewarding, with the late sunlight illuminating the western granite walls of Cerro Torre.

And yes, I couldn’t resist enjoying a shot (or two) of Talisker single malt with natural ice that we fished out from the lagoon; such moments always call for something special…

Day 4: Cerro Torre & Back to El Chaltén

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Cerro Torre is known to be a peak that is prone to bad weather and is frequently obscured by clouds.

After the previous day of glorious sunshine, we hoped for another beautiful morning that we planned to spend on the shores of Laguna Torre, enjoying the sunrise.

And yes, we were lucky again… I believe we spent about two hours there, drinking tea and coffee while watching the unforgettable light show on the granite walls of Cerro Torre.

Later, we decided to hike along the northern shore of the lake to reach the Mirador Maestri viewpoint, named after an Italian climber who notoriously used a compressor to create a “bolt ladder” up Cerro Torre’s southeast face.

It was an exhilarating walk; beautiful views of Cerro Torre and the Torre Glacier were ever-present, and the early morning atmosphere, devoid of any other people in the area, only added to the spectacle.

Having returned from the side trip, we packed our things and quickly set out on the trail, leaving the granite peaks of Cerro Torre behind.

It became cloudy, and as we encountered groups of day-trippers from El Chaltén, we felt truly lucky and privileged to have witnessed those magical sunrise moments at Cerro Torre just a couple of hours earlier.

In El Chaltén, we stayed in a hotel overnight, enjoying a bit of comfort before our next hiking adventure.

Day 5: From El Chaltén to Laguna Toro

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We studied the trails in the area and our map for some time, and after some discussion, we finally decided on the Paso del Viento pass.

We didn’t want to pursue the full Huemul Circuit due to time constraints and because we learned that the journey to Paso del Viento is the highlight of the trail, while the other parts may be a bit less exciting.

This multi-day trek is known to be the most demanding one you can undertake without specialist mountaineering gear. However, a free permit is required (issued at the park’s visitor center), and the presence of a climbing harness is mentioned as a requirement (though it’s unclear if it’s necessary for Paso del Viento pass itself).

Leaving the Parque Visitor Centre behind, the Laguna Toro trail quickly climbed through deep woods to the shoulders of nearby hills, offering fine views of Lago Viedma below, before descending into the Valle Río Túnel.

The weather was cloudy with occasional rain; however, we didn’t really mind, enjoying the solitude on the trail. Here, only a few souls wander each day…

The evening at Laguna Toro lake and campsite was sunny and beautiful, though a bit windy. Fortunately, the wind was not the fierce gales we had heard and read about…

We enjoyed dinner, cups of tea and coffee, and a few shots of single malt—everything set against the stunning backdrop of the Patagonian wilderness.

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Day 6: Paso del Viento

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From the very beginning, this was destined to be a different hiking day.

With small backpacks suitable for a day trip, we first had to cross the Río Túnel glacial river at Laguna Toro. To be honest, it was very cold, and it took some time since the river split into numerous streams, all with rocky beds that were not easy to cross.

Afterwards, we ascended along the left side of the Río Túnel glacier, enjoying fantastic views. As we had been told, it was a safe walk across the glacier, with no need for crampons and without significant crevasses.

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Having crossed the glacier, we continued uphill in the southwest direction, finally reaching the cold waters of Laguna del Guanaco.

Here, another climb followed, now a proper uphill endeavor. The views back across the lake and the Río Túnel valley were beautiful, especially when the overcast moments were replaced by occasional bursts of sunshine.

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Finally, after about two hours, we reached the Paso del Viento pass and were rewarded with excellent views of the Viedma glacier and beyond, in the direction of Chile.

The place was stunning, and the views were truly breathtaking; however, it became clear that the full loop might be unnecessary—just a tedious crossing of rocky, barren land.

From the pass, we began our return, following a slightly different path higher on the slopes, and once again “enjoying” the crossing of the glacial river at Laguna Toro lake.

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Day 7: Back to El Chaltén via Loma del Pliegue Tumbado

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The last day of the trip… we wanted to make it different from just an ordinary journey back to El Chaltén.

Our goal was to reach the Loma del Pliegue viewpoint, leaving the marked paths and taking a shortcut along the way. It was enjoyable and a bit adventurous when we left the Río Túnel valley and headed directly north across the barren rocky landscape of the plateau below Loma del Pliegue.

The views from the viewpoint were truly stunning, though typical Patagonian weather prevailed—clouds were moving quickly, and the peaks of Cerro Torre and Mt. Fitz Roy remained mostly hidden in the clouds.

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It was a long hiking day—about 25 kilometers in total. We reached El Chaltén in the approaching twilight and spent the night at a local campsite.

We felt happy that our journey was complete and grateful that we were blessed with beautiful weather precisely when we were at Mt. Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre.

And now... the food :-)

One thing is certain: beef consumption cannot be avoided and should not be omitted when in Argentina.

We enjoyed grilled beef more or less whenever we could, whether prepared by ourselves or at a local “parrillada” restaurant. Malbec red wine naturally accompanied our meals, of course.

I can highly recommend Hostal El Overejo in El Calafate. The adjacent “La Marca” restaurant is apparently one of the few places in town that locals often frequent for a tasty “meat carnival.”

Footnotes

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FootNotes

All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without permission of the author.

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