The Hike
- Los Glaicares National Park, Chile
- Distance: Many itineraries available; Fitz Roy traverse is about 24 miles
- Elevation Gain: Varies depending on itinerary
- Time: Three or four days, minimum
- Difficulty: Moderately Strenuous
- Best season: November to April (spring thru fall in the Southern Hemisphere)
- B.I.T. Rating ****1/2
Directions: Travel here is complex. Los Glaciares is best reached out of El Calafate, Argentina, which can be reached out of Puerto Natles, Chile, or from Buenos Aires, Argentina. If you come across the border from Torres del Paine, expect delays, possibly lengthy ones, at the border.
Brief Description: Though not yet as well known as Torres del Paine, Los Glaciares (better known as Fitz Roy) is rising in popularity as a hiking mecca. We think it’s scenically every bit as good as Torres, but logistically much less complex. But be warned; if you are going here to avoid the crowds, you won’t do so any more on the park’s signature hike — the Laguna de los Tres.
Trail Map (from AllTrails)
Why Do This Hike?
- Recommended to fit, hardy hikers of all abilities
- MUCH easier physically and logistically to hike here
- No fees, no hassels — you just get off the bus and hike where you please!
- Stunning Fitz Roy massif ranks second only to Mont Blanc among mountains we have seen
- Cerro Fitz Roy, one of the world’s legendary mountaineering peaks
- Cerro Torre, it’s spike-like companion peak
- Turquoise alpine lakes, massive glaciers
- Chance to see the Great South Ice Field (The Helio Sur)
- Weird, wind scoured landscapes and forests
- While tenting is possible; almost everything can be done as a day hike out of El Chaltèn
- In fact, that’s exactly how we recommend you do it, keeping pack weight to a minimum
- Laguna del los Tres may be the best day hike in Patagonia
- The challenging Huemel traverse may be the second best multi-day trek after Torres (some would argue it’s better.)
- Generally less crowded than Torres del Paine (though it’s catching up)
- Well maintained trails
- El Chaltèn is one of the world’s great hiking towns
- All things considered, we liked the experience of Fitz Roy better than Torres
- Many other great hikes here; you would need days or even weeks to do them all
- Shuttles, easily arranged, open up the less well known hikes north of town
- No need to do most of these hikes with a guide or tour group (though many do so)
- If time permits, tourist trip out of El Calafate to the Perito Moreno Glacier should not be missed
But First Consider:
- Even worse reputation for weather than Torres del Paine
- Winds can be brutal and continual
- Key to hiking here is clear weather; bad weather is far more common
- Expect at least at least one complete washout day for any three spent in this park in any season
- Even when the weather is relatively good, the signature peaks can stay frustratingly clouded in
- When the weather clears, EVERYONE in town heads to the trail
- The popularity of Fitz Roy seems to be rising quickly as an alternative to Torres
- The ease of hiking out of El Chaltèn means the more popular trails are actually MORE crowded than those in Torres
- The best way to escape crowds and insure views is probably to tent as close to the big peaks as possible to catch both sunset and sunrise
- Don’t count on an early start reducing the crowds…the tour groups know this and get underway early
- Large, slow moving groups often clog the trail
- When we hiked around US Thanksgiving, the Laguna de los Tres was MOBBED and it really detracted from the experience
One last word here. Sylvia and I have NEVER in our travels encountered more rude, loutish and self-important alleged hikers than we did in our time at Fitz Roy. We had large tour groups block our path, people stand directly in our way at viewpoints, and slow moving hikers who simply refused to yield the trail to us. Dozens of people passed us on the trail playing audible music, as if the place needed a soundtrack. We were brusquely cut off on difficult sections and had rocks kicked down in our face on tough ascents by people hurrying impatiently down the trail.
We do not think this to be any knock against the place, which we greatly enjoyed; it’s a symptom of the explosive growth of eco-tourism, which has brought floods of people to places like Fitz Roy; and these people, who are oft as not inexperienced hikers, bring all their human follies along with them. Chief among these follies being the notion that, because they have paid to be here, the place and the experience belong entirely to them. Our advice is to bring along a healthy dose of tolerance for your fellow humans beings when hiking here.
