Description

Mount Fitz Roy’s granite pinnacles form one of the most iconic mountain profiles in the world.

Together with its equally-impressive neighbor Cerro Torre, they are an unmistakable symbol of Patagonia.

These forbidding peaks have been renowned by explorers for centuries, and more recently by rock climbers and backpackers.

To view them, travel to El Chaltén in Argentina.

Shoulder your pack and hit the trails to earn up-close perspectives of the peaks, plus glaciers and lakes that surround them. A circuit connecting views of Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy can be done as a 2-3 day loop that begins and ends in El Chaltén, with nights spent in campgrounds along the way.

It can be completed in either direction, and variations are possible because of different options for day hikes.

The route mapped here heads to Cerro Torre first, then to Fitz Roy, and includes a side trip to Glaciar Piedras Blancas.

Well-marked trails and designated campsites make the trek easy enough to complete self-guided, but guide services are also available for hire. Starting out on the Laguna Torre Trail, you will follow the Rio Fitz Roy into the foothills, and reach the first eye-popping panoramas in less than half an hour of hiking.

As you continue up the river, the valley becomes narrower and more heavily forested, and the rock spires grow even taller ahead.

The destination is Laguna Torre, a lake with Cerro Torre as its backdrop.

It is formed by the massive Glaciar Grande, from which icebergs often break off and float across the lake.

Hike a little farther to the Mirador Maestri for an elevated view of the glacier. You can spend the night here at DeAgostini Camp or continue on to Poincenot Camp if traveling at a faster pace.

The trail to Poincenot traverses a mostly flat plain with large lakes at the foot of a mountain.

Once there, establish camp and rest up for the most strenuous but most scenic portion of the journey.

This is the hike up to Laguna de los Tres for an incredible vantage of Mount Fitz Roy.

Carry only what you need for a day hike from camp, then take on the steep and rocky trail to your reward. Another worthwhile day hike from Poincenot is to Piedras Blancas, a glacier and lake that it forms.

From there you’ll get a different perspective on Fitz Roy and the surrounding topography.

After taking it all in, backtrack to camp, pack up, and make the return journey to El Chaltén via the Fitz Roy Trail. Sources https://www.back-packer.org/fitz-roy-trek-in-el-chalten/ https://elchalten.com/v4/es/laguna-torre-el-chalten.php https://elchalten.com/v4/es/laguna-de-los-tres-el-chalten.php