Torres del Paine National Park is, perhaps, best known for its namesake rock spires, but it has so much more to offer than that. For example, Glacier Grey, found in the western part of the national park, is a massive hunk of ancient ice, measures a whopping 270 square kilometers and feeds its own stunning glacial lake.
While Torres del Paine is best known for its epic backpacking trips, like the O and W Trek, you can still experience some of its natural wonders, including Glacier Grey, on a (long, but doable!) day hike. Here’s everything you need to know about the Glacier Grey hike, one of the most underrated day trips in Torres del Paine National Park.
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About the Glacier Grey Hike
- Length: 14.2 miles (22.9 km)
- Elevation gain: 2,171 feet (662 meters)
- Difficulty: Hard. There’s nothing technically challenging about this hike—it’s just LONG!
- Trail map
How to get to the Glacier Grey trailhead
As noted above, Glacier Grey is located in Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia. Torres del Paine is fairly remote—most travelers here use the nearby mountain town of Puerto Natales, Chile, located about an hour and a half away, as the springboard to get to the park.
There’s two ways that you can get from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park.
From Puerto Natales to Pudeto
Via bus
The most popular way to get from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine is to take a bus from one of the many operators that offer this route, like Bus Sur. You should book tickets for as early in the morning as possible to maximize your time on the trail—like I said, it’s a long hike!
Tickets cost 14,000 Chilean pesos ($15 USD) one-way. You can purchase them online ahead of time or, alternatively, you can buy your tickets at the Puerto Natales bus station.
However, I’d only recommend doing the latter if your Patagonia itinerary allows for you to have a few days in Puerto Natales before your trip to Torres del Paine National Park. Early morning bus tickets regularly sell out a couple of days ahead of time, especially during the busy months of December through March—so I’d suggest buying them as far in advance as you can!
From Puerto Natales, you’ll take your bus to the national park.
The driver will first stop at Laguna Amarga stop in the park, where you’ll get off to show a park ranger your entry ticket (more on that below!) and where many of the hikers who are doing the W Trek or the Mirador Base las Torres day hike get off to start their treks.
After everyone shows their entry ticket to the ranger, the riders on the bus that want to continue past Laguna Amarga will next head to the Pudeto stop, where you’ll disembark to board the ferry across Lake Pehoe.
Via rental car
Some travelers that are short on time opt to get a rental car in Patagonia to maximize their freedom and flexibility. On one hand, getting around Patagonia on buses is SO easy but, on the other, if you don’t have that much time in this magical corner of the planet and have some wiggle room in your budget, a rental car definitely gives you a LOT more flexibility.
Accordingly, if you have a rental car, you’re going to want to drive to the parking lot for Pudeto, located here. There likely will be a ranger here checking your entry ticket so have it at the ready!
From Pudeto to Paine Grande
Whether you take the bus or drive here, you’ll need to take the ferry from the Pudeto dock, across Lake Pehoe, to the Paine Grande refugio.
The cost for the ferry varies depending on when you’re heading to Torres del Paine, but it will generally cost around 26,000 CLP (or $28 USD) one-way. You used to be able to purchase ferry tickets in person, but you’re now required to purchase them online ahead of time. It’s a good idea to buy them ahead of time anyway—like the bus tickets, it’s not unusual for the ferry tickets to sell out during peak season!
If you take a bus here, be sure to give yourself enough of a buffer to get from your bus to the ferry dock—it’s about a 15 minute walk from where the buses drop you off to the dock.
The ferry takes approximately half an hour to glide across Lake Pehoe’s turquoise waters to right near Refugio Paine Grande. If you happen to luck out with a day with nice weather, I’d suggest snagging a seat on the catamaran’s outside deck—the views of Torres del Paine’s iconic peaks are absolutely stunning from here!
Returning back to Puerto Natales
To return after your day hike to Glacier Grey, you’ll simply reverse your steps above.
You’ll book a ferry from Paine Grande to Pudeto (being sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to and from Glacier Grey!) and then return via bus or car to Puerto Natales.
Again, I’d recommend booking your tickets in advance. The last ferry of the day, during summertime, is at 6:40 PM, so I’d try to snag a seat on that (unless you’re a REALLY fast hiker) and buy a bus ticket back to Puerto Natales that leaves around 7:30 PM or later.
Entrance tickets to Torres del Paine National Park
All visitors to Torres del Paine National Park are required to purchase an entry ticket online before their visit.
Ticket prices vary based on your nationality, age, and how long you plan on staying in the park. If you’re a non-Chilean resident that’s over 18 years old, it will cost 32,400 CLP ($34.42 USD) to visit the national park for up to three days.
As far as I know, tickets to the national park do not sell out. Still, you might as well purchase your entry tickets when you make your ferry and bus reservations!
Insider tip: I’d recommend taking a screenshot of your ticket on your phone before heading to the park. There’s no cell service here, so, if a ranger asks you to show your ticket, you may have trouble pulling it up otherwise.
What to Expect Along the Glacier Grey Hike
Paine Grande to Mirador Lago Grey
The trail to Glacier Grey starts right near Refugio Paine Grande. This is the biggest and busiest campground and hostel in Torres del Paine, which also means it has a ton of amenities to offer, including a restaurant, mini-market, and bathrooms, if you need anything before hitting the trail.
From the refugio, you’ll start hiking up a gentle hill through a rugged canyon, covered with lush greenery.
About 0.9 miles (1.4 km) of hiking, the incline will become much steeper and the trail will start weaving in and out of lush forests as you gradually climb your way up to a rocky ridgeline.
Once you’re about 2.5 miles (4 km) into your hike, you’ll get your first glimpse of the milky gray waters of Lago Grey, which is, of course, fed by the melting ice of Glacier Grey. Keep a lookout for icebergs here—they’re a brilliant blue color!
Continue climbing for another mile or so, where you’ll reach Mirador Lago Grey, a rocky outcropping that offers you your first glimpse of the massive wall of ice that is Glacier Grey, off-in-the-distance. Keep an eye out for one of the boats that cruise along the face of the Glacier (like this option that meets in the national park)—the teeny tiny speck of the boats really puts it in perspective just how gargantuan the glacier is!
Given the length of the full trail, many day hikers opt to turn around here. If you want to press on, this can still be an excellent option to take a breather or enjoy a snack as you take in the views of Glacier Grey. That being said, when my husband, Justin, and I hiked past Mirador Lago Grey, it was SO windy, it nearly blew us over—so be ready to continue on if the wind is too crazy!
Mirador Lago Grey to Refugio Grey
From here, it’s mostly a downhill climb to Refugio Grey.
And, while this may sound like a welcome change of pace, I’d say this is actually the most challenging part of the trail—there’s a section where you’ll need to climb down an extremely steep cliffside with narrow footholds where it would be SUPER easy to fall and hurt yourself. Trekking poles will come in handy here but regardless, go slowly and carefully so you don’t hurt yourself!
After this section, it’s a fairly flat 0.9 mile (1.4 km) walk, with a rugged cliffside towering above, to Refugio Grey. This is a fairly small property, with a mountain hostel and campground, but, in my opinion, one of the best bars and restaurants in all of Torres del Paine! So, if you want to stop to grab some lunch (or maybe you’ll want to pop in for a celebratory beer after you hike to Mirador Grey), this is a great option.
Refugio Grey to Mirador Grey
Past Refugio Grey, it’s a 0.5 mile (0.8 km) walk up a gentle incline to Mirador Grey, a rocky outcropping that provides you incredible views of the face of Glacier Grey, the milky waters that it contributes to Lago Grey, and the surrounding snow-capped mountains.
As you’re hiking here, keep an eye out for folks with heavy packs coming from the opposite direction. There’s a fairly good chance these hikers are SO close to finishing the O Trek, a butt-kicking 73.5 mile (118 km) multi-day backpacking trip that circumnavigates the national park. Kindly give them the right of way—they’re tired and they’ve earned it!
Mirador Grey to the Suspension Bridges (optional)
Most day hikers end at Mirador Grey, but there’s actually a few more features that you can hike to for even better views of the glacier.
There’s two suspension bridges that span gorges with waterfalls that provide in-your-face-views of Glacier Grey. If you want to hike to both, it adds about 3.8 miles (6.1 km) roundtrip from Refugio Grey and adds a LOT of elevation gain.
However, the first suspension bridge is just five minutes or so up the trail past Mirador Grey—definitely worth a quick detour, in my opinion!
Mirador Grey back to Paine Grande
From here, you simply retrace your steps the 7.1 miles (11.4 km) back to Paine Grande.
If you have some time to kill before your ferry, I’d suggest hanging out at Refugio Paine Grande—there’s a cozy fireplace on the second floor and plenty of snacks and beer to keep you entertained while you wait!
Insider tip: Technically, you are required to start hiking from Refugio Grey to Paine Grande no later than 3 PM—the “start” of the trail is technically closed after this and rangers may stop you from hiking back (we met people on the trail who this happened to!). Accordingly, keep a close eye on the time as you’re hiking and be sure to turn around no later than 3 PM.
When to hike to Glacier Grey
The best time to hike Glacier Grey is in the Patagonian summer from October through April, when Torres del Paine’s campgrounds and refugios are open and there’s limited ice and snow on the trail. For the warmest temperatures and the best chances of clear skies, December through February is your best bet. Justin and I hiked the W Trek in late January and couldn’t have asked for better weather!
Torres del Paine is open year round, so theoretically, you can hike to Glacier Grey in the winter. However, the ferry from Pudeto to Paine Grande only runs twice a month during the winter season and, due to the increased risk of severe weather and avalanches, you’re required to go with a guide. So I really wouldn’t recommend visiting Torres del Paine during this timeframe.
Tips for the Glacier Grey Hike
Stay the night at Refugio Grey
This is a LONG day hike—so why not break it up into an overnight trip by spending the night at Refugio Grey? This property offers campsites, where you’re free to use your own camping gear, or, if you’re not into backpacking, they also have fully equipped tents or even hostel dorm beds that you can stay in.
The advantage to doing this is that you’ll have more time to explore along the trail—for example, you can hike to both of the suspension bridges without being super pressed for time.
Additionally, Glacier Grey is one of the cheapest places in Patagonia to get up close and personal to the glacier, like by kayaking or trekking on the ice itself. As compared to the popular Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina, the prices for tours here are downright affordable—for example, consider this glacier kayaking tour or this glacier trekking tour, both of which leave from near Refugio Grey.
Just be sure to make reservations at the refugio WAY in advance. The W and O Treks are some of the most popular hikes in Patagonia and, accordingly, Refugio Grey books up several months in advance. For more information on making reservations, check out the section on booking accommodations in Torres del Paine in our article all about hiking the W Trek.
Come prepared
This isn’t an overly hard trail, but, with the unpredictable (and, at times, dangerous!) weather conditions here, you still need to come prepared with the appropriate gear:
- A refillable Nalgene bottle (there’s potable water at Refugio Grey)
- Waterproof hiking boots (mens and womens) for additional support and traction on the uneven and steep terrain
- Sun protection, including sunscreen, a baseball hat, and sunglasses
- Trekking poles
- Plenty of warm layers, including a puffer jacket and beanie
- A rain jacket (mens and womens)
- Rainpants (mens and womens)
That’s everything you need to know to hike to Glacier Grey in Torres del Paine. Do you have any questions about taking on this day hike? Let us know in the comments below!
