El Chaltèn, Argentina is home to Mount Fitz Roy, arguably the most famous mountain in all of South America. While Fitz Roy towers over the town of El Chaltén, the best way to experience the mountain is on foot, climbing along its slopes to see its alpine lakes, glaciers, and iconic spires. The best trail to do so is the Laguna de los Tres hike, which takes you up to a jaw-dropping viewpoint of Fitz Roy and two of its stunning lakes, Lagos de los Tres and Sucia.
So if you want to experience one of the most iconic hikes in Patagonia for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about the Laguna de los Tres hike in El Chaltén, Argentina.
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About the Laguna de los Tres Trail
- Length: 13.7 miles (22 km)
- Elevation gain: 3,454 feet (1,052 meters)
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Trail map
How to get to the Laguna de los Tres Trail
The trailhead for Laguna de los Tres is located here, right outside of the town of El Chaltén in Los Glaciares National Park.
Getting to El Chaltén, Argentina
There’s no airport in El Chaltén, so the only way to get here is by bus or by car.
By bus
The most popular way to get here is to fly into the closest international airport, El Calafate International Airport in El Calafate, Argentina, and then take a two and a half hour bus to El Chaltén. You can get tickets here.
Insider tip: Try to head from El Calafate in the morning, when the mountains in El Chaltén will be lit up by the early sun as you're arriving, and book a seat on the second floor, all the way at the front—you’ll get EPIC views of Fitz Roy and the surrounding mountains as you approach the town.
By car
Some folks choose to get a rental car to drive between destinations in Patagonia.
On one hand, having a rental car is incredibly handy—it gives you the ultimate freedom and flexibility. On the other hand you definitely don’t really need a rental car in El Chaltén. You can pretty much walk anywhere in town and, for any of the trailheads or lookouts that are farther away, you can get a taxi for pretty cheap.
If you’re on the fence about getting a rental car, I’d recommend weighing the cost of getting a rental car (including any fees to drop the car off from someplace else than where you originally picked it up) against how much you’ll actually use it during your Patagonia itinerary.
Getting to the trailhead
The trailhead is on the outskirts of El Chaltén, but pretty walkable—it took us about 15 minutes to walk from our Airbnb to the trailhead. There’s a parking lot here, though, if you need it, which is covered by your entrance fee to the national park.
Alternatively, you can do the Laguna de los Tres trail with a tour company, like this option, which includes transportation from your accommodations.
In full transparency, you don’t need to go on a tour here—the trail is generally well-marked and there’s nothing overly technical about the hike. Still, if you’re nervous about hiking a more challenging trail (we saw LOTS of beginners that looked like they were struggling on this trail) or to learn more about the flora and fauna along the way, going with a knowledgeable guide might be a great option for you.
How much does the Laguna de los Tres Trail cost?
Laguna de los Tres trek is located in Los Glaciares National Park.
Similar to most of Argentina’s popular national parks, like Iguazu Falls, Los Glaciares has a pretty steep entry fee, if you ask me—45,000 ARS (or around $38 USD) per non-Argentinain person per day, which can be purchased either online ahead of time or in person at the trailhead (cash or Visa credit card are accepted). There is a ranger stationed at the trailhead that checks whether you’ve purchased tickets.
On the bright side, there are some discounts that you can get if you’re visiting the national park, which also includes the popular Perito Moreno glacier in El Calafate, for multiple days.
For example, if you’re visiting Los Glaciares on two consecutive days, you can get 50% off your second day in the park. To use this discount, you have to purchase your tickets in person and let the attendant know that you want to purchase tickets for two consecutive days.
Alternatively, there’s a Flexipass offering, where you get a third off your entrance fee each day if you go to the national park three times over a six-month period. This is the option that Justin and I chose—we used one day to visit the Perito Moreno glacier and the other two days to hike the trails in El Chaltén.
Is there a way around the Los Glaciares entrance fee?
Reddit is full of ways to get around paying the entrance fee to hike the trail, from getting to the trailhead at the crack of dawn to starting the trail in places other than the trailhead.
I would not recommend following these tactics—if you’re visiting another country and electing to do an activity there, you should pay the associated fee. Not doing so, in my opinion, is akin to stealing. Plus, depending on what time you exit the trailhead and whether you camp here, there’s rangers that are pretty diligent about checking tickets as hikers exit the trail.
If you can’t afford the entrance fee (I get it, it’s expensive!), El Chaltén may not be the best place for you to visit. On the bright side, there’s plenty of awesome hikes in Patagonia that are totally free, like the Laguna de los Tempanos in Ushuaia, that you can hit up instead!
What to expect along the Laguna de los Tres trek
From the trailhead, the pathway climbs steeply up through a wooded area for about 0.6 miles (1 km) until you reach the edge of a cliff. Below, the Río de las Vueltas snakes through a green valley, surrounded by a seemingly endless corridor of snow-capped mountains.
For the next mile and a half (2.4 km), you’ll climb alongside this cliffside, getting glimpses of Mount Fitz Roy’s spires up ahead, and eventually climb into a lush forest.
About 2.1 miles (3.4 km) in, you’ll reach a fork in the trail—but, luckily, it doesn’t matter which route you choose. If you go to the left, it will take you past the shores of Lake Capri, a pretty alpine lake, and eventually meets back up with the main Laguna de los Tres pathway. The path to the right hand side will take you to Mirador Fitz Roy, your first opportunity to get in-your-face views of Fitz Roy. Unfortunately, Fitz Roy was mostly hidden by clouds during our entire visit to El Chaltén, but the views from this viewpoint look absolutely stunning on a clear day!
After this fork, the trail flattens out and you’ll be hiking through open fields with a gorgeous wall of mountains running perpendicular to the pathway. To the right, you can see the icy blue Piedras Blanca glacier, tucked between the slopes of two mountains. If you have time, keep an eye out for a trail sign pointing to the right hand side for “Mirador Piedra Blanca”—it’s a mostly flat pathway to the foot of the glacier that would add about 2.5 miles (4 km) round trip to the trail.
On the main Laguna de los Tres trail, the pathway crosses Camp Poincenot, where hikers are free to camp. If you’re planning on camping (more on that later), drop off your heavy packs before continuing on—you’ll be at the hardest part of the trail in short order!
Emerging from the campground, you’ll cross over a stream that’s a good water source, if you need it. Although the water is allegedly potable as is, I’ve also heard of someone picking up typhoid from drinking from streams in Patagonia so I’d recommend filtering your water to be on the safe side (we have this itty bitty filter, which we love—it’s so portable!).
On the western side of the stream is a small resting spot that people seem to gather before tackling the next section, the most challenging part of the trail.
Over the next mile, you’ll ascend almost 1,400 feet along an incredibly steep and rocky pathway. Unless you start the hike extremely early, be prepared to be stuck in a human traffic jam here—everyone is going pretty slowly and hikers that are going both up and down are trying to safely climb along the narrow and uneven pathway.
Once you’ve completed the challenging climb to the top, you’ll eventually reach a scree field, overlooking Laguna de los Tres and (if you have better luck than us!) Mount Fitz Roy and the surrounding mountains in all of its glory.
After taking in the views here, you can carefully climb down the extremely rocky field to the banks of the lake to get an even closer look at its turquoise waters and the surrounding mountains. There’s no official path here, as the small boulders along the field are constantly moving around, so I’d recommend observing where other hikers are safely climbing downhill and follow in their footsteps.
If you’ve still got some energy left in you, there’s a small rocky hill to your left hand side. If you climb up to its summit, you will get a view of yet another lake, Laguna Sucia, with milky navy waters. You can actually see both of the lakes at one time—it’s quite the view, having two differently hued alpine lakes at the base of Mount Fitz Roy!
When you’re ready to head back, simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
When to hike the Laguna de los Tres Trail
The best time to hike the Laguna de los Tres trek is during the Patagonian summer, from December through March. During this time, you’ll have the most pleasant weather, the best chance for clear skies, and longer daylight hours to complete your hike.
It’s also, of course, the busiest time of year in El Chaltén, though, so be prepared to wake up SUPER early to avoid the crowds or be ready to share the trail with lots of other visitors.
Spring (September through November) and fall (April through early May) are a bit more unpredictable—you could luck out with bright blue skies and low wind conditions or a week of blustery, snowy weather. If you’ve got some flexibility to wait out any potential nasty weather in El Chaltén, autumn can be a beautiful time to visit Patagonia—the lengas (Patagonian birch trees) turn stunning shades of orange during this time.
The trail is open year round, so you can hike here in the winter months (May through early September), but you should expect literal freezing conditions and LOTS of ice and snow along the trail. Microspikes are an absolute must during this time of year. Plus, there’s a significant risk of avalanches, especially along the final steep ascent, so be sure to be appropriately trained in avalanche safety and have the appropriate avalanche gear, like this safety kit.
Camping along the Laguna de Los Tres Trail
One of the best things about visiting Laguna de los Tres is that there’s a FREE campground, Camp Poincenot, right before the rocky ascent to the summit.
You don’t need a permit to camp here—so long as you’ve purchased your Los Glaciares entry tickets for the length of your stay, you’re free to stay here. You will, however, need to bring all of your own necessary gear, including a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, food, and water (pssst… if you’re new to camping, check out this backpacking gear list for beginners on our sister site).
It’s popular for hikers to set up camp for the night here and then wake up to climb to the shores of Laguna de los Tres before sunrise. Alternatively, many hikers stay at the campground while making a circuit to Laguna de los Tres and Laguna Torre, one of the other most popular day hikes in El Chaltén (if you’re interested in doing this loop yourself, here’s a trail map).
What to bring for the Laguna de los Tres Trail
With El Chaltén becoming famous on Instagram and TikTok, Laguna de los Tres’ popularity has exploded in the last few years. Accordingly, hikers of all skill levels, including total beginners, set out on this hike.
There’s nothing technically challenging about this trail so, if you’re a total newbie hiker in relatively good shape, I’d say go for it! Still, you need to be prepared to tackle a physically demanding hike in an environment with unpredictable and, at times, harsh weather.
So, with that in mind, you should be sure to include the following items on your Patagonia packing list for Laguna de los Tres (and lots of other trails on this magical corner of planet!):
Trekking poles
This is essential for the last steep and rocky section of the hike.
Plenty of water
Justin and I each have one of these comically enormous Nalgene bottles and LOVE them.
Waterproof hiking boots
We saw hikers along this pathway with all kinds of questionable footwear. The last rocky section of the hike can get SUPER slippery if it rains or snows, so I’d strongly recommend wearing proper hiking boots for additional traction and support—-it would be super easy to hurt yourself here. Justin uses this pair and I use this pair.
Warm, waterproof layers
The day that we visited, it was bright and sunny in El Chaltén—but rainy, snowy, and VERY cold at the endpoint of the hike. Bring waterproof layers, like a rain jacket (his and hers) and rain pants (his and hers), even if there isn’t rain in the forecast.
Sun protection
Including sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat. Most of the trail is exposed, so be sure to protect your skin!
Snacks
Unlike in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, there aren’t refugios or other places to buy snacks along the way.
Bugspray
If you’re visiting during the summer, the horseflies along the trail can be something nasty. They’re usually deterred by bug spray with DEET in it, like this kind.
Toilet paper
There’s a couple of outhouses along the trail, but they are HORRIFYING and seemingly completely not maintained. Bring your own toilet paper and a way to pack it out, like a baggie, if you need to use it.
I hope you enjoy hiking to Laguna de los Tres trail as much as we did! Do you have any questions about hiking here? Let us know in the comments below!
