Laguna de los Tres
Laguna de los Tres is one of the great day hikes in the world. It is the marque hike in Los Glaciares National Park. This is a long hike, with fairly significant elevation gain, but is not technical and is accessible to most hikers with planning and preparation.
We started at the Rio Electrico bridge off Ruta 41. We took a taxi at 7:00am, and watched the sun rise on the drive to the trailhead. Starting here allowed for a through hike, finishing at our hotel in El Chalten.
The Rio Electrico side is beautiful in the morning, with the rising sun illuminating the mountains, river and colorful fall vegetation. The first two miles are on open terrain, after which there is a gradual ascent in the forest over the next 4 miles. There is an opening where you can see Laguna Piedras Blancas and the glacier above it, but the view is partially obstructed by the forest and adjacent mountains.
At mile six, we came to the junction with the Fitz Roy trail and the hike became crowded. Over the next 1.5 miles is a steep ascent past the camp site to Laguna de los Tres. I highly suggest continuing to the lakefront and to the rock formation on the left, where you can see both Laguna Sucia and del los Tres in the same view. This is the best place to view the iconic Fitz Roy without technical climbing. We spent an hour here, exploring around the lake, taking photographs and eating lunch.
We then descended and continued on the main trail toward El Chalten. The views of Fitz Roy over the red-orange lenga forests and glacial meltwater draining from the high alpine were incredible. There is an unmarked social trail to the left, just before Laguna Capri, leading to a waterfall, which is perfectly centered with Fitz Roy in the background. We were the only ones at this waterfall, and felt like we had discovered one of the great secrets of the National Park.
We continued past Laguna Capri and then along the gorgeous Rio de las Vueltas valley before eventuallyreaching El Chalten. The hike was 16.5 miles gaining nearly 3500 ft of elevation. It took took us 8.5 hours. We had great weather and it was a magical experience. I recommend starting early, as this is not a hike you want to rush.
