Laguna de los Tres
A lake below the towers.
Prissantenbär — Public domain · Martin St-Amant (S23678) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Martin St-Amant (S23678) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Martin St-Amant (S23678) — CC BY-SA 3.0
Mount Fitz Roy is a sharp granite peak on the border between Argentina and Chile, about 3,405 metres high, rising above the Southern Patagonian Ice Field near the village of El Chaltén. The Tehuelche people called it Chaltén, the «smoking mountain», for the cloud that wraps its summit most days; the explorer Francisco Moreno named it in 1877 after Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle. It was first climbed by the French alpinists Lionel Terray and Guido Magnone on 2 February 1952, and it is the symbol of Santa Cruz province, shown on its flag. The best-known way to see it is the Laguna de los Tres trail, which starts at the north end of El Chaltén and passes through forest, streams and a viewpoint of the mountain before a steep final hour up to a small glacial lake at the foot of the granite towers. The walk is about 20 kilometres there and back and takes eight to ten hours. The mountain is at its finest at sunrise, when the rock glows red, but the weather turns fast and cloud can hide it for days, so allow more than one day in the area. Bring water, food, and warm, windproof clothes.
A lake below the towers.
When the rock glows red.
Streams and viewpoints.
Los Glaciares National Park; trail starts at the north end of El Chaltén
About 20 kilometres there and back from El Chaltén, eight to ten hours, with a steep final hour.