14
ediciones
Cambios
→Resupply and Accommodation along the Route
==Season 2025/26==
*'''2025/12/06 to 2025/12/09 / 3.5 days / Hiking / SOBO+NOBO / RR50 / Pierrick G'''
General information :
- Water is easy to find all along the route; it can be slightly yellow but causes no issues when filtered.
- There is no phone signal anywhere on the section.
- No resupply options are available during the trek.
- Foxes are present: do not leave food inside your tent, hang it outside and high up; do not leave your tent pitched and unattended, as foxes may destroy it.
- Tide times for Cabo Froward are essential to plan the two main river crossings; both time and water level matter, as a “low tide” at around 1.25m can behave more like a high tide than a true low at 0m.
- If you skip GPT 49, access from Punta Arenas is by bus from the corner of Chiloe and Capitán Ignacio Carrera Pinto streets, departing at 7:45 and 18:30 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; fare is 1360 CLP cash each way.
- The return bus runs the same days at 9:15 and 19:45, also 1360 CLP in cash.
- The bus drops you about 500m before Bridge {50} [11.6/13], near Google Maps point “Cabañas Suboficiales Ejército”.
- Distance: 72km out-and-back (36km one way) from Punta Árbol (end of Route 9, official start), or 88km out-and-back (44km one way) from the bus drop-off.
- One refuge at 53°48′05.81′′ S 71°01′35.82′′ W (“Casa del caminente” on Google Maps) with space for around 10 people using all available space, a working stove, table, benches, a saw for firewood, and a broom.
- One small tin shelter at 53°50′40.16′′ S 71°07′12.18′′ W for about 4–5 people tightly packed; only a roof and walls.
- Very good bivouac spot 6.5km before the end,
only a few metres from a drinking water source: 53°52′51.96′′ S 71°13′39.20′′ W.
- Terrain changes constantly and is rarely pleasant: slippery gravel/pebble beaches, muddy forest, chaotic forest with fallen trees and hard-to-follow markings, peat bog, rocky coast scrambling, and smoother beaches blocked by driftwood.
- The key feature of this trek is fording two tidal rivers that must be crossed at low tide.
- Río Yumbel (waypoint 31.3/13) is crossed using a jam of dead trees acting as a bridge, so tides are not critical.
- Río San Nicolas (first real ford): two markers (branches and a log) help judge if it is crossable; in the outbound direction, it is better to cross to the left of the log where the water is shallower; this river is the wider one at roughly 50m.
- Río Nodales (second real ford), about 6km after Río San Nicolas.
This trek is more complex than many tourist offices or older trip reports suggest. Conditions change fast, so yesterday’s information may already be outdated, and the same will be true of these notes in a few months. For the author it was a real favourite: a demanding technical, logistical, and mental challenge where nature constantly tests you and forces you to “play by its rules”, which makes for a very unique style of hiking.
Day 1:
Bus stop to Casa del caminente – 21km
- Start from the bus drop-off before Bridge {50} [11.6/13].
- Walk 8km on a dirt road to reach the official trailhead at the end of Route 9.
- Long, tiring section of pebble beach leads to San Isidro lighthouse, then forest where you follow blue and orange ribbons tied to the trees.
- One small river crossing at 53°47′00.92′′ S 70°59′46.80′′ W that can easily be stepped over.
- Follow the GPX track without difficulty to reach the refuge; it is possible to bypass a forest section via the beach if water level is low enough.
- Compost toilets are available outside the hut in a small wooden shack 30m away at 53°48′05.78′′ S 71°01′34.30′′ W.
Day 2:
Casa del caminente to camp 6.5km before Cabo Froward – 21.5km
- About 150m after the hut, cross Río Yumbel using tree trunks; water level is not important thanks to the natural “bridge”, but use the trunks furthest right and follow small blue ribbons back into the forest.
- Continue on an easy pebble beach, then a short forest section with some elevation gain, followed by another beach and a very small river at point 34.1/16.
- The trail re-enters the forest and climbs slightly before emerging onto a peat bog; this wild part is one of the nicest sections of the route.
- After leaving the bog via a short forest stretch, a beach leads to Río San Nicolas, the first ford that must be timed with low tide.
- The branches on the right and the log on the left should stick more than one metre above the water to allow a safe crossing; the author (1.70m tall) had water up to the navel and crossed on the left near the log.
- Beyond the river, a beach section leads to the tin shelter at 53°50′40.16′′ S 71°07′12.18′′ W just before the trail enters the forest again.
- It is strongly recommended to wait for low tide and take the beach instead of the forest. On the outward leg, the forest option took 1h15 for about 800m because of fallen trees and outdated GPX traces.
- The beach at low tide takes less than 10 minutes, so even an hour’s wait on the shore is more efficient than pushing through the woods. The forest route should only be used if there is no low tide within the next two hours.
- After that, another beach and a short forest stretch lead to Río Nodales, also to be crossed at low tide; ideally follow the line going left. The author cut slightly right to exit onto the beach near a dead tree.
- Then comes another beach, followed by a rocky shoreline, and one small river crossing at 53°52′52.20′′ S 71°13′39.23′′ W.
- The campsite is 20m further on the right in the forest at approximately 53°52′52.62′′ S 71°13′39.54′′ W.
Day 3:
Camp – Cabo Froward – Casa del caminente –
35km
- Start at the beginning of low tide along the beach, negotiating many fallen trees, then a rocky section.
- After “La Momia” rock, a first fixed rope of about 2.5m helps to climb a small ledge; it is easier to bypass on the left via the rocks.
- The beach ends at a cliff that blocks progress; here the route climbs steeply to the right into the forest using fixed ropes.
- The main physical challenge is a roughly 4m vertical wall with two ropes: one with knots for the hands and a second for the feet; loops were added in the second rope for footholds because it was originally smooth.
- After this, there is about 10 minutes of forest, then a beach, and finally the last ascent of about 320m up to the cross at Cabo Froward.
- The final climb is steep, muddy, and often in peat bog; some steps have been installed just before reaching the cross.
- Return the same way, again trying to hit low tides to avoid the very difficult forest section between the two main rivers.
- Night hiking from Río San Nicolas back to the hut with a headlamp.
Day 4:
Casa del caminente – Punta Árbol – 12.5km
- Same route as on the way in back to the end of Route 9.
- Hitched a ride from the parking back to Punta Arenas because no bus was running that day; this is usually easy since many people park there to visit San Isidro lighthouse.
==Season 2024/25==
*'''2025-APR-17 to 2025-APR-19 / 2 days (only to Froward) / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Ivan, Jakub, Daniel'''
Swamps, wild forests, cliffs, and tough river crossings. This coastal stage—where syncing your hiking schedule with the tides is crucial—leads through a rugged, remote stretch of land where the continent crashes into the waters of the Strait of Magellan. For us, it was a perfect cherry on top to end our five-month journey through the Patagonian wilderness. We hiked all the way to the cross at Cabo Froward, the southernmost point of the South American mainland, and caught a ride back to Punta Arenas with a group of tourists who were visiting the site with a guide on a boat trip. We hadn’t planned to return by boat—it was just a lucky coincidence.
Challenges:
Watch out for the tides! GPT tested us once again. During our hike, the tide cycle brought high tide around 5 PM, which meant that we consistently had issues in the afternoons. The tide would flood the beaches completely, and depending on the spot, we either had to push through the forest or clamber over fallen logs along the shore. The biggest issue was fording rivers, as the tide significantly raised water levels to near-impassable conditions. There are three notable fords:
1. Ford [31.3/13] – We hit this one at low tide. Lots of driftwood helped us hop across without actually fording.
2. Ford [38.7/0] – The widest river; likely impassable at high tide. We crossed during peak low tide, ankle-deep.
3. Ford [46.6/0] (Rio Nodales) – A smaller river at low tide, but even then we crossed just 4.5 hours before high tide, barely passable with packs held above our heads. Water reached nose height (I’m 178 cm tall).
Strongly recommended: Monitor tide forecasts carefully and plan your daily walking schedule to match low tides.
When going through the forest at high tide, it’s often slow, rough bush-bashing. We preferred fording the sea and scrambling over driftwood—even though it was time-consuming. If you have the flexibility, consider extending your time on this stage and enjoy relaxed beach walking during low tide.
Bivouacking:
There are many good camping spots marked in the OSM base map—definitely worth using. We spent the first night in a cozy refugio located at -53.80176, -71.02642. The second night we camped on a nice flat spot with a fire ring right before the final climb to the cross (-53.89419, -71.29010).
Water:
Not the easiest section for water. While rivers, streams, or small springs frequently empty into the sea, the water is often brackish or salty. We recommend collecting from smaller sources further inland, where the tide doesn’t reach.
Resupply:
There are no resupply options along this route—not even in San Juan, where we asked. We carried supplies from Punta Arenas, which has large supermarkets like Lider and Unimarc. Alternatively, some small shops are available along GPT49 (see wiki)
* '''2025-01-04 til 2025-01-08 / 5 days / Hiking / NOBO / RR / Magdalena, Tim'''
Beautiful section, we saw lots of dolphins, whales, interesting birds.
We met about two groups per day walking to the cape, and many dayhikers before the lighthouse.
Personally, it feels bad to walk the same way back, although the tide keeps changing the landscape and where you walk on the beach.
Sometimes tourists or locals come by boat to some part of the coast, you might be able to hitch back with them or even arrange to go with a boat and start from the cape. On the way to the cape we saw people with a boat in Bahia El Aguila. S 53.78485°, W 070.99936°
Day1:
We hitchhiked from punta arenas to the end of the MR. Lots of traffic on the weekend, less on weekdays, popular spot with both locals and tourists. We arrived in the evening and camped 2,5km in on the bank of the pebble beach. There is also an established campsite nearby on the edge of the forest. Roughly here S 53.76104°, W 070.97575°
Day2:
The trail until the faro San Isidro is good, but mostly it's just CC in the small rocks. The further you get from the Faro the tougher the trail becomes. The ford of the Yumbel River can be done without even getting your feet wet at least in our case. On the Western side the GPT track could use an update, but it's not hard to find a way.
There are not many water sources in this part and none of them very good, the water is usually pretty brown and earthy tasting. We usually filtered.
In the evening we reached Rio San Nicolás, which is the hardest ford imo. Here the tide forecast helps a lot. We crossed it both times in between low and high tide so not ideal, but we had only one low tide each day, the other was deep in the night.
The best spot is marked by two big sticks of driftwood. It's way out at sea, don't try it until you can at least see the sand bench leading out to the sticks. In between tides the water reached upper thighs/lower hips for us (we are 1,80-1,85m). We crossed late in the evening both times. The cold was definitely a challenge when we had to search for the way first.
Both times we camped on the other side afterwards, there are established campsites on both sides of the river in the forest.
Day3:
As the coast gets steeper the water situation improves a lot. We didn't filter in this section, many clear small streams. The first water we saw after Rio San Nicolás was: S 53.84134°, W 071.11935°
From here on, trail finding is more challenging, as the trail frequently bypasses cliffs through the forest, but you have to climb over and under many dead trees as it doesn't seem to be maintained. The best trail is usually marked with colored bands.
At S 53.88623°, W 071.23081° about 30 dead trees from a landslide are blocking a section of beach (GPT and OSM track are pretty much impassable). We followed a faint BB trail through the forest which we would not really recommend. On the way back we just walked through the sea below the trees at ~2 hours from low tide. The water came only to the knees. This is definitely the fastest way, but maybe not doable during high tide.
The ford of Rio Nodales is much easier than San Nicolás. Even in between tides it only went just above the knee. Again it's marked by a stick.
We set-up our tent at roughly S 53.89397°, W 071.28945°
ate dinner and walked without packs to the cross on top of the hill at the cape.
Day 4/5: same way back, not describing it again. Hitching back on the MR was more difficult since it was a weekday. We had to camp another night on the side of the MR and finally got a hitch back to punta arenas.
==Season 2023/24==
==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==
Nothing, you have to carry your own food for all the duration.
=Transport to and from Route=