9
ediciones
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→Season 2025/26: Added trip log
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<!-- IF YOU COPY FROM THIS EDITING VIEW, YOU NEED TO USE THIS TEMPLATE (* TRANSFORMS INTO BULLET, ''' MAKE IT BOLD):*''' Start Date to Finish Date (use Format YYYY-MMM-DD) / Duration in Days / Hiking or <span style="background-color:aqua;">Packrafting </span> / Travel Direction (SOBO for Southbound or NOBO Northbound) / Chosen Route and/or Option Name (RR for Regular Route) / Names or Alias'''--><nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''Start Date to Finish Date (use Format YYYY-MMM-DD) / Duration in Days / Hiking or <span style="background-color:aqua;">Packrafting</span> / Travel Direction (SOBO for Southbound or NOBO Northbound) / Chosen Route and/or Option Name (RR for Regular Route) / Names or Alias'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>
=Overview=
=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions
'''GPT40 /2026-02-11 to 2026-02-13 / 2.5 days / RR / Counter Clockwise / Alex and Aoife'''
Attractiveness: 5 / 5
Difficulty: 2 / 5
==Season 2024/25==
*'''2025-MAR-23 to 2025-MAR-25 / 2 days / Hiking / Clockwise / RR / Ivan, Jakub, Daniel'''
A beautiful, challenging, and heavily trafficked section that follows the famous Huemul Circuit. The breathtaking views of Glaciar Viedma are deeply imprinted in our minds. We chose to go clockwise, which is the opposite direction of most hikers and against the official recommendation of the national park authorities. However, we found several advantages to this approach:
1. Gradual ascent for most of the route, and where the trail is very steep, you go uphill instead of downhill.
2. The approach to Huemul Pass {40} [38.5/1028] (Huemul) is simply breathtaking from this direction.
3. You don’t pass the entrance gate at the park information center.
Challenges:
If hiking clockwise, the main challenge is hiking against the wind between 24.0 - 38.5 km. Another major difficulty is river crossings. There are two challenging crossings:
• [18.9/676] (Tyrolean Traverse)
• [54.0/285] (Tyrolean Traverse)
Both crossings have ziplines, which allow you to cross with dry feet if you bring or rent the necessary climbing harness. Since we didn’t rent any special gear, we had to ford the rivers.
• [54.0/285] can be safely forded at Ford {40} [54.1+0.4/259], but we missed this option and ended up wading directly below the zipline—it was quite wild (waist-deep, I’m 178 cm tall). We highly recommend taking the small detour to the marked ford in the track files, where the river splits, making the crossing much easier.
• [18.9/676] has a gorge below the zipline, but the river can be easily forded (knee-deep) above it or even more safely below it at Ford {40} [18.2+0.3/664].
Fees:
Since we hiked clockwise, we did not pass the park entrance gate. On our last day, we walked past the ticket checkpoint/gate at 7 p.m., but there was no one there.
Bivouacking:
Camping is only allowed at the officially designated campsites:
1. [16.6/745] (Camp Toro)
2. [21.2/860] (Rio Tunel)
3. [27.9/925] (Paso del Viento, Attention: Mice!)
4. [41.3+0.2/286] (Camp Bahía de los Témpanos)
Water:
Not an issue—streams and rivers are encountered frequently along the route.
Resupply:
El Chaltén is a super tourist trap—very expensive, with limited selection, but resupply is possible. We bought food for 2.5 days.
We used a combination of:
• Lo des Lourdes Supermarket (-49.3254052, -72.8916425)
• Supermercado Chaltén (-49.3307613, -72.8857952) → in our opinion, the best stocked option.
Gas cartriges are sold in almost every outdoor shop.
'''2025-Feb-25 to 2025-Feb-27/ 3/ Hiking/ Counterclockwise/ Timothée and Maëlle '''
We started at the begininng of a great weather window, therfore the trail was really crowdy, especially during the first half day.
We slept at campo lago Toro superior (5 stars, with great view on Cerro Grande a bit wind sheltered) and and at Bahia de los Tempanos ( probably a few mice).
Overalle a great hike with amazing and changing view. It definitly worths it despite the crowd. Better to do it counterclockwise ( Last day easier but more borring). Even though a lot of people hike this trail, there are a few technical parts ( walking on the glacier or scree before camp 81, steep ascent and descente of Passo del Viento, very steep descente of Passo Huemul)
We rented harnesses for the zipline but it does not worth it (15 000$ a day) : long waiting at zipline and it is fordable by foot if you are experienced: first river under the knee, second river slightly above the knee.
Since automn 2024, the entrance in the park is charged 45000$ a day ( free if you pass before 7am)
* ''' 2025-MAR-13 > 15 / 2,5 jours / Randonnée / SOBO / RR > Laguna de los Esquies > RR > sentier balisé > RR > sentier balisé / Pierre-Marie '''
Etape : GPT40
| Meteo : soleil
| Eau : facile
| Neige : non
| Intérêt : 5/5
| Difficulté : 4/5
| Danger : péages, descente dangereuse
Je suis passé au péage au point (-49.3387142, -72.885454) à 8h. Il y avait donc du monde et j'ai dû payer 45 000 ARS. Evidemment il n'y a eu aucun contrôle lors de la randonnée. J'ai été stupide. Le sentier est populaire mais ce n'est vraiment pas l'autoroute. J'ai dû croiser 20 personnes en tout de El Chaltén au paso del viento, alors que j'en avais croisé des centaines sur le sentier du lago de los Tres. L'eau est facile à trouver, les fords simple et les zones humide facile à franchir sans mouiller ses chaussures. J'ai campé à la Laguna de los Esquies (-49.3824358, -73.1505322) pour éviter le camp officiel avec ses touristes et ses rongeurs. La nuit a été calme et pratiquement sans vent, sauf 30 secondes à 2h du matin où une rafale venue de nulle part a failli casser ma tente. Le refuge du km 27,9 n'a aucun endroit prevu pour dormir. Et il n'y a pas de toilettes ce qui pose problème sur le sentier : il y a parfois du papier et quand il n'y a pas de vent ça sent mauvais dans les zones boisées. Vers le km 40 la descente est extremement dangereuse. Je pense qu'il faudrait mettre un point alerte sur la trace GPS. J'étais seul alors j'ai pris mon temps, mais s'il y a beaucoup de monde qui monte et qui descend c'est vraiment dangereux. Pas de ford au km 44,2, il n'y avait même pas d'eau. J'ai suivi le sentier principal et non le RR du point (-49.4677546, -72.9293579) au point (-49.4330632, -72.8879393). Je pense que ça devrait être le RR d'ailleurs et l'autre piste en CC une option. Idem après le parking km 56,5, un très bon sentier de trail va à El Chaltén. Le ford au km 54 sous la tyrolienne se fait bien, il faut bien choisir son passage. Dans mon cas je suis remonté 30m en amont et suis descendu en diagonale vers l'autre rive au pied de la tyrolienne.
'''25Fev2025 - 27fev2025 / hiking counter clockwise / RR / 3 days / Lilian and Clara'''
Beginning of the trail very busy in early morning. So much people going on this good weather window.
No park ranger along the trail.
We didn't rent harnesses and were happy with that choice.
First ford was up to knee easy (close to the waypoint Ford).
Second ford was harder : up to crotch for me (1.57m) and fast flowing but manageable. We forded it a bit upper to the zipline. There were easier options downstream where the river separate in branches but there are probably fences to go through to get there.
Camp at 21.2 : busy...Mices.
Camp 40 bahia de los tempranos is really beautiful but also crowded and mices. Other solutions to camp a bit upper than the beach.
Just before the paso huemul we went to Mirador del condor here -49,49625, -73,01589. Trail visible on Gaia GPS, more CC, crazy wind but nice view on the glaciar !
'''2025-Feb-25 to 2025-Feb-27 / 3 days / Hiking / SOBO (Anti-Clockwise) / RR / Sean & Neele'''
Pretty straight forward tourist route so not much to add.
We bumped into Clara again after meeting on section 12!
Ticket booth at -49.20305, -72.53093 (around 1.1km) was closed at 7am apparently it opens at 8. We used the tryolean at 18.9km but it wasn't necessary, easy to ford slightly upstream (after 2 days of rain). Camped at 21.2km not much wind protection and lots of people. Camp 41.3+0.2 good wind protection but there's mice and lots of toilet paper. We used tyrolean 54km although the river was probably crossable at the same point after 2 dry days, if not the river braids downstream.
That's the end of the GPT for us, thanks to everyone who's been updating the wiki and happy hiking!
*'''2025-Feb-06 to 2025-Feb-09 / 3.5 days Hiking / counterclockwise/ RR / MiaimZelt'''
Day 1: I had planned to go without a Harness to cross Rio Tunel on foot. But the day before i met a german, who told he talked to someone who hiked the Huemul and according to that Crossing Nr. 1 wasn't doable without harness. Two other people told, the rangers said Nr. 1 goes up to the hips and is too difficult. I couldn't get first hand informations and the Infocenter was already closed. Spontaneously i rented a harness (10k/day is the normal price) and started at 11am. The weather forcast was mixed: two days of sun and two days of rain/snow. That's why i chosed to do it in 4 instead of 3 days.
The first day was very easy, i only struggled with the heavy backpack (+1kg harness). Camped roughly 1.5km before Camping Toro, because i'm afraid of mice. It was easy to find a sheltered spot in the forest on that very windy day.
Day 2: Soon i reached Laguna Túnel o Toro and the first Zipline. I was upset with myself because i fell for the fearmongering! 100m upstream the river looked easily fordable - i guess max. knee deep. Where it reaches the lake it even looked easier with low current. Up to the hips - what a lie! Don't understand why people were not able to ford the river. Either they don't know how to cross a river or they meant another one... The crossing with the zipline wasn't easy because i had to pull myself slightly uphill. Struggled to unhook myself and my backpack and fortunately got help from two brits. I think when you're alone and don't have strong arms, it's easier to cross the river on foot.
I chosed to walk above the glacier not on it. The ranger said it's possible, but it didn't look save with the crevasses. The ascent was strenous, but easy. The views of the southern patagonian icefield was incredible! No wind at Paso del Viento. The descent was also easy, there it started snowing. Reached Camp Paso del Viento at 1:30pm and pitched my tent. Snowed even more, the world around me went white. It didn't stop until 11pm.
Day 3: 15cm of snow, but the sky was blue. Was relieved when i found out the trail is still visible. Even had footprints in front of me. Enjoyed hiking in the snow and got amazing views. Way up to Paso Huemul was a bit steep, but overall easy. The descent was indeed very difficult. The upper part was ok: steep through forest with solid soil, the middle part had some helpful ropes installed, the worst part came below: extremely steep with loose soil and nothing to hold on. No ropes here. The rest was easy. Passed Bahia Tempános and Bahia Hornos. Stayed on this OSM Camp: -49.475284, -72.943223. Perfect protection from West (very windy afternoon), flat space for at least 4 tents, a primitive bench and a nice view at the lake.
Day 4: Nice and easy trails the whole day. Followed the official Trek. Fortunately it didn't rain. Small 1p campsite with good protection here: -49.431947, -72.887512. 2nd Zipline also was not really easy, needed to pull myself after the first half and struggled to open one carabiner. I think the ziplining is better done in a group. The river didn't look fordable near the zipline, but where it branches in 3 parts it looked good to ford. You can see this area from the trail above. So i think it's not necessary to bring a harness. Reached El Chaltén at 2pm.
In my opinion there are cases where it's good to have it: when you want to keep your feet dry; when you like the idea of ziplining; maybe in early season when it rained a lot and for people who have no experience with rivercrossings.
* '''24-12-2024 to 26-12-2024/ 3 days / RR counterclockwise / wiiim'''
Camped by Laguna Torre & carried on with GPT40 early morning. It’s an undeniably beautiful loop but I couldn’t help feel a little old & grumpy at times between the trail poop, Bluetooth speakers and groups heading straight up a clearly open crevassed glacier (without gear). I passed both river crossings on foot, the first one upstream from the cable where it splits in two, about knee height. The second crossing has more water but arguably you have a lot more options to choose from, I crossed about 100m downstream where it’s at its widest before branching out into channels.
* '''13-11-2024 to 16-11-2024/ 3.5 days / NOBO / RR / Sophie and Gaspar'''l
We continued our adventure with the Cerro Huemul or Viedma Glacier Circuit, hiking clockwise (the usual route is counterclockwise). The trail is well-marked throughout, presenting no navigation difficulties. There are two crossings of the Río Túnel, which can be done via zipline if you have a harness. We chose to ford the river on foot both times. However, at its farthest point, crossing at the same spot as the zipline can be risky. During the snowmelt season, it may be impossible to cross without equipment for the zipline, so renting the necessary gear is highly recommended.
Another minor challenge is the ascent or descent (depending on your direction) of Cerro Huemul. It can be quite slippery in wet conditions, but fixed ropes are installed to ensure safety. You can camp comfortably near the Paso del Viento shelter, but watch out for mice! Paso del Viento itself does not present major technical difficulties, aside from the strong winds, as the name suggests.
The circuit offers spectacular views of the Viedma Glacier, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, and the upper and lower Túnel Glaciers—truly unforgettable scenery!
==Season 2023/24==
* '''2024-Feb-28 to 2024-Mar-2 / 4 days / Hiking / Counter Clockwise / RR / Andrew''' Beautiful trail. Not too much to add from what others have mentioned, the route is well marked. Views of the southern patagonia icefield are absolutely stunning. We decided to push a bit further and camp at Bahia Hornos, but I would have stayed at Bahia de Los tempanos if I did it again. * '''2024-Feb-24 to 2024-Feb-26 / 2.5d / Hiking / Counter Clock / RR and new terrain / Tom''' Perfect conditions! No clouds, no windDay 1: Crossed rio tunnel almost dry behind the laguna (trail on OSM). Hiked on Glaciar Tunel inferior. It's not that safe as others stated. Following others footstep an think it's safe says a lot of your alpine experience. Walk on the glaciar only if you know what you are doing (I'm a mountain guide and knew enough strong hikers that ended as dead bodies).Be aware of the land slide between the glaciar inferior and the biwak. I told the park auhtorities to close that trail and use the GPT version. It's a matter of time and the trail slides away!No wind on paso viento and a stunning view to the icefield. Not a cloud on a azur sky. I pitched my tent at the small laguna behind laguna Ferrari but before laguna los Esquies. Day 2: Installed a rope on the Huemul downhill and stayed at Bahia Hornos. Day 3: I started before sunrise and was by intention first at the tyrolienne. Bully on the other side, so I just hooked my steel carabiner and pulled myself along the cable. I liked the hike, but hated the littering, I mean "shittering" around the official camps. * '''2024-Apr-08 to 2024-Apr-10 / 3 days / Hiking / counterclockwise / RR / Joscha''' Day 1: RR [0.0-21.2] Good trail. Only the last 2 km was hiking on loose scree and took some time. Camp Rio Tunnel at km 21.2 has only spots for about three tents. The wind protection isn't as good as at camp Toro (16.6). The river at km 18.9 was a easy ford (knee high) about 50-100 meter up stream of the zip-line. Day 2: RR [21.2-45.1] Paso de viento (km 24.0) was very icy on top and on the way down. I managed without spikes, but they would have been helpfull. The pass at km 38.5 was snow free. The trail down after the pass is very steep. Would be very hard if snowy or muddy. Camped at -49.475284, -72.943223. Day 3: RR [45.1-64.9] The RR branches off the official Huemul Track at km 46.7. The RR runs a little higher and therefore offers maybe a bit better views. But the official Huemul Track would be the faster option. Rio Tunel was easily fordable (knee high) just under the zipline at km 54.0. * '''2024-Mar-24 to 2024-Mar-26 / 3 days / Hiking / anticlockwise / RR / Juliet and Martin''' Day 1 el chalten - Rio Tunel camp The park rangers were closed for strike action. We weren't able to register online either (bad internet connection). We left around 9am. Several people and a group on the first part, but we lost them on our way around the glacier. Magnificent walk between forests, viewpoints and lakes. We arrived for lunch at laguna o toro. Possible bivouac spot with emergency shelter if needed. It's a beautiful spot, but we didn't feel like pitching our tent there. So we decided to head for the Rio Tunel campside. Passing the zipline, in fact the river is probably passable on foot a little above. We recommend that you look at tutorials on how to use the equipment, which we hadn't done, and the rental company gave us bad advice. Fortunately, there was an experienced hiker who helped us. The passage along and on the glacier is complicated. We lost the trail and took a long time to make headway. There are lots of slippery spots (ice), so you have to be careful. Once we'd found our way back, we were able to reach the camp. It's well sheltered from the weather with a few spots (in fact only 3). The place is very windy, so I'd recommend getting there early if it's busy to get a sheltered spot. Magnificent view of the glacier. There are mice, and we saw several in the evening, but we weren't bothered during the night. Difficult to find a place to hang the food so we kept it with us in the tent enclosed and in the middle of the two of us and not at the ends. That's how it was. Several water spots along the way all day (several rivers). Day 2 Rio Tunel camp - Bahia de los tempanosb camp (-49,47994,-7298601) Passage of the paso del viento, which was indeed very windy, but passable. The path is still passable as used. Easy to follow. Magnificent panoramic view of the glacier at the top. You can see that some people have already pitched their tents at the pass, but I wouldn't recommend it because of the strong wind. Beautiful descent to the refuge. Very good, in good condition. Lots of possibilities for pitching tents around the stone walls. Very nice place to sleep. We continued on. Passage over Col Huelmul easier than the previous one. Very windy too, but the wind was in our favor and helped us make our way up. The descent is very complicated indeed, and quite dangerous. Take your time, especially if it's been raining. It takes time. Fortunately, there are ropes to hold on to. We reach the camp just before dark. It's very crowded, but we find a place to pitch our tent. The view of the lake, icebergs and glacier is magnificent. However, we were bothered by mice all night. We had hung our food from the trees, but despite this, they came up to the tent (between the 2 canvas sheets) time and time again. AVOID! It's crowded, there's garbage, mice, a rotting cow carcass... Day 3 Camp Bahia de los tempanos (-49,47994,-7298601) - el chalten Last day of hiking. Very beautiful in the hills, views over the lake. We loved it. Cross country in the hills, very nice to do even if we had to pass a few muddy spots and lost the trail a few times. Once back on the official trail, no more worries. The zipline was easier than on the first day. We didn't have to wait very long, surely 2 people ahead of us. End of the day with an easy trail to el chalten. The last few kilometers are on the road, not very pleasant and uninteresting, but it's not very long. This section is definitely beautiful and diverse. Mice are a real problem on this section. They seem to be present at all the bivouac spots. They're not shy and don't hesitate to come along even if you scare them. If we had to do it all over again, we'd use rat repellents, because hanging up the food doesn't seem to be enough. * '''24-Mar-05 to 2024-Mar-07 / 48 hours / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Tomáš'''
I did not like El Chaltén and the weather seemed better than later in the week so I immediatelly followed to GPT40. Starting at 17:00, I stopped 3 km from the first official camping Torro, which is normally 16 km far, in three hours of walking. I registered online and did not talk to any parkguards - not sure if they would not try to turn me back this late if they saw me. Fearing mice and being asocial, I did not want to reach the camp. The trail is very clear and easy. At least in this section, there are many places to camp - many trees provide shelter from wind. It was not that windy anyway, just on the final descent to the valley. Met lots of people coming back from Pliegue Tumbado mirador and nobody after the junction.
The next morning surprised me (the only reliable forecast seems to be for heavy rain or cloudless day, anything in between seems to be a hit or miss) by blue sky, so I got awesome views going up the pass. There was a queue at the zipline so I forded 50 m upstream - it was barely below my knees. Met ten people altogether that day. Walked on glacier, as the official PDF recomends. It is not slippery with the rocks. It is fun, there are footsteps to follow going on and off the glacier. I assume it is safe. There is also a trail going in parallel on the rocks (all circuit is trail BTW, not party partly CC like GPX suggests). Indeed only between the glaciers there is a few tentspots as indicated by OSM (unofficial? - but nobody probably cares). By the time I got to the first pass, clouds obscured Fitz Roy and the mountains across the icefield, which was still breathtaking. The pass had both quite windy spots and windless spots and some flats, so in good weather might be ok for camping, but hard to say. Traversing to the second pass, you actually mostly go through a valley partly (?) formed by ancient morraines, so most of the time, the icefield is hidden. I think there are places for pitching a tent, though not really between water at 35 and the second pass - anyway, the place around refugio is the most shletered. There used to be a campsite right after the second pass, but the PDF says you should not use it. Going further down is indeed very steep. There are now handy ropes attached to trees at places. The trail is badly eroded and slippery, would be indeed annoying when muddy. Darkness fell on me there and I still did not bother with a headlamp, but this is indeed the most demanding part of the whole trail. It is demanding also for GPT standards (the rest of the circui circuit is easy). Once you get down, it is flat and you can camp in many places, which I did.
The next day there were about 15 people, three of which went clockwise, so it is done even if the Park does not like it (it normally has seem to have no presence on the trail itself). This time I waited the queue for the zipline to actually try using it. I think the river was fordable there. It was definitely fordable 200-300 metres downstream (there is a diversion), where it widens and branches in the delta. The rest of the trail was uneventful.
It is indeed a nice end to the GPT. I did not expect to finish the Main route (minus 23-31) this year, so yay! The El Viento shop (49.3229571S, 72.8940188W) is on the other side of the town (2 km) to the Park office and charged me for three days even though I finished the circuit in 48 hours - it was 5-6 USD per day. In retrospect, I would not bother with the harness. I met a guy who went without because he could not rent one - I was given the last one they had available and it was too big for me by far. Should the second river prove unfordable, people would probably borrow you theirs, it seems one set is usually carried per group and passed over using the thin rope - at least on the second crossing, the thin rope is there permanently so I am not sure what would the thin rope be for anyway.
I still hated El Chalten (too many tourists, really bad 4g internet [apparently everybody in town shares one connection, unless I was wrongly informed] - if you stay overnight, usually in such situations it starts working well some time after midnight when everybody sleeps -, really pricy produce and very bad mediocre meal in one of the restaurants; Villa O'Higgins has a much nicer feel), so I hopped on a bus (3h) to El Calafate at 18h for about 22 USD. It goes also in the morning and around noon. There is also a 130 USD 28h (I think) bus to Bariloche at 14:00 and at 21:00. From El Calafate, there are connections to Ushuaia (this one not sure), Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas (at 3 AM and change in the middle about 40 USD, a bit cheaper if youbhave you have cash) and Buenos Aires. I don't have my ticket, back yet and flying directly from El Calafate would be very expensive, prices from Punta Arenas were the cheapest. Bye!
* '''2024-Feb-16 / 4 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Charlie Gardner'''
What an outstanding hike. This is definitely such an incredible way to either begin/end the main route of the GPT. We did it in the classic 4 days which was fairly chill.
Enjoy, this hike rocks!
*2023'''2024-Feb- 05 to 2024-Feb-08/ 4 days/hiking/SOBO/40/RR/Paulina''' Absolutely beautiful section! Very various Day 1 I left very late ( 4 pm) because the wind was extremely strong earlier, but it is an easy day, about 9 I was at the camping Lago Toro. The way was most of the time well marked, after the rain the meadows can be very wet I think. Once you are in the valley of Lago Toro, there are some easy river crossing. The campground is well protected from the wind, the water is nearby. To grab a better spot for tent, don't come too late, when I was there, the camping was almost full. Day 2 For me it was the most beautiful day, in a good weather , the views on the glaciers are amasing. So yes, it's really worth to wait fot a good weather for this day ( and the next one too). This day you will need also to consult sometimes the trails on GPS. At the end of the lake, there are some cairns, don't follow them, just follow the trail on gps which goes up. A lot of people missed up there and instead to follow na easy and safe trail, they climbed unecessary some rocks. The tiroliene didn't seems.difficult, The only think is that when we were there, the thin rope was not attached to the tyroliene and it was not easy to pull the tiroliene at the beginning. So, take a thin rope to attach the tirolien because the one which was there was all missed up. It's ok if you have one hardness for a group, it's easy to send it back. As all the people from the camping left around the same hour, to avaoil the linę to the tiroliene, we just crossed the river a bit farther, the level was not too high. Later, a nice path will take you to the glacier and you will not see anymore the trail ( only cairns sometimes). If you follow GPS trail, it should be ok. At the glacier, just walk on the eadge of the glacier at first, and later on rocks which are close from the glacier. There is also an upper trail, some people followed this one but were complaining that it was hard ( a lot of ...stones.). One you are at the end of the glacier, go up, there are several trails, but all of them are ok. The views from the pass area are just amasing, so yes, wsit for the good weather because it would be a pity not to see all these glaciers. The trail to the rodugio is easy to follow, mostly descent. At the camping there are about 5 spots with stonewall protection. It's a windy area, so it's better to grab a good spot. Also, there is place for about 8 person in the rodugio. Day 3 Another beautiful day. Well marked all the time, most of the time easy way. The ascent to the pass is short and rather pleasent. Very, very windy at the end of the ascend ( even if it was not a windy day), so I can't imagine how windy it is with a worse weather. About ,30 min from the pass, a steep ascend starts. When it's wet, can be difficult. So also, better to have good, dry day for this descent. I would recommand to camp at Bahia Tempanos, well wind protected and beautiful views on icebergs, and a Perfect spot for sunrise. Day 4 Rather easy day. The landscape changes a lot comparing to previous days, but it's still very beautiful, especially views on Lago de Vuelta. The tiroliene is very easy. * '''2024-Jan-15 / 3 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Tom Pieper'''
Not much to add. As the others mentioned a must do! When I started, there were indeed not that many people as weather forecast was not that good for the 'classic' 4 day itinerary. I was fine doing it in 3 days. The bivouack after Glaciar Rio Tunel Inferior only has space for 3 tents. You find additional protected spots 5 minutes beyond at the lake. If you fear glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) there are also some elevated spots there.
*'''2024-Jan-06 to 2024-Jan-08 / 2.5 days / Hiking / anticlockwise / RR / Stiina & Kris'''
We started around noon on day 1 and hiked to the bivouack after Glaciar Rio Tunel Inferior at km (km 21.2). We walked acrosse the glacier to avoid the moraine, no crampons needed. The bivouack was extremely windy at night but still a bit protected, lots of big rocks to help with staking the tent down. There are also a few rock walls built.
On day 3 we hiked back into El Chalten by lunch, it was a very windy day. When we reached the tyrolean at km54 (which is waymarked as a bridge for some reason?) there were about 15 people in the line so we decided to ford the river about 30m upstream. We went 3 people in a line formation, the first person had water up to the waist, the last just below hips. At km62, where you need to climb below a fence just before joining the road, pay attention to the small holes in the sandy banks: those are armadillo burrows, you might see one if lucky!
* '''From 2023-12-26 to 2023-12-28 //3 days // Hiking // NOBO // Anticlockwise // Quentin Clavel'''
Even if there's lot of people (around 15/20 departure per days at this time of the season), this section is in my opinion absolutely amazing ! The view on the icefield is outstanding ! I mostly followed the track, except on day two, where I continue to explore the surrounding of the Laguna de Los Esquies. Happy to be totally alone there, in front of this outstanding view. Hypnotic ! (It's almost the same that you can see at paso del viento, but closer to the icefield, and more chance to be by yourself here.
Views along the whole trek are absolutely stunning ! A must do !
* '''2023-11-21 to 2023-11-26 / 5 days / RR / SOBO / anticlockwise / Anh'''
GPT40 is no longer remote, there are 20 hikers on the trail every day.
Day 5: very easy trail & Tyrolean Traverse is really fun (downhill zipline). Alternative river crossing is not easy (strong, 12:00 AM good weather).
* '''2023-12-01 to 2023-12-04 / 4 days / Hiking / RR counterclockwise/ Fangwen & Tobi'''
Amazing section. We did the recommended 4 day itinerary (together with about 20 other hikers). A few points to add to the existing comments here: first, there was a lot of really wet grasslands, especially on day 1 (at least when we did it, early December). Accept your fate and live with wet feet (and bring extra socks if you can). Second, the four day itinerary makes use of the best-sheltered campsites. Other campsites may offer less protection. Note that even if the Park Rangers say conditions are good, you might encounter very strong winds in many areas. Third, if you want to extend the (somewhat short) days a bit, you can hike to the viewpoint Loma del Pliegue on day 1, on the ridge just above the campsite on day 2 (nice to watch the sunset), and to the aptly named mirador del cóndor next to Huemul pass on day 3. On day 3, it's best not to arrive too late to the very scenic Bahia de los Témpanos camp, since space is limited. Lastly, the descent from the huemul pass on day 3 is indeed a bit tricky, especially if you were to go in wet conditions.
==Season 2022/23==
* '''2023-Apr-08 to 2023-Apr-11 / 4 days / RR / SOBO / Arthur, Rémi, Noé & Louis'''
Such a wonderful section ! One of our favorite ! Incredible views on the glaciers, with autumn's colors it was amazing !
Do not forget to register online with the guardaparques (and to check out when you return !).
* '''2023-Mar-30 to 2023-Apr-01 / 3 days / El Chaltén counter clockwise / Anna & Christopher'''
We did the Huemul Circuit in 3 days. We started around 9 a.m. planning to camp at the Biwak Túnel the first night. The weather turned out to be so nice that we decided to continue and do the Paso del Viento the first day.
The steep trail down wasn't super easy and must be hard during rain. The second river crossing at km 54 was much more demanding. We crossed it further east of the Tyrolean, where the river divides in multiple branches. There the water went below Annas hips (1,63m). We walked to the viewpoint at km 62.4. Lots of people watched the sunset there with a great view of Fitz Roy and it was easy to get a ride for the last 2 km to El Chaltén.
* '''2023-Mar-10 to 2023-Mar-13 / 4 days / RR / SOBO / El Chaltén anticlockwise / Ondrej '''
I had the luxury of being able to wait for a good weather window and it really payed out. My hike was easy with magnificent views when climbing up to Paso del Viento. I even had a tranquil lunch at the top. The glacier walk and the snowy peaks are stunning.
I rented harness and carabiniers for the tyrollean traverse at Viento Oeste. The traverse was fun to use and I was happy that I didn’t need to ford the cold rivers. Recommended!
* '''2023-Mar-06 to 2023-Mar-07 / 2 days / Laguna Toro out and back / Will'''
This is a tough one, I didn't make it. I waited out a few rainy days in town until the park office told me we had a good two day window.
I guess that's the end of my GPT hike. It's been amazing, other than the miserable weather down here in the south!
* '''2023-Feb-21 to 2023-Feb-24 / 4 days / GPT40 RR counter clockwise / Véronica & Zach'''
Route: Centro de Visitantes - Laguna Toro - Paso del Viento - Paso Huemul - Bahía de los Témpanos - Centro de Visitantes
This is the link to register for the trek online: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfP8lEz5ry97gEK6fzx2mlu1NAhPwBx8cRlnSZOH8mx8iUMHA/viewform
* '''2023-Unknown / Helen and Craig'''
Big forest fire around the 3rd bay near iceberg bay. Circuit was closed for a bit. Unsure on how well it's recovering. Have a chat with the rangers before leaving.
* '''2023-Jan-08 / Alexis, Iris'''
Same as below, follow the trail when it differs from the trace.
Beware that on Day 2, the Paso del Viento can be very windy and you should check the weather forecast before leaving.
* '''2023-Jan-04 to 2023-Jan-07 / 4 days / Helen and Craig (plus 8 trail friends!) Gabby, James, Hannah, Jess, Julia, Jacob, Caro and Ali.'''
The far far end of el chalten there's a shop called vende oste where we found good rates of hiring harnesses.
* '''2022-Dec-15 / 3 days / RR anticlockwise / Frank'''
Watch video of the hike @ national park office. Bring a harness & learn how to do a Tyrolean traverse before you go (the NP video is useful for this) Where the trail differs from the track file it's easier to follow the trail which is generally good & clear. You are required to register online for the trek (link given by Veronica & Zach) & sign out at the national park office when you are finished.
==Season 2021/22==
==Season 2019/20==
* '''2020-Feb-02 / 2 days / Tom and Maddie'''
2 days anticlockwise. Trail is easy to follow. Talk to the rangers and they can let you know about any issues. Would be tough in bad weather but in clear weather there are no issues. For the glacier walk we were told to enter the glacier just after the beginning and to exit just after the end. I suspect due to the increased popularity a new route has been made in sections so follow the trail markers which divert from the GPX route.
This was a very beautiful section and very different to the northern sections.
* '''2020-Jan-12 / 4 days / Oreste Marquis'''
Did the trek counterclockwise wich is the only way to do it rangers say. You need to register to do this trek and guardaparques vive great advises. I crossed the rivers by foot and they were pretty hard, I recommand using the zipline. Awesome views with good weather, but the wind is really annoying! The campgrounds rangers told me to camp weren’t the ones on the trackfiles, but are pretty close to them so they are not hard to find. Great experience !!
Verify the wind forecast! The hills are so steep, strong wind could be dangerous! There’s no snow anymore and you will not need crampons.
* '''2019-Dec / 3 days / Matthieu '''
We did it in December with good weather, in 3 days ( instead of the 4 recommended, 2 first days in one big day). Awesome trekk and views. It is better to register first at the guardaparques office.
For the rivercrossings (2 real ones) there is one way walking and one way with tyrolean on a zip Line. We did it with with the tyrolean, and it was extremly funny. Rental of material possible in El chalten. Of course you have to know how to insure yourself good, so inform yourself before going, it is not hard to understand though, but extremely dangerous if not done well. None of us had experience with it before.
* '''2019-Dec-18 / Arnaud et Adriane '''
After we have taken the information at the national parc office, we only had 2 days of correct weather. So we decided not to walk the entire section but to go only to the paso del viento to get the view on the campo de hielo (glaciar viedma), following the advises of the guardaparques.
If you intend to get back after the paso del viento I advise to get equipment to be able to use the zip line that has been settled by the guardaparques. It us much more secured than crossing the river on the afternoon.
* '''2019-Nov-6 / Lea Geibel, Kevin Moe/7'''
Equipment for Zip Line to cross rivers is not required anymore since this season.
Paso Viedma had a decent amount of snow on it (Snow Line at 1000m), the ascent is straightforward but the descent on the side facing the ice field can be really iced over and difficult without crampons (ask at Visitor Center of the NP for current conditions)
* '''2019-Nov-4 / 4 days / regular hiking route / counter-clockwise / Lea Geibel, Kevin Moe '''
Beautiful hike in good weather! Great views of the ice sheet and mountains from Paso Del Viento. Highly recommend waiting for clear weather so you don't miss the scenery! We went up right after a big storm. The trail was a bit muddy up to the Laguna Torro, and the lee of the pass had a decent amount of snow. The windward side was pretty icy and more difficult than the snow. The next day we took a detour and cut cross country to walk on the Campo De Hielo Sur. Our route took a bit of steep scrambling to get down to it and back up around Paso De Huemul, and there were lots of open crevasses on the ice, so it would be good to have some experience and navigation skills if you want to do the same. Dropping down Paso Huemul on the trail was steep and a knee killer, and from Lago Viedma we had a hard time staying on the right trail amidst all the cow path, but aside from a few spiky bushes it's easy to cut cross country. Unnecessary to use the zip lines this year to cross the rivers. You have to camp only in the designated campsites.
==Season 2017/18==
*'''Route description by Kara Davis after Season 2017/18:'''
Notes to consider before beginning: GPT40 is more popularly known as the Huemul Circuit, a 57-kilometer trek in El Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. Before embarking, the national park guard requires that every hiker obtain a permit, bring required safety gear, and watch a slideshow about the circuit. The safety gear consists of a harness, 2 carabiners (one steel and one aluminum), slings, and 35 m of rope. Most of this gear can be rented at any outfitter in town, but due to liability reasons, the outfitters won’t rent rope. We went to the local ferretería to purchase this. All of this gear is used for two river crossings on zip lines.
After passing the refugio, the trail contours and then climbs to Paso Huemul. Make sure to look back and enjoy the last view of Glacier Viedma. The descent is very steep and at one point there is even a rope to downclimb. There are also plenty of woody bushes (manzanita?) to cling to as you lower yourself down the trail. After completing the descent, the trail is straightforward and easygoing. There is camping on the beach at the peninsula, Camping Bahía de Hornos. There is one more river crossing with a zip line at the lower Río Túnel, and from there it is easy walking to the end!
=Resupply and Accommodation=
