9
ediciones
Cambios
→Season 2025/26: Added trip log
=Overview=
=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=
==Season 2025/26==
'''GPT40 /2026-02-11 to 2026-02-13 / 2.5 days / RR / Counter Clockwise / Alex and Aoife'''
Attractiveness: 5 / 5
Difficulty: 2 / 5
The views of the Glacier Viedma are expansive and incredible. It's a well maintained, signposted, quick track. Felt nice to switch off from navigating and follow your nose. I think we checked the map only on a couple of occasions.
We read getting to the ranger hut before 7am would mean free access. That info is no longer valid it would seem. We got there at 0620am and a ranger was waiting to collect our 45k ARS pp.
-49.338487, -72.885043
We originally planned on hiking up to Laguna Torre for sunrise then up and over Paseo de las Agochonas. This would provide free entry and another Tyrolean experience.
Hired our ‘Huemel kit' for the Tyroleans from ‘Oeste Viento’ at the N end of town. 10k Per day for Harness, 1 steel and 1 aluminium biner and a sling. For an extra 2k per day we got 35m length of cord for pulley retrieval on the Tyrolean. We did actually have to use it once as a fixed line wasn't in place at the time so would advise to carry. We only hired one set of gear for 2 people.
Day 1
We got to camp on day 1 at 1030am so decided to push on and combine the first 2 days. It meant to got to the first Tyrolean at around midday where only one other person was there so no queues.
After a big day we camped near Refugio Viento with everyone else.
Paseo De Las Viento, is exactly that. Mucho Viento.
No issues with water.
Day 2
Short day, the descent from Huemel Pass is steep as expected but very manageable. I personally would have found it difficult without the use of hiking poles. But that's my preference. We chose to camp near:
Camp {41-01} [0.4/255
-49.482010, -72.963736
in a nice sheltered nook from the prevailing winds. No other people around and 1 min walk to views of icebergs and glaciers.
We filled up water and carried from the stream before the previous Tèmpanos Campsite.
Day 3.
We got up early for sunrise, saw no one until we got to the highway.
Easy walking. The Tyrolean was fun.
We were back in town by midday.
Water along route. We filled up at the streams before the Tyrolean, if its a sunny day it's quite a hot dry walk back to El chalten through the pampa so carry a little extra.
In El chalten we camped at Complejo turístico El Relincho, 22k ARS pp. Most expensive campsite yet. Great kitchen and showers though.
Numerous camp stores and supermarkets. We used the 2 on the main street. Great fresh produce here. Gas cannister was 8500ARS from Oeste Viento.
<big> '''December 31 to Jan 3, 2026/ 4 days/ Hiking/ Anti-clockwise/ RR/ Edwin'''<big>
Classic 4 day trek staying at the recommended camping sites except that I camped the second night a few hundred meters before the refuge to avoid the crowds. Seems to be getting pretty popular, there were at least 20 tents each night. Rightly popular I like to add, it is very beautiful... Trails are usually quite clear, also where it says cc in the trackfiles.
I did not carry a harness. Crossing the glacier fed rio Tunel the first time was easy, I crossed just above the lake, early in the morning and without rain, so flow was low. The second crossing was a bit more difficult, I crossed early afternoon on a hot day and the night had been warm to, so the water came up to my crotch and I am 1.90 meters tall. Not too fast flowing but quite a few big slippery boulders in the river. Don't change into your sandals I would say!
The downhill from paso Huemul was very unpleasant. In my opinion, the national park authorities need to do their bit and improve safety on this part. Don't wanna think about descending there when it rains...
Be prepared to hang around a bit in el Chaltén to wait for a good weather forecast, even though in my experience these are not that reliable when it comes to forecasting wind speeds.
<big> '''December 22 to 24, 2025/ 3 days/ Hiking/ Anti-clockwise'''<big>
I did the hike anti-clockwise by following the traditional campsites on the first two nights: Camp Toro [16.6] and Paso Del Viento (Shelter): [27.9]. On the third day, I finished the trek. The first campsite is in the forest and has very nice wind barriers, so not much to worry about in terms of weather. The second camp is much more exposed as well as having much stronger winds. I was told that the weather matters for "days 2 and 3," which is really anything inbetween Camp Toro and Paso Huemel because inbetween those two points you are on a different side of the mountain. So, check either on Wind Guru or with the ranger station about the weather for the days you expect to be there. However, even the weather reports can be quite misleading. I received a report of gusts up to 100 km/h on Paso Huemel, and while they were quite strong, they were probably closer to 75 km/h at their maximum. However, it could easily go the other way with winds being stronger than the prediction. Unfortunately, while both camping areas themselves are beautiful, humans have made them very dirty by not digging holes when going to the bathroom and simply going on the surface as well as many tissues and wipes visible when walking around. Therefore, I see the appeal in going to one of the campsites the rangers do not suggest (e.g. Tunel, although the wind is much more of a factor there). The hike is very beautiful, and you see incredible views of the Viedma Glacier and other smaller glaciers, making it very rewarding.
Regarding the Tyrolean traverses, the first one [18.2+0.3, 664], I did with the harness because others around me were also doing so, but it seemed quicker to simply ford. The second zip line, I didn't want to waste the time fishing out my harness, so I simply forded. I'm ~185 cm and the water was very cold and came up to my middle to upper thigh.
Overall, while the rangers will question your motives for not doing their plan of 4 days, trek is very doable in 3 days--I even saw people doing it in 2 days by only camping at Paso Viento Shelter. You should definetly check the weather before leaving because the wind really is strong and can push you around at Paso Viento and Paso Huemel.
<big>'''December 9 to 11, 2025/ 3 days/ Hiking/ Clockwise/ RR/ Greg Carter'''<big>
A challenging hike with truly spectacular views of Viedma Glacier in the middle section.
Attraction: 5/5
Difficulty: 4/5
Direction
Initially my preferred direction was anti-clockwise (the direction recommended by the parks service), but I arrived too late at the access control point (they open at 7am). When asked to pay 90,000 ARS for a 3 day pass I politely declined and started walking clockwise (no control point in that direction). At the end I walked past the same control point at 3pm (it was open) and was not questioned. In the end I preferred going clockwise.
Day 1
A relatively tedious walk in along the main road, then a dirt road, then along a fence line, but eventually you are rewarded with better views, especially once you can see the mouth of Viedma Glacier.
I forded where indicated, downstream of the zipline at Ford {40}(44.2/253). Be very careful: I’m 182cm and the water came up almost to my hips - I couldn’t see the bottom and it was fairly fast flowing. I had a few nervous moments and was relieved to get across.
I found a nice sheltered camp at -49.48236, -72.95872, at Camp Bahia de Hornos, at the eastern end of the Bahia (Bay) de los Témpanos. There are plenty of other good camp spots in this location. Anecdotally I heard that the official camps (eg Camp Bahia de los Témpanos) suffer from human excrement.
Day 2
I started the day following the easy coastal ridge line around the Bahia de los Témpanos, to Camp Bahia de los Témpanos, at the western end of the bay. From the ridge line you have wonderful views of the mouth of Viedma Glacier and icebergs in the bay. If you hike the RR you will be in the valley behind the coastal ridge with no views. I suggest that this ridge line become an optional route.
The initial section of the hike up to Paso Huemel is steep and scrambly in places, with some fixed ropes for assistance. Everyone I spoke to disliked descending because of steep loose dirt and rock. I’m glad I ascended.
The Paso de Huemel was super windy, but with sublime views of Viedma Glacier. The views leading up to and from the Paso del Viento are divine.
Instead of stopping at Camp Paso del Viento, I hiked all the way to Camp Rio Tunel (hard long day), to avoid forecast gusting winds of up to 120km/h on Paso del Viento the next day. As it was the wind was gusting well over 60km/h on the Paso del Viento, which made hiking difficult (a few times I had to brace and not move until the gust subsided). There was also a strong headwind leading up to the Paso del Viento.
Camp Rio Tunel consists of 3-4 small and large rock shelters, which provide protection from direct wind, but are still exposed to strong turbulence. I had an uncomfortable night during which I discovered that I need more long tent pegs!
Day 3
The cross-country hike along the moraine of the Rio Túnel Inferior Glacier was slow and challenging, with various potential paths and cairns to follow. It only got easy once I found a way to ascend the hill to the south of Rio Túnel Inferior Glacier. From there it’s straightforward to get to the zip line or to the Ford (40) [18.2+0.3, 664].
Again, be very careful fording: it had been raining all night, and the water came up to my crotch - I couldn’t see the bottom and it was fairly fast flowing, but not as fast as the ford on day 1. Again I was relieved to get across.
The hike is straightforward after the ford, and somewhat monotonous in places. There is an emergency shelter at Camp Toro.
Overall
I recommend carrying gear to use the ziplines if you are not confident fording, and especially if it has been raining. I was happy going clockwise, to avoid the control point, and the steep descent. For me the main factor against going clockwise is the strong headwind leading up to the Paso del Viento, but this is not decisive if the wind is not too strong.
<big>'''2025-11-18 to 2025-11-19 / 1.5 days / hiking / SOBO (counter clockwise) / RR / Ohad & Bailey'''</big>
Another Beautiful section. Very attractive, not very challenging except for the decent from Huemul Pass
Fees:
none, we passed the checkpoint before 7am therefor we did not pay the 45000$
Camps:
Camp {40} [41.3+0.2/286] - very protected with many shielded spots. Beautiful cove with icebergs floating in the lake. Stream runs through, would filter as there are cows present.
Fords:
We decieded against renting gear, we forded on the waypoints where the river forks, they were at most thigh high (im 185cm).
Trail Conditions/Challenges:
On the way to Paso del Viento the trail was wet and frozen.
The CC part before the pass could be dangerous if a person walks above you and toppels rocks. No big deal just spread out if moving as a party.
We encountered wide snow patches coming up to Paso del Viento, if passing early in the morning may require microspikes.
The wind can be relentles, the forcast showed winds up to 120kmph at Paso del Viento, we waited before the climb for the wind to die down. Crossed in ~60kmph.
The trail on the western side is very wet. The Refuge, Camp {40} [27.9/925], is completley flodded.
The descent from Huemul Pass is not pleasant to say the least.
Attractivness: 5/5
Difficulty: 4/5 (only for Huemul)
==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.