Cambios

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.

- 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 Conditions change fast, so yesterday’s information may already be outdated, and the same will be true of these notes in a few months.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:

- 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.