The beauty of the town of El Chalten is its proximity to trailheads. Unlike other National Parks where you have to drive to different hikes, El Chalten is the start of many different hikes in the area, including the most famous one to the Laguna de los Tres, which will give you an incredible view of the peaks that inspired the Patagonia logo. In addition, you will have the opportunity to get on the trails early in the morning, allowing you to avoid the crowds that come in from El Calafate.
Even with a few days in El Chalten, you have to be weary of the weather in the area because it is often unpredictable and can change rapidly, for the better or for the worse. The best time to visit is between September and April, because this is the spring, summer, and fall seasons in the area. We recommend reserving a few days in the town so you can get the best chance possible for at least one day of sunny skies. We decided to stay in El Chalten for three days and we got one day of clear skies and two days of rain.
Rain or shine, there are a number of things to do in the town and the following are some things that you can do, even if it’s raining.
Good Weather Activities in El Chalten
Cerro Fitz Roy and Laguna de los Tres Hike FROM EL CHALTEN - 1 day
Distance: 14 miles (22.5 kilometers)
Elevation Gain: 3,500 feet (1,067 meters)
Our Walk Time: 7 hours, 30 minutes
AllTrails Link
This hike is the one of most famous and popular hike in the Patagonia region and even in the world. It’s a day hike that brings you to a spectacular viewpoint and the peaks that you see are the ones from the Patagonia logo. The founder of Patagonia was one of the first person to summit one of these peaks.
The overall hike is 14 miles (22.5 kilometers). It is an out-and-back hike with over 3,500 feet (1067 meters) in elevation gain. The last few kilometers to the turn-around point are the most challenging with uphill scrambles. In addition, the trail gets crowded throughout the day, causing back-ups, which may make the hike even more challenging.
To avoid the majority of the crowds, start early in the morning when dawn breaks (that was 6 AM for us). Some people start around 2 AM to reach the top for sunrise. This wasn’t in the cards for us for a number of reasons, but it is important to check the weather and visibility before doing the sunrise hike. On the day that we did the trek, the sky was overcast until 11 AM when it completely cleared up. The sunrise would have been disappointing that morning with clouds completely covering the towers.
By starting the hike at 6 AM, we were able to do most of the hike with few to no people on the trail with us. As we got to the scrambles, we started to see more people. We got to the lagoon at around 10:15 AM. At this point, the towers were still covered in clouds but we could see them start to clear up. Because we knew we had the rest of the day to get back down to the town, we decided to be patient and wait to see if the clouds would clear up. Sure enough, we were able to get a perfect sky for the next hour and we enjoyed the incredible view while eating lunch.
We started heading back down the mountain at 12:30 and noticed how much busier the trail was with people having to stand in line to make their way up the pathway. Once we got down the scrambles, the trail opened up and it was much more pleasant to finish the hike. Every time we turned around, we could see the incredible views of the Fitz Roy Mountain behind us. It took us another 4 hours to make it down to the trailhead and complete the hike.
With the Laguna Capri Trek
In the middle of the hike to the Fitz Roy Lagoon, you will have to option to go one of two ways. You can either go to the Fitz Roy viewpoint or to the Laguna Capri. We decided to go to the viewpoint on the way up and the Laguna Capri on the return, both of which had incredible views of the mountain peaks. This changes up the trail as you are returning.
From the Glacier Piedras Blancas Side
Distance: 13.1 Miles (21 Kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 3,275 feet (1000 meters)
AllTrails Link
If you do not want to do an “out-and-back” hike, you can start the trail from El Pilar. You can hire a taxi to take you to the trailhead early in the morning. This trail will take you along the Glacier Piedras Blancas to the Laguna de los Tres. From here, you can return to El Chalten from the other route.
Cerro Torre and Laguna Torre Trek from El Chalten – ¾ Day
Distance: 10.9 miles (17.5 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,643 feet (500 meters)
AllTrails Link
This hike starts directly in Chalten and winds through the Rio Fitz Roy valley. There will be a number of panoramic viewpoints of different mountains, including the iconic Mount Fitz Roy.
La Leona Petrified Forest - 1 Day
Between El Chalten and El Calafate, there is an impressive petrified forest that you can visit. There are a number of tour operators that can provide excursions within the terrain and they can guide you through this unique fossil-filled and petrified landscape.
Rain or Shine Activities in El Chalten
Chorillo del Salto Trek FROM EL CHALTEN - 1/2 Day
Distance: 4.1 miles (6.6 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 456 feet (140 meters)
Our Walk Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
AllTrails Link
This trail is a great one to do if it is raining. A lot of the trail is protected by the forest and the trail ends at a beautiful waterfall. It is a short hike with very little elevation change. It is a nice introduction into the Chalten region.
Lago del Desierto + Glacier Heumel Trek - 3/4 Day
Distance: 2 miles (3.2 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 689 feet (210 meters)
Our Walk Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
AllTrails Link
If it is raining for a full day, this activity is a great one to experience a different part of Los Glaciares National Park. You will need to set up transportation to get to the trail head of the Glacier Heumel. At the bus station, there are postings of different local companies that can provide transportation for this excursion. You can reach out to them on WhatsApp and set up the drive.
We used Day Van Tur (+54 9 2966 708940) and Ivan picked us up from our accommodations at 8 AM. Around 10 AM, we arrived at the trailhead. This trail is in private property so you will have to pay a small fee in cash to do the hike. If it is really rainy, like it was for us when we first arrived, you can also rent some ponchos that are great quality and heavy so they will keep you warm and dryer.
The hike to the viewpoint is of medium difficulty through a forest. As you get to the top of the hike, the viewpoint opens up in front of you and hopefully, you will have a great view of a glacier. As soon as we got to the viewpoint, we had blue skies. (It was still raining at the trailhead so the sun was short-lived for us).
Ivan had given us 3.5 hours to enjoy the hike and the area. After the hike to the glacier, we had the opportunity to walk around the Lago del Desierto, a beautiful turquoise lake. If you want to spend a full day at this destination (some transportation companies offer 6 hours to enjoy the area), there is also a catamaran ride on the lake that has beautiful views. Some hikers use the catamaran ride as part of a trek to cross over to Villa O’Higgens on the Chilean side of the region.
Near the trails, there is also a small restaurant/café where you can get food or something to drink. We stopped in for a hot chocolate to warm up. Once the 3.5 hours was up, we returned to the van and Ivan brought us back to our accommodations. We got back around 3:30 pm.
Spa Yaten
This small independent spa can be found in the center of town. They have a number of treatments that each last 30 minutes, with some specifically focused on leg and feet recovery after all that hiking. You can also stack different treatments to make a whole spa morning/afternoon experience. Kevin and I each did a treatment on a rainy morning. After all our hiking, our legs were incredibly grateful for the recovery.
Places to Eat and Get a Drink in El Chalten
La Cerveceria Chalten – a microbrewery and chalet with great Patagonian beer and food
Ahonikenk El Chalten – a classic Patagonian restaurant with a nice ambiance
Fresco Bar – a modern brew-pub with great food right off the main trails
Mathilda – a café with wifi, great warm beverages, pies, pastries, and desserts
Simple – a sandwich shop specifically targeting hikers with nutritional sandwiches and snacks that are perfect to take on hikes
Maffia – we did not get the opportunity to eat here but it is a popular spot to get pasta. Make sure to make a reservation if you want to eat here
