Hiking to Cerro Torre in El Chalten: The Laguna Torre Trek

Hiking to Cerro Torre is one of the most common things to do in El Chalten, and for a good reason. Cerro Torre’s icy spike of granite almost doesn’t look real to the human eye. It’s also a relatively easy hike for one of the best views in Chalten. The mile high spire peaks out on numerous lookouts along the hike, only to bring you to a rewarding view of the Cerro and it’s icy glacial lake. Unlike the hike to the Fitz Roy, the hike to Cerro Torre is mostly flat and doable for hikers with any level of experience.

Cerro Torre Stats

Distance: 24km

Time: 6h

Difficulty: Easy

The Cerro Torre Hike

The hike to the Cerro Torre is called “Laguna Torre” and it starts out in the South-west corner of El Chalten next to the river Fitz Roy.

The path begins ascending pretty quickly but then remains relatively flat for the rest of the time. There are several scenic lookouts, cute wooden bridges and photogenic walkways on route:

Advice: I’d start this trail early, as it gets a little crowded because of the easy trail.

There’s also a way to hike to the glacier, but I think it requires being signed up for a tour. We saw a group with harnesses going over a line across the river to the other side.

Afterwards we celebrated with smoothies as appetizers.. and then cheeseburgers and beer 😉

While you’re in El Chalten, make sure to hike to the Fitz Roy too! This hike is a good warm up for the Fitz Roy hike, which is a little more difficult.