Argentina’s gem of Patagonian trekking, Mount Fitzroy, offers a great alternative or addition to trekking Chile’s classic Torres del Paine circuit. Located within Parque Nacional Los Glaciers, Mount Fitzroy is the only permissible trekking locale within the expansive park.The views of Mount Fitzroy vary from site to site and greatly based upon the time of day and weather. At sunrise, its massive granite structure turns an elegant rose hue that is well worth the early rise. During the day, it may be seen reflecting off Lago del los Tres or not at all as it can be hidden behind the clouds. By nightfall, the clouds thin out and wisp around its peak for yet another wonderful show.
While there are at least a dozen trekking route variations (ours took four days and unfortunately skipped views from Rio Electrico), we recommend a five day trek around Mount Fitzroy. Instead of hiking directly into the park, start by hiring a ride up Route 23 and get dropped off at the trail head and hike to Refugio Troncos (NW of Laguna Piedras Blancas), where you can day hike to the Cerro Electrico Lookout. While this was the day we clipped from our itinerary, others trekked there, but had limited success due to the difficulty of the trail and bad weather conditions. From Refugio Troncos travel down the trail and take the very short side trip to Laguna Piedras Blancas, before popping your tent for the night at Campamento Poincenot and take in a front stage view of Mount Fitzroy.
