Hike to the lagoon de Los Tres

At the northwest end of El Chalten (400m asl) starts the tourist path in the direction to Fitz Roy. There is no entrance fee to the national park.
 

Well distinct footpath rises to the northern pass of the noticeable hill Cerro Rosado.
 

With increasing meters opens a lovely view of the wide valley of Rio de las Vueltas. To the mountains on the right (to the east) Cordon de los Condores does not lead any tourist trail, although it could have served as a great lookout of the main Andean ridge. Many people would not guess that these mountains do not even have 1,200 meters above sea level.
 

After an hour you are finally in the pass (700 m asl), where you are in fine the weather rewarded with stunning views of Fitz Roy.
 

Fitz Roy (3 405 m asl) is the highest mountain far and wide. For its perpendicular walls it is a big challenge even for the best climbers. Similar vertical granite towers can be seen also in Pakistan (Trango), but they are set in a completely different landscape. The destination of this hike – Laguna de Los Tres is from this perspective hidden behind moraine at whose edge you have to scramble. For photographers the essential information is that the mountain is ideally lit at sunrise, when it looks like a golden diamond.

You then walk another hour through the woods with occasional views and around two camps, Capri first and then even better Poincenot located at the intersection of hiking trails.
 

Rio Salto flowing out from lagoon Madre /to which from here leads side tourist trail/ turns here sharply to the east and the area around is pretty waterlogged. It would be really hard to walk here without the wooden sidewalk.

From peat bog is clearly visible Fitz Roy, so tourists who sleep in the camp Poincenot have it really close to see the sunrise. From the peat bog you must overcome a small wooded ridge separating this flat valley from far sharper valley of the river Blanca and then just ascent to the moraine to the lake de Los Tres.
 

The last stage is the most demanding from the whole hike – hourly ascent to the moraine (approx. 450 elevation meters). There is a lot of snow in the higher parts in the season. But the final view is incredible.

Only a few people resist climbing down to the water over stones and snow. The lake is nice, but the view of Fitz Roy is better from the top of the moraine.

It is far better to ascent to the ridge separating Lagoon de Los Tres with significantly lower located lagoon Sucia, in which springs Rio Blanco. You can go back the same way or better do a circuit either through lagoon Madre or along rivers Blanco and Electrico.