There’s a tradition on the Laguna de los Tres trail in Los Glaciares National Park that involves waking up at 2 a.m. to chase sunrise over the peaks. People try going for the ultimate ‘alpine glow’ moment, when the Fitz Roy mountain explodes pink like it’s been set on fire by the sky.
My dad and I, avid hikers, did not do that.
For some background information, I am 16 (17 on the 4th!) and am a competitive rower that trains six days a week year-round. My dad is 21 going on 44. He claims he ‘works out,’ which in practice looks like balancing on a half-sphere stability ball or doing random stretches with what I can only assume is a PVC pipe. So together, we form a very balanced hiking duo!
We opted for sleep over sunrise and woke up at around 6 a.m. from our hotel, also called Hotel de los Tres, where Juan the host and a very kind breakfast server fuelled us with pastries, fruit, eggs, and just so many carbs. Sunscreen went on immediately after; I cannot urge you enough to apply and reapply sunscreen multiple times throughout the day because Patagonia UV does not negotiate.
The trailhead was only about a ten-minute walk away, which was suspiciously convenient…
The Beginning: “This is manageable.”
The first ~2km are only moderately steep; any average hiker would be breathing a bit heavier, but still confident enough to make small talk and pretend they’re not thinking about how long 20km actually is. In terms of terrain, it was mostly dirt and small pebble paths, marked very clearly with signs able to be seen even in the morning darkness.
The Middle: “This is… kind of perfect.”
Once you get past the first stretch of angled topography, the next 6 or so kilometers flattens into a long stretch of pebbled paths, low shrubs, and sunbeaming forests. This is the section where you remember why you hike, reflecting past the endless blisters and aching legs, and looking upon the beautiful Patagonia landscape. We went in April: Patagonia’s peak fall season, everything being a warm-toned palate of oranges and red hues. At one point around the 8km mark, I refilled my bottle directly from a running glacier stream. It tasted even better than the crisp water you wake up to drink at 3 a.m.
A hiker pro tip: never fill up your bottle with water from the still part of a river; all of the sediment is built up there and you’d just be taking a big gulp of soil.
The End: “Eat your pre-hike Oreos…”
The last 2 kilometers is where everything opens up, and I’d recommend to also keep an open mind. There are no trees or shade; just exposed rock and steep climbs forcing you to utilize all four limbs.
Since we started at 7am, we got to the final bits right before noon. Also, if any of you guys do this hike, don’t take our timestamps to the tea because my dad is a keen photographer that had stopped around practically every bend to get a picture, so it took us a lot longer to get near the top.
Back to the point, scrambling over sizable, loose boulders while basking in the hot sun is not very fun. This is your second reminder to reapply that sunscreen and wear sun protection gear like hats and sunglasses! My dad and others around him struggled a lot with this part and it was definitely the toughest part of the hike overall. Even though I personally didn’t think it was hard, I credit that fully to the pre-hike Oreo’s I devoured right before the trek up.
The Top: “Wow!!!”
And then you arrive. At the summit, my dad exclaimed: “I feel so accomplished.”
The laguna itself was bright teal, illuminated by the golden sunlight, and the massive granite spires of the Fitz Roy mountains that we inched towards every kilometer were fully visible now. Slumped hikers around me were napping on rocks, rewarding themselves for fulfilling this great feat. I sat and watched a stunning red fox strut around looking for food, while eating my beef jerky, which to me seemed gourmet at the time.
The Descent: “Pay attention to the trail maps.”
On the way down, keep an eye out for the trail map that leads you to the nearby waterfall, which I unfortunately skipped.
My final verdict is that Laguna de los Tres isn’t a ‘hard’ hike in a technical sense. All you need is a good hiking partner, Oreos, and sunscreen to pass the time while soaking in the scenery. I recommend this hike to anyone traveling through Patagonia; it is a must-do, moderately difficult trek for iconic views of Argentina!
Megan L • May 12, 2026 at 2:27 pm
This is so cool Chloe! The trail seems like such a rewarding experience! Super great picture too!