Outings and excursions · El Calafate
Cerro Cristal: a climb from Lake Roca with views of Perito Moreno
Photos: alvaro errandonea · CC BY 3.0 / Fernando de Gorocica · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
A roughly four-hour hike from the Lake Roca sector of Los Glaciares National Park to a 1,282-meter summit overlooking Lake Argentino and Perito Moreno Glacier.
Fifty kilometers from El Calafate, inside Los Glaciares National Park, Lake Roca sits in a corner where the Patagonian steppe meets forests of ñire and lenga. The way in is on gravel: take Provincial Route 11 toward Perito Moreno Glacier and turn off onto Route 60 until it joins Route 15, or simply follow Route 15 the whole way. It is a quiet area, fairly sheltered from the wind, with an organized campground and a free one, El Huala, which has no services.
The trail up Cerro Cristal, a 1,282-meter hill, starts in this sector. It is not the highest summit around, but few places take in so much at once: Lake Argentino, Perito Moreno Glacier and, on clear days, the Torres del Paine across the Andes. The climb takes about four hours, and the view keeps opening up as you gain height.
The path begins among steppe shrubs such as coirón, mata negra and calafate, leaving Lake Roca below, smaller with every turn. This is a proper mountain walk with real elevation gain to the summit: go at an easy pace, leave time to get back in daylight and keep an eye on the sky, because Patagonian weather changes fast.
The area is worth more than a day. There are rock paintings nearby, the lake is good for fishing, and early in the morning it is common to spot eagles, caracaras and condors. Back down, the lakeside campground is a good place to rest your legs.
- Tour type: Trekking and sightseeing
- Difficulty level: Moderate to high (about a 4-hour ascent)
- Tip: From May to September you must register at the National Park Visitor Center before hitting the trails; at any time of year, bring warm layers, water and a windproof jacket for the summit.
