Torres Del Paine Hiking - No Refugios
 

I need help with Torres Del Paine, Days 8, 9, and 10, in mid-November. We will have 2-1/2 days in TDP with a car. We are NOT camping or staying in refugios, but are staying in a hotel just outside the park in the Rio Serrano area - the website says 7km (about 4.5 miles). Google maps doesn’t seem to have a very good handle on the area.

We want to hike the Base of the Towers and the French Valley. We are skipping the Grey Glacier since we only have two days and will have just been to Perito Moreno.

I need advice on the following, especially DAY 10:

1. DAY 8 - Suggestions for what to do on that first half day we are there. We’ll be leaving El Chatlen early and will probably be ready to start the day in TDP by 1:00pm.

2. DAY 9 - We will hike the towers by driving to Las Torres Hotel and parking the car there. It is my understanding that this hotel is located at the start of the trail head, so I guess we just get out and start walking. Is this correct? How long will it take to get from our hotel to this parking lot?

3. DAY 10 - I can find little information on in and out hikes to the French Valley. I see that tour companies offer them, so I assume it is possible. Neither can I find current schedules for the catamaran which I think, from my research, is a must for this hike as a day trip. It seems as though I enter through another park entrance, but it’s not clear where. I’ve also read that if you do FV as a day hike only, you will not have time to go to Mirador Britanico, but only to the first two. Is this correct? I’m very confused, but I’m sure it will all make sense once I’m there and see what others are talking about. Please give me any advice you can about FV as a day hike, specifically – where to enter the park; how long is the drive from our hotel to the catamaran; where to find a current catamaran schedule; how much of the hike will be able to realistically do in a day in order to be back in time for the catamaran?

4. MORE DAY 10 - On the FV hike, will we pass the Salto Grande Waterfall or does this require a detour? How do we incorporate the waterfall into the hike?

Itinerary

Day 1: Fly out of Houston
Day 2: Arrive Buenos Aries; Afternoon flight to El Calafate; RENT A CAR
Day 3: El Calafate for Perito Moreno Glacier Hike and Boat Tour
Day 4: Drive to El Chatlen
Days 5, 6, 7: El Chatlen

Day 8: Drive to Torres Del Paine where we have reservations JUST outside the park at HOTEL DEL PAINE FOR TWO NIGHTS ONLY

Day 9: Hike French Valley as an in and out hike

Day 10: Hike the Towers, Drive to El Calafate to spend the night

Day 11: Turn in rental car at airport and fly to Bariloche
Day 12: Bariloche
Day 13: Bariloche, Take late bus to Osorno
Thur. 11/23: Early flight to Santiago, arrive mid-morning
Fri. 11/24: Santiago
Sat 11/25: Santiago, 11:30 pm flight home
Sun. 11/26: Arrive Houston in am

Thank you for your help!

Hard to answer any questions that require knowing the weather in November or your hiking speed and whether you stop often for photos or resting. While there is not much altitude, there can be a lot of wind that can really slow you down in at least one direction. If it is also raining or snowing that can also change things, even the catamaran schedule.

Your hotel should be able to answer Question 2 about travel time..

You used to be able to start from the parking lot of the hotel. My trip was 10 years ago so trail access procedures may have changed after the fire and new regulations. Round trip it took me about 10 hours.

Yes obviously you need to use the catamaran for a day hike. You will be able to get to Italiano and part way up toward Britannico, but when I did it started to snow and I turned around after there was no visibility (there wasn't much of a trail after a while and at a point there was a stream crossing which I wouldn't do in the rain. Most companies schedule French Valley as an overnight hike.

The November '17 schedule may not be published yet.

Free information in English can be hard to come by, now that everyone has a blog and wants to sell you something.

This is what Vertice Patagonia is showing on their website (they run the lodge at Paine Grande).

http://www.verticepatagonia.com/en/t...ran-pehoe-lake

The questions you are asking for Day 9 and 10, do not match the itinerary you posted.

We stayed at Hotel Serrano. It took about an hour to get to the Torres base trail and yes the trail starts right there. It also took us about 9-10 hours-stopping for lunch, water refills, pictures and to enjoy time at the top (about an hour). I can't imagine leaving from there and having to drive back to El Calafate after the hike- we were pretty wrecked.

Salto Grande can be accessed from the road and a parking area with a very short walk to the viewpoint.

Instead of being able to park in the hotel parking lot, you now have to park near the new visitor's centre before the hotel. Only those staying at the hotel can drive past that point. It is a bit further away but isn't a huge inconvenience.

mlgb - That link is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! So, from the hotel, we would drive to where we catch the catamaran. If I'm reading the chart correctly it looks like the earliest one in November leaves at 9:00am. Then we would have to be back at the drop off point in time for a 6:35pm departure. Is that correct? After the catamaran drop off, do I understand correctly that we will hike to Italiano to start the FV hike? Roughly how long is that portion of the hike? Yes, there are so many variables that it's very difficult to know what to expect in terms of time. I guess I'm wondering if everything is perfect, can the entire FV be hiked in a day trip or must one forego the last leg to Britannico?

Odie - Yes, you are correct - I transposed the questions for DAY 9 and 10. I'm glad you pointed that out for other readers and that you were able to understand what I was asking! You have provided some very helpful information, and yes, I know we will be wiped out, but there weren't rooms for the third night. We were lucky to snag what we did. I had no idea we needed to book so early! Regarding Salto Grande, is it accessed from the road that goes to the tower trail or the road that leads to the catamaran? Did you take the catamaran when you were there? How long did it take to get there from the hotel?

Huentetu - Thank you for the update on the parking situation.

At the link for Paine Grande excursions they have some info on walking distances and times

http://www.verticepatagonia.com/en/e...rivate-service

Basically 5 hours round trip (2.5hrs one way from their lodge to Italiano) from there you hike up until you turn around.

mlgb - Thank you so much for the link. This is exactly the information I was looking for. Have you done the French Valley hike? Based on the information in the chart, I guess from Italiano you could hike about an hour farther before you needed to turn around to make it back to the catamaran in time.

Are there good views an hour in, or is it just wooded until you reach Britannico?

I'm trying to determine if we should continue after reaching Italiano, and if so how far. I can't find a map or any information on the location of the Mirados (lookouts)between Italiano and Britannico.

darlenef17, I spent the night at Paine Grande so didn't try to do it as a day hike. In austral summer there is plenty of daylight so I didn't need to worry about time, it was just the weather that was the issue. I probably left after breakfast. I was back in time for dinner, I know that.

When you start to climb you get to be eye level with the Glacier so I thought it was good. I'll have to look at photos(not today)

Looking forward to the photos! Thank you for all the info!!

The road for the catamaran and the parking area for Salto Grande are on a very small offshoot off the main road.