Hike to Loma del Pliegue Tumbado, Epic Landmark Views, Patagonia, Argentina

The hike to the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado is one of the three most popular hikes in the Argentine town of El Chaltén, along with Laguna Torre and, of course, Laguna de los Tres. 

The Mirador (lookout) and the summit ( 1.520m /4,986 ft.) offer fantastic views of landmarks like Laguna Torre, Cerro Torre, and the Fitz Roy all at the same time. The epic, panoramic views are an exceptional sight to see.

The hike, while long at about 20,3 KM ( 12.6 miles), isn’t extremely demanding as the total elevation gain of 1,310m (4,297 ft.) is rather evenly distributed across the total distance.

The trail also crosses some beautiful landscape on its own, with views of the towering Fitz Roy massif alternating with stretches into beautiful Lenga forests. As one of the very best hikes in El Chaltén, I’d highly recommend including it in your list if you are planning to visit.

Personally, this was my second favorite hike after Laguna de los Tres/Fitz Roy.

View of the Laguna Torre, Mount Fitz Roy (on the right), and Cerro Torre (on the left), from the Mirador area.

It’s worth noting that there are two main viewpoints on this trail. The Mirador del Pliegue Tumbado, which is where most people stop, is the viewpoint with what I think is the best view of the Laguna Torre valley.

Then the Summit of the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado, a little further uphill, a very steep trail on mixed scree/loose ground. The latter offers better 360-degree panoramic views of the whole area. As I visited both, I’ll describe both.

Table of Contents

Overview of the Hike to Loma del Pliegue Tumbado & Map

First off, as for all the hikes in the Los Glaciares National Park, you need to purchase a pass. There are different options available, from day passes to multi-day flex passes. I purchased the 7-day pass as I stayed there for a whole week, hiked every day, and I’d happily support the park. You can purchase the Pass only directly on the ANP site. I’d recommend this option vs waiting to purchase it on site, especially if you are planning to go for sunrise hikes.

In terms of difficulty, the hike to the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado is hard but not that bad. Despite being rather long and with a significant elevation gain, it has no very steep sections up until the last push to the Pliegue Tumbado summit.

The trail doesn’t have a very steep average gradient and offers fantastic views of the Fitz Roy for the most part.

It’s a hike you’d want to do on a day with the best possible weather conditions. The views of the Laguna Torre, Fitz Roy, and Cerro Torre are absolutely jaw-dropping. And it is a fantastic hike to do in Autumn, the colors of the forests and Lenga trees along the way are worth the hike by themselves.

Also, if you are planning to do this hike in the shoulder season, it’s best to bring microspikes with you. I did the hike in early April, and there was already Ice and snow on the trail.

Now – without further ado – Here are the details of the hike. As mentioned in the intro, this hike includes both the Mirador and the summit. Most stop at the Mirador, which offers the best panoramic views. If you stop there, you can shave off almost 2km in total from the total distance shown below. And about 40-50 minutes.

How to get to the Hike to Loma del Pliegue Tumbado Trailhead and Parking

Like pretty much all the trails in El Chaltén, you can walk to the trailhead from anywhere in town. Precisely, it is located at the Ranger’s station Guardaparque Ceferino Fonzo in the southern part of the town.

• Driving Directions: If you are coming from the south (El Calafate or that direction), you will find the parking area on your left just before entering town, before the bridge across Rio Fitz Roy.
• Parking: Free parking is available right by the Ranger’s station. It’s kind of limited, though, and it makes sense to park there if you are arriving from outside of El Chaltén.
• Public Transport: If you are arriving in El Chaltén by bus, the trailhead is just across the bridge south of the bus terminal. It’s just a five-minute walk from there.

Trailhead by the parking area, with Mount Fitz Roy in the background.

The Loma del Pliegue Tumbado Hiking Trail

From the parking area, you’ll initially have to take the same trail shared with Mirador de Los Condores/Aguilas. Past the entry checkpoint, where you will have to show or purchase your ticket, the trail splits, where you’ll see a trail marker to the right to the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado Trail.

At first, the trail slowly gains elevation, revealing views of El Chalten and the mountains to the North and the peaks of the Fitz Roy massif. The latter will be visible through most of the hike, peaking above the trees, here and there. It’s always an amazing sight that consistently builds anticipation for the lookout.

The trail initially gains elevation, revealing the landscape around El Chaltén.

The Fitz Roy massif towers above the trail for much of the hike.

However, from here the trail alternates between stretches in the open and stretches inside the Lenga Tree forest. If you are planning to do this hike in Autumn, as I did, you will have the bonus of the beautiful colors of the Lenga tree forest. That color is something you have to see for yourself to believe it. It really feels as if you’re walking in a fairy-tale land. And yes, the colors are that beautiful.

Lenga Trees in Autumn. Long stretches of the trail cross the Lenga Tree forest.

Above the Treeline, the trail starts gaining elevation again, and the Fitz Roy Massif comes back into view.

Mirador Loma del Pliegue Tumbado

Once you cross the last part of the forest, you’ll find yourself above the treeline. From here onwards, the trail leads through a barren hill segment that slowly transforms into scree. The Fitzroy emerges again in the background. Additionally, the trail starts to gain elevation again on a slightly steeper gradient as you approach the Mirador. The latter isn’t really visible until you’re at the top of the last climb.

A hiker with the Fitz Roy in the background.

The Miradoer del Pliegue Tumbado, marked by an infoboard.

As you arrive at the Mirador del Loma del Pliegue Tumbado, be ready to catch your jaw as it drops. This is truly one of the very best panoramic views in the Park. The Mirador is a wide, slightly inclined slope, and there’s plenty of space to sit, have a snack, and enjoy the view.

It was pretty amazing to see many people just sitting there looking at the landscape and enjoying the environment almost in religious silence – as if not to disturb the contemplation of others.

The Mirador is a rather large area with plenty of space to sit and soak in the landscape.

Within the vast landscape, the view of Cerro Torre is aprticularly good.

The view from Loma del Pliegue Tumbado – one of the Best Panoramic views in the area.

Loma del Pliegue Tumbado Summit

I first visited the Mirador del Pliegue Tumbado, which, I think, is the one that offers the best views of the Laguna Torres valley. However, from there, you can also continue to the top of the Loma del Pliegue tumbado summit. It’s the steep, somewhat rounded peak above the mirador.

The actual Loma del Pliegue Tumbado is the steep, somewhat rounded peak above the mirador.

The trail to the top is rather steep, and the ground is soft.

The trail to the summit provides great views of the mountainsfurther North.

It’s a steep hike on very soft ground, and rather slow going. So while it looks rather close, it takes longer than you’d imagine to get there.

As you reach the top, the views will open up in every direction. Again, Laguna Torre, the Fitz Roy massif, and Cerro Torre to the North. Also, A bit of the landscape around Laguna Toro to the West, and the vast Lago Viedma to the South.

Laguna Torre viewed from the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado’s summit.

Mountains and glaciers surround the summit.

The views also partly open up to the area around Laguna Toro to the West.

Hike to Loma del Pliegue Tumbado Photos and Photography Tips

There are plenty of stunning views of the Fitz Roy all along the trail, worth stopping by. The Lenga trees often form beautiful frames around the mountain, so that’s the risk of stopping very often to see the same variation of similar short of the “Fritz Roy in the trees”. That’s what happened to me – I kept stopping.

Mount Fitz Roy framed by the Branches of Lenga trees showing their best autumn colors.

And I think it makes sense to do that because photos may look or feel very different once you look at them on a computer monitor. Anyway, that “framing the Fitz Roy” exercise is fun to do, too, regardless. And, if you are planning to catch the autumn colors, the best time to photograph them is from early April.

Once you arrive at the Mirador, compulsive shooting might set in. It did for me. Even if there is not much variation from the mirador, the constantly changing light changes the scenery constantly.

Focal length 45mm – full frame.

35mm frame.

The only thing I can say about the Mirador is that it lacks foreground choices. It’s pretty much scree all over. However, with a bit of walking around, it’s possible to find some interesting rocks to use as foreground too.

In terms of lenses, I lugged all the lenses I had up the mountain: a 14-24, 24-70, and 100-400. However, I took most of the photos with my 24-70mm f/4 lens and felt that was more than enough. Wider, the mountains may look too small, but that’s also a matter of personal preference/photographic style, of course.

Also, the 100-400 also got its fair share of use. It came in very handy to capture close-up photos of the beautiful Cerro Torre. An absolutely astonishing mountain to see.

Detail of Cerro Torre – 155mm, full frame.

Cerro Torre at 320mm, full frame, from Loma del Pliegue Tumbado.

100mm shot.

Video of the Hike

Here is also a short video of this hike. From the trailhead to the beautiful colors of the Lenga tree forest, to the Mirador, and the Loma del Pliegue Tumbado

Where to Stay

El Chaltén is pretty much the only option in the area, although there are a few more options farther north in the Rio Electrico area. Within El Chaltén, you have several options, from Hotels to Guesthouses, and the popular “Tiny Houses”. These are literally small houses. My pick was one of the many Tiny, which is where I stayed for

If you are visiting in a van or in a Camper, you can stay at the free campsite Confluencia across the road.

Additional Resources

• Here is the official El Chaltén Website.
• Discover more scenic hikes in scenic locations!