While Patagonia is well known for its big, epic hikes, I’m here to tell you, don’t sleep on the shorter hikes. When we were in Patagonia in February, we did the hike to Laguna Verde and Laguna Azul in Estancia los Huemules, which is a private reserve, and honestly, even without Fitz Roy’s peak being in full view, it was absolutely gorgeous.

Quick Info About Laguna Verde and Laguna Azul Trail in Patagonia

Trail Distance and Difficulty: 3.4 mile loop, moderately difficult
What Makes it Moderately Difficult? There’s a consistent incline that definitely gets the lungs pumping (especially if you have asthma like me). It is much less difficult than the more extreme treks, though. I’d say it’s doable for anyone who wants to hike.
Entrance to Estancia los Huemules: 19,000 Argentine Pesos, which is about $14 USD (currently as of 6/2026) per person for a day rate.
You Can Stay in the Park: There are some cool looking domes here, and I’d like to come back and do that someday and do even more of the hikes, but we just did this as a day hike.
Amenities in the Park: There is a visitor center with toilets that were very clean. This particular trailhead is a quick walk from the visitor center.
Would I Let My Kids Do This Hike? Yes, I would. The reserve is family friendly, the one thing I would watch for personally is pumas. They’re known for stealth and I wouldn’t let my kids run ahead of me. That said, I didn’t personally see a puma in Patagonia, but they are there. Not to freak anyone out, just to be cautious.

Our Experience on the Laguna Verde and Laguna Azul Trail in Patagonia

The Laguna Verde and Laguna Azul trail in Patagonia was an absolute standout in my brain. On a clear day, this trail also offers up incredible views of Fitz Roy. We were there on a cloudy day so we couldn’t see the peak of the mountain, and this was still one of the most incredible hikes I’ve ever done.

From the visitor center, you follow the gravel road up to the wooden sign trailhead. This trailhead will also take you to Laguna del Diablo, but the distance is doubled and from photos I’ve seen – and solely from photos – I think that the two lakes we saw were even more incredible. The trail initially leads into the forest, which is absolutely stunning. We saw several species of birds, including the world’s largest woodpecker, which was really cool! The trail is initially steadily uphill. It levels out in some places, but is essentially uphill.

At one point, you get to the river and it carves a fairly steep little valley and you get to a one-person suspension bridge. I love anything that gives off adventure-vibes and this bridge did just that! After crossing the bridge, there’s another subtle incline before reaching Laguna Verde. It’s a really pretty lake and gets the name Laguna Verde or “Green Lake” because of the plant life that grew in the lake here. It looked down over the more desert-looking mountains.

After stopping there for photos, we continued upward to Laguna Azul, which was absolutely incredible! As you head up to the laguna, you can see the Fitz Roy Range. While the view of Mount Fitz Roy was obscured for us by fog and cloud-coverage, you could still several of the mountains surrounding it. Laguna Azul itself is this large, deep blue lake that seems so placid, so beautiful. It was just awe-inspiring. I can only imagine it with the view of Mount Fitz Roy in the background.

The trail continued along the lakeshore before you get to where the lake spills over the edge of the lakeshore into a waterfall. The waterfall from above was already beautiful, but as the trail continued down and across a little wooden footbridge, the waterfall’s beauty is even more incredible. The plant life surrounding the waterfall is very lush and green. That gave me a lot of feelings of the PNW, and over the top of the waterfall, a mountain towers. And then turning around facing away from the waterfall is also an incredible view of the valley, across the river to the other range across the way. It was awe-inspiring. I think I said ‘Wow!’ about 20 times between seeing Laguna Azul to this point.

The trail continues down and loops around for more stunning views of waterfalls, lush forest and mountains peeking through the trees. The trail takes you back to the river and across a different one-person suspension bridge that takes you across the river again. It doesn’t take long from there to get back to the visitor center. From there, we used the restrooms and headed back to El Calafate where we still had time to roam around town for the afternoon and grabbed dinner with some people from our group. It was a really special day and it’s incredible how much you could truly fit in a date. From hiking in one of the most spectacular places outside of El Chaltan in the morning and eating delicious food and drinking wine in El Calafate at night.

Gear I Would Use On This Hike

As this is generally a relatively easy hike, I would recommend my general list of hiking gear, which will keep you both comfy and safe!

FOOTWEAR: With all of the uneven surfaces, and ever-changing surfaces, I highly recommend these Merrell mid-hiking boots to ensure you have the ankle support. If you’re looking for socks, I love these Merrell socks. They’re not wool, which tends to be the most popular, but I found these blend socks prevented me from getting a lot of blisters.
HIKING TECH: I’m a big fan of my Garmin Instinct Watch. I upgraded from an apple watch and I can never go back. I love having a downloaded map personally use AllTrails. Their premium program allows you to know where you’re going with confidence. Even without cell service.
WATER: I brought 2 liters of water, and used all of it. I’m typically a huge fan of the wide mouth Nalgene bottles because they’re so easy to clean.
DAYPACK & WHAT’S IN IT: First off, a daypack in itself is so important. My typical Osprey daypack  would be perfect for this hike. I carried a WAG BAG on this hike too in case of emergency, but there were bathrooms in the visitor center at the beginning of the trail.
SUN PROTECTION: While there are several sections of this hike that are shaded, the sun is super strong in this part of the world. I recommend wearing a sun hoodie, wearing a hat, and bringing sunscreen with you. I love to throw a sunscreen stick into my pack so I can reapply with ease throughout a hike without getting my hands all gunky. Also, a sun hoodie would be great for this hike.
IF YOU TYPICALLY LIKE WALKING STICKS… I don’t typically use trekking poles, but if you do, I would use them on this hike as well.
PACK YOUR LAYERS: I would recommend bringing a warmer layer (I used this bamboo fleece hoodie from FreeFly), a fleecy jacket (I brought this Columbia Fleece), and a rain jacket (I wear this REI one). I wish I had a beanie, but I couldn’t find it in my pack – of course.

Patagonia, and our time there was truly a dream.

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