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GPT28P - Bajo Río Palena

2024-01-17T19:30:07Z

Jordanjennings: /* Section Logs, Recent Alerts and Suggestions */

{{Draft}}
{{RutaForme
|Actividad=Trekking
|País=Chile
|CiudadesChile=Coyhaique
|BellezaEscenica=
|Atractivos=Vistas panorámicas
|Duracion=días
|RequiereHabilidadTrek=No requiere
|Sendero=Siempre Claro
|Señalizacion=Inexistente
|Infraestructura=Inexistente
|ComparteIdayRetorno=Cruce
|Distancia=423900
|MetrosAscenso=77
|MetrosDescenso=115
|AltitudMedia=
|Primer Autor=[[user:Jandudeck|Jan Dudeck]]
|Imágen Principal=GPT28-Rio_Palena.jpg
|ComentariosImagen=Packrafting the Río Palena. Image: Jan Dudeck
|KMLZ=GPT28P - Bajo Río Palena.kmz
|TipoDeMap=HYBRID
|ComentariosMapa=
{{GPT KMZ}}
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{{Table all GPTs}}

==Section Logs, Recent Alerts and Suggestions ==

* GPT28P/ Santo Domingo - Puyuhaupi / Packrafting Route / 2024 Jan-08 / 8 days / Jordan Jennings

OK! I would like to acknowledge here that as with any section, our perspective having completed a section is always coloured by the weather and conditions we experienced.

Now that has been said, my next comment is this: Canal Jacaf is a beast and was by far the most challenging packrafting section I have yet completed in Patagonia.

I started in SD, actually spent two days with Juan Carlos who owns the property surrounding SD. No one else lives there unless he has a worker on the property. You might want to let him know you’re coming as he has a dog which may be waiting when the ferry door comes down. ‪+56 9 6238 7187‬. He’s an interesting character.

I also spent some time with Pia at Hosteria Melimoyu. She is super lovely and her hostel is beautiful as Jan mentioned.

A very suitable trip for packrafters id to do Santo Domingo to Puerto Gala - both have access to ferries. This route means you can explore the more sheltered Seno Melimoyu and Seno Gala fiords. There is some exposure to weather reaching Puerto Gala however.

The other option is to finish at Puyuhuapi or Prto Cisnes. The former is safer as a open water crossing of Fiordo Puyuhuapi is not required (c2.5km at most narrow point). Saying this, Canal Jacaf is a challenge. The predominant wind coming from the west creates uncomfortable waves throughout the entire distance of the canal. It’s remote, with little by the way of exit opportunities, so take extra food. If you usually take one extra days’ worth, take 3.

I had unstable weather roll in from Bahia Bonita (worth a visit not far from P. Gala) all the way through CJ. I spent three days waiting waves that were too large, battled through conditions that I would have rather avoided had I not had the constraint of limited food. The only other ppl in the area are Salmoneros and they spend 20 days on/20 days off on the farms, so they don’t make frequent trips into puerto cisnes/puyuhaupi. Likely they would radio the maritime police to rescue you if you asked them for help. Luckily I didn’t have to but I was too close for comfort to need to.

So if you’re going to do Jacaf, make sure you start with a good weather window, and be prepared to wait for it to pass if one comes out of nowhere like it did to me.

HOWEVER - beautiful area. I imagine on nice days it would be heaven. Some of the beaches reminded me of Los Alerces in Argentina.

Finding suitable campsites above high tide line can be challenging but is doable. One trick which worked for me is finding a fresh water source eg a creek, and walking up it to find a space to pitch my tent. I didn’t have a machete but my free standing tent was a blessing.

Agua dulce is easy to find - one of the benefits of a rainy region :) but I still always had one days’ worth on me at all times in case I needed to find the next available camp and not fuss over water.

Happy to be whatsapped +447464304622

* GPT28P Option 5: Packrafting Seno Gala (and Ferry from Puerto Chacabuco to Quellon)

Orientation: Northbound Packrafting
Dates: 2021-Feb-05 to 2021-Feb-08

Participants: Masha Ovchinnikova , Mikhail Bogdanov , Meylin Elisabeth Ubilla González and Jan Dudeck

Two years ago we rushed by packraft in about 4 hours through Seno Gala to paddle from Santo Domingo via Villa Melimoyu, Canal Jacaf and Canal Puyuhuapi to Puerto Cisnes (GPT28P Option 6 and 7). This left no time to investigate the lateral arms of this scenic fjord. Therefore we decided to return now and to utilize three days with optimal weather to enter the three lateral arms of Seno Gala.

To share this experience we invited Masha and Misha to join us on this packrafting exploration.

Navieraustral operates the ferry “Queulat” that travels twice per week the fjords between Quellon and Puerto Chacabuco (and back) and that stops at all the villages and settlements en route. This ferry greatly facilitates access to several remote fjords that are suitable for packrafting due to their generally wind sheltered location and orientation.

When we approached by ferry Isla Gala in the Canal Jacaf at 04:00 am in the morning the wind prediction and the actual wind condition were both perfect to cross the rather open Canal Jacaf to enter Seno Gala from the south. Therefore we opted to leave the ferry at Puerto Gala to start the investigation from Isla Gala and not from Melimoyu (“Plan B”). Starting in Melimoyu from the north would have provided a better wind protection in suboptimal weather.

.
Puerto Gala to Isla Rudy, Isla Fabregas and Punta Marquez (Canal Jacaf): In this more open part wind, waves and tidal flow are typically stronger than within Seno Gala. But thanks to the optimal weather we had no wind and waves and during falling tide we had a 1 to 2 km/h northbound tidal flow while passing east of Isla Chita (2 to 3 hours after high tide, apparently the water leaving Canal Jacaf is redirected by these islands). I’m now left with the impression that tidal flows in the vicinity of Isla Gala are normally manageable by packraft.

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Punta Marquez to Punta Wieghardt and Isla Jewet: During falling tide about 3 to 4 hours after high tide the tidal flow was approximately 1 km/h southbound (outbound from fjord as expected during falling tide).

.
Estero del Medio and Rio del Medio (GPT28P Option 5D): During low tide we paddled and pulled our packrafts about 650 m upstream. After a rather try period the river was slow enough to paddle partially upstream. Packrafters with the appetite to explore an rarely visited lake may paddle and pull the packraft 4 km upstream to reach Laguna del Medio. This is best attempted during high tide to facilitate the upstream paddling. There is a settler south of Isla Colono where packrafters may ask to camp one night (well maintained pasture).

.
Isla Jewet to Punta Swart: This scenic arm of Seno Gala is worth the detour. The end of this fjord looks more like a mountain lake than a fjord. An abandoned house whitenesses a recent but failed attempt to settle in this area. Due to a lack of suitable camp sites we installed our tents on a rock just above sea level at the end of the fjord. The view was amazing and calm weather made a wind protection irrelevant.

Archeological discoveries indicate that the native sea nomads valued these waters and buried their deceased family members in a hidden cave in this area.

.
Punta Gonzalez to Islote Salvo: While we paddled Seno Gala in perfect conditions (no wind, no waves, sunshine) a group a dolphins accompanied us for one hour while hunting fish (or we accompanied them and the dolphins did not care).

.
Brazo Poza de Oro: This scenic 3 km long arm has three tiny narrows and is best visited just before high tide. While the tide is rising or falling moderate rapids form at these narrows.

The hermit settle at “Settler {28P-05C} [0.3/7]” apparently loves his self-chosen isolation and did not permit us to camp one night on the only suitable patch of grass in this area. Therefore we searched a suitable campsite on the opposite shore just west of Punta Campos.

.
Punta Campos: We searched some time for a suitable spot to pitch two tents on the beach just west of Punta Campos. Since all beaches are occasionally flooded during high tide we searched for a reasonable flat spots in between the trees. Eventually we found a suitable spot behind the first line of trees and cleaned with machetes two camp sites. We were surprised to see a collapsed house hidden in the trees. On this beach mussels (almejas) can be digged out during low tide and cooked for dinner (we cooked seafood pasta with freshly harvested mussels).

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Villa Melimoyu: A 4.5 km short road connects the eastern end of Seno Gala with Seno Melimoyu where the ferry between Quellon and Puerto Chacabuco stops 4 times per week (two southbound and two northbound stops per week). The tiny village has currently about 50 inhabitants. Pia Jose Rojo Moreira runs a hostería near Seno Melimoyu and recently build a beautiful dome-shaped cabaña near Seno Gala. This dome-shaped cabaña provides a perfect view into Seno Gala and was our shared home for one night (solar electricity, wifi, accommodates 4 persons comfortably). A small shop and craft beer brewery permits to resupply essentials.

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Conclusion 1: The ferry between Quellon and Puerto Chacabuco is also a very good choice for hikers that wish to travel and see the Patagonian fjords.

.
Conclusion 2: Packrafting in Patagonia works best with an opportunistic attitude and flexible plans that are constantly adopted to the actual weather and the latest weather prediction. With an inflexible linar plan someone gets easily “stuck” due to unsuitable wind and weather.

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Conclusion 3: The generally good wind protection, the minor to moderate tidal flows and the easy access by ferry makes Seno Gala a suitable location for packrafters with little to no fjord experience (like the fjords Estuario de Reloncavi, Pitipalena and the Canal Puyuhuapi). The relative short distances can be managed with slower single packrafts. Of cause, wind can be quite strong at times and packrafters must check the weather forecast and be prepared to sit out unsuitable weather if needed. A machete is highly recommended to open a spot for a tent if needed.

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Conclusion 4: A machete is an essential tool when paddling in unpopulated fjords (Pitipalena, Seno Gala, Fiordo Comau, Canal Refugio, Canal Jacaf, Isla Magdalena) to clean a camp site that is slightly elevated above the high tide water level. In unpopulated Patagonian fjords every square meter that is not occasionally flooded by sea water is covered by trees and dense undergrowth. In such areas the best camp sites are the spots that cannot be seen from the water and that are fully hidden between larger trees a few meters from the coast in slightly sloped terrain. Try to camp at least one meters above the high tide level (the line where flood wood and floating garbage accumulated). Two or more meter are even better as tsunamis can form during earthquakes and landslides.

Only along populated fjords a machete is not required (Estuario de Reloncavi, Canal Puyuhuapi between Puerto Cisnes and Puyuhuapi).

.
Conclusion 5: While traveling by ferry from Villa Melimoyu via Raul Marin Balmaceda to Quellon we had sunny and very calm weather. Inside the fjords were no waves and the ferry moved perfectly smooth like on rails. But while crossing from Raul Marin Balmaceda to Quellon the ferry was rolling heavily. The waves apparently formed far away in the open Pacific Ocean an in the 40 km wide “gap” between Isla Gran Guayteca (Melinka) and Chiloe these waves rolled in unhindered and hit the coast between Santo Domingo and Parque Nacional Corcovado. The waves itself were long and did not break on the open sea but such long waves cause dangerous surfs along the coast making it hard or impossible to exit or enter the water by packraft. Therefore packrafting between Santo Domingo and Chaiten is very challenging and wave conditions are hard to predict even if the weather is perfect. Therefore these routes are classified as EXP-loration or EXP-pedition routes.

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Conclusion 6: Joining with other hikers and packrafters for a section or two is normally a brilliant and enlightening experience. Previous Facebook post help to understand special interests and skills of other hikers and packrafters. This helps to “guesstimate” if joining for a few days is likely to work out or not.

Temporarily joining others for a section or two is best done weeks after starting to travel on the GPT (with your well-known travel partner or solo). Based on my observations looking for (unfamiliar) travel partner(s) before even commencing on the GPT rarely works out well.

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Conclusion 7: A decked tandem (double) packrafter is the best packraft type for fjords and larger lakes. Single packrafts are substantially slower and less suitable for longer traverses. Single packrafts are favorable on rivers especially when choosing rivers with whitewater sections.

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Conclusion 8: Before harvesting and eating seafood ask locals if the seafood is safe to eat. Occasionally toxic algae spreads in the fjords making seafood highly toxic. („mares roja“)

* 2020-Jan-24 / Shaun / Regular Packrafting Route

I paddled the regular routes of GPT27P and GPT28P as part of one trip, and my combined comments for both are under section GPT27P.

* GPT28P / Option 1 / Isla Magdalena via Seno Magdalena, Seno Soto, Canal Jacaf and Canal Puyuhuapi / 2020-Jan-17 / 5 days / Meylin Elisabeth Ubilla González and Jan Dudeck

We just completed the 10th packrafting route exploration this season, but this time with excellent weather throughout the entire 5-day trip.

Around 2 years ago, when starting to plan the packrafting sea routes two fjords of Isla Magdalena caught my attention. These two fjords penetrated deep into this island and nearly join each other at both ends deep inside the island. It’s just over 1 km of land that separates these two seawater channels. These two fjords are of interest for packrafting as both fjords provide more wind protection than the wide open channels Jacaf and Puyuhuapi. It appeared therefore favorable to link these two fjords into the packrafting route from Villa Melimoyu to Puerto Cisnes. The big question mark was primarily the roughly 1 km long portage.

To investigate this route we started in Puerto Cisnes as this would facilitate a return in case the portage proved not feasible. We could also speak to various people in Puerto Cisnes before attempting a traverse. One settler that owns large plots of land on Isla Magdalena was the best source of information. He stated that many years ago a basic trail existed between the fjords but that this trail is now completely overgrown. But he was optimistic that with machetes someone may make the traverse in about one day.

Puerto Cisnes to Seno Magdalena:

A challenge might be the crossing of the 5 km wide Canal Puyuhuapi depending on wind and tidal flows. This is best done in the early morning on a calm day. Also tidal flows should be considered. During falling tide the tidal flow in Canal Puyuhuapi between Puerto Cisnes and Canal Jacaf seams northbound; during rising tide southbound.

In the 17 km long Seno Magdalena the predominant wind is eastbound what favors the generally recommended travel direction from Villa Melimoyu to Puerto Cisnes. A couple of salmon farms are currently located in this fjord. One larger building on the southern shore of this fjord seams to house the employees.

Towards the western terminus of Seno Magdalena we spotted 3 buildings from settlers, with possibly one of them abandoned. A other two homes or puestos appear occasionally used. Especially the terminus of Seno Magdalena is well sheltered and particular scenic.

Portage from Seno Magdalena to Seno Soto:

We pitched our tend around 2 m above the high tide sea level in the forest after cleaning a flat patch with our machetes. This became our base for two nights as we needed one full day to smash a new provisional trail into the forest.

The Valdivian Rainforest in this traverse turned out to be reasonable open (high trees generate in good parts sufficient shade to limit growth on the ground). The traverse is also free of rocky terrain and swamps could be circumvented. Only few shorter steep ascends and descends were required. Also the ground was normally not covered by multiple layers of fallen trees so we could walk mostly on the ground without balancing over fallen trunks. Therefore we could smash a decent 1 km long trail in one day into the forest till a small lake (9 h going, 2 h returning, 2 persons with one machete each). The next day we walked with our heavy backpacks in 2 hours to this small lake, crossed the lake by packraft and cleaned in 2 hours the final 130 m to the shore of Seno Soto. This provisional trail will soon become overgrown if not maintained by an occasional packrafter with a machete.

Seno Soto:

This scenic and well sheltered 19 km long fjord was a packrafting delight. This fjord appeared free of human intervention (no salmon farms or boat traffic). Here the wind direction will depend on weather (northbound and southbound wind not uncommon). We spotted some penguins, numerous dolphins and plenty of sea lions.

Canal Jacaf:

In Canal Jacaf boat traffic is frequent. During this and our last trip I estimated that every 15 to 30 Minutes a boat was passing by. In the eastern section of Canal Jacaf the tidal flow during falling tide was westbound and reached even next to the shore 3 km/h. Sea maps indicate up to 3 kn tidal flow (nearly 6 km/h).

Canal Puyuhuapi:

When entering Canal Puyuhuapi a decision must be taken to continue either to Puyuhuapi or Puerto Cisnes. Both towns are in 25 km distance and hot springs are on the way along shore in each direction. On the way to Puerto Cisnes two free hot springs are on the eastern shore of Isla Magdalena. On the way to Puyuhuapi two commercialized thermal springs are located.

* GPT28P / Villa Melimoyu to Puerto Cisnes
(Part of Option 1: Seno Gala, Canal Jacaf, Canal Puyuhuapi) / 2019-Nov-20 / 3 days / Meylin Ubilla & Jan Dudeck

3 or 4 years ago - after packrafting the Rio Palena - we took the ferry from Raul Marin Balmaceda to Puerto Cisnes that passes 170 km along the Patagonian fjords. It was a calm sunny day, I spend most of the ferry ride on the deck and I was obviously thinking if these fjords can be packrafted.

Now we did it except the first 33 km that traverse the exposed Golfo de Corcovado (see my last post to GPT28P).

Required gear:

We did the traverse with different packrafting gear than we used 4 years ago. We now have a two-seater MRS Barracuda with an integrated spreydeck and two kayak paddles. We waited twice a day for a suitable weather window and enjoyed this demanding but rewarding packrafting route at the fullest.

Attempting any traverse of significant length with an open packraft in the Patagonian fjords is not a sign of bravery but stupidity. Wind and waves can suddenly increase, fill the packraft with water and without any exit location nearby you are helplessly exposed to the currents with little control of where you are going. Only few selected fjord routes with plenty of beaches and exit locations can be safely packrafted with on open packraft (i.e. GPT22 or GPT76).

Strategy:

The general strategy in these fjords is: “Wait, run and hide!”.
1. Wait near the start while following the weather forecast closely with everything ready to go (gear, food).
2. If a suitable weather window opens, leave early and “run“ with a minimum of breaks and leisure stops until either the wind or the evening stops you.
3. Hide in a sheltered location high enough the high-tide water line. Be prepared with sufficient food to possibly stay for days in your hiding location.

Wildlife:

Dolphins, sea-lions and penguins room the se fjords.

Human life:

At the exit of Seno Gala is the small fishing settlement Isla Gala but predominant wind makes it often difficult to access this tiny village. At the eastern shore of Canal Puyuhuapi are various settlements with easy access from the sea and perfect camp sites. Within Canal Jacaf are no further settlements but a number of permanently maned salmon farms. The entire route is frequently used by boats with the majority of the traffic created by the salmon farms and fishing but asking to be evacuated by one of these boats should be a last resort and not part of the travel plan.

Wind:

We we’re fortunate and enjoyed 3 exceptional calm days with moderate wind and waves (about 1 m) in only two shorter open sections. Wind in these channels can be firce making navigating by packraft in these waters impossible.

Currents and tidal flows:

According to sea maps the water speed in the canal Jacaf can reach 5 kn (9 km/h) but we experienced this part rather static. But we struggled after leaving canal Jacaf in the canal Puyuhuapi going southbound. During 6 hours with a falling tide we paddled against a consistent northbound flow of around 1 to 1.5 kn (1.5 to 2.5 km/h). My impression was that this is not a reversing tidal flow but a general current.

Land exists:

The generally steep cost results in only few suitable landing beaches. And the forrest reaches right down to the high-tide line. The track files contain several decent beaches where camping seams more comfortable if hiding in the trees behind the open beach.

* GPT28P / Packrafting from Santo Domingo to Villa Melimoyu (Part of Option 1) / 2019-Nov-18 / 1 day / Southbound / Meylin Ubilla & Jan Dudeck

We now verified the suggested packrafting route from Santo Domingo to Villa Melimoyu that I first considered packrafting when taking this route by ferry after floating down Rio Palena.

This is an very attractive but exposed fjord route. Dolphins, sea lions, penguins and lots of birds habitat this area.

Waiting for suitable weather (especially calm wind) and a close eye on the weather forecast is essential.

For this traverse a packraft with a spreydeck and should not be attempted with an classic open packraft. A sail is very beneficial and makes this traverse safer as you can reach a sheltered location faster in case of increasing wind.

The Isla Refugio provides a reasonable good wind protection on a good part of this route but the last 6 km are rather open and wind and waves can make this stretch a nightmare.

The about one dozen islands just before the the final open stretch provide some emergency shelter and you can pick your private island to sit out unsuitable weather before reaching Villa Melimoyu. But don't expect sandy beaches and palme trees on these island. To make an emergency shelter you need to carry sufficient sweat water, a machete to open a small spot and probably a hammock to stay above the high tide water level.

The tiny settlements on both ends of this route are worthwhile visiting especially when able to converse with the settlers. Both locations are suitable to sit out days of unsuitable weather.

Southbound seams the preferable direction due to typical wind direction and tidal flows according to locals. It worked perfectly for us. Only in case of less frequent “viento sur” a northbound traverse becomes feasible.

The Naviera Austral ferry route “Ruta Cordillera” connects twice per week southbound (and twice per week nothbound) Raul Marin Balmaceda with Santo Domingo and continues to from Santo Domingo to Villa Melimoyu, Isla Gala, Puerto Cisnes and Puerto Chacabuco. The ferry requires about 1:30 h for the short ride from Raul Marin Balmaceda to Santo Domingo.

Packrafting the 20 km from Rio Palena (next to Raul Marin Balmaceda) to Santo Domingo might be feasible on a perfect day if starting with the first light in the morning but this water route is a serious packrafting challenge as this water route traverse the unprotected Golfo de Corcovado. There are probably not more than a dozen such perfect days per season so either be very patient or take the next ferry. One of the bays along this unprotected route is named “Bahia Mala” (Bad Bay) and this seams no randomly chosen name. But when entering the “Canal Refugio“ (another well descriptive name) the wind and waves get suddenly a lot calmer. At the mouth of this more sheltered channel is the tiny settlement Santo Domingo that was founded some decades ago. Arriving here by ferry seams the rational choice if not willing to wait days or weeks for a suitable weather window.

* GPT28P / Exploration Fjord Pitipalena (Part of Option 2) / 2019-11-14 / 3 days / Meylin Ubilla & Jan Dudeck

We packrafted in the last 3 days the Fjord Pitipalena from Raul Marin Balmaceda (Puerto Marin or RMB) to the northern terminus of Brazo Pillan (Point B of attached map) and returned in two days back to Puerto Marin.

In the fjord sightings of penguins, sea lions and dolphins are frequent.

Tidal flows can reach in some parts 4 km/h but typically do not exceed 1 km/h.

As in all open waters wind and waves can be fierce but calm days are not uncommon due to the protection of the surrounding mountains. Be prepared to sit out days of bad weather in one of the few sheltered areas on the coast. We spend one night hanging in the trees with torrential rain and heavy gusty wind. On the last km back we were fighting heavy gusts of wind to return back to the village.

Meeting Rodrigo Parra was one highlight of this tour. He is the last settlers outside of Puerto Marin in this fjord. Location see image.

Decades ago this fjord was well populated with hundreds of settlers living at various shores of this fjord to harvest algae and some settlers attempted to grow cattle. All but one settler retreated and nature wiped out virtually all traces of these settlements.

We also investigated the area between the northern terminus of Brazo Pillan and Rio TicToc. Decades ago an well established trail crossed this 1.3 km land connection but this trail disappeared in most parts and is overgrown by dense but not impassable forest. I covered about 450 m in 1.5 hours noticing parts of an old trail or simply the machete battle field of packrafters or kayakers in this dense forest. This route to Rio TicToc is still occasionally taken by highly experienced sea kajakers or packrafters to access Parque Corcovado.

The exploration route from Rio TioTic to Chaiten follows the very exposed coast of the Golfo Corcovado. To cover the approximately 80 km from the mouth of Rio TicToc to Chaiten it needs plenty of sea-traveling experience, lots of patience and plenty of food to spend most of the time waiting for the occasional good-weather-window. I’m not sure if I better remove this route from the GPT network as a packraft traverse seams currently pretty fooled to me. I at least, have currently no desire to explore this route in the next years.

==Summary Table==
{| border="1" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+'''GPT28P: Bajo Río Palena'''
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| GPT28P: Bajo Río Palena
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Group
| colspan="2" | F: Sector Palena
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''-'''
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''-'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''78.7 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|'''17 h'''
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Region
| colspan="2" | Chile: Aysén (XI)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Trails (TL)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Start
| colspan="2" | Río Palena (La Junta)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Minor Roads (MR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 1.2 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 1.5%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Finish
| colspan="2" | Puerto Cisnes
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Primary Roads (PR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Status
| colspan="2" | Published & Verified
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Cross-Country (CC)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Traversable
| colspan="2" | Jan - May (Maybe: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Bush-Bashing (BB)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packraft
| colspan="2" | Required
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Ferry (FY)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| (169.7 km)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|(68.3%)
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Connects to
| colspan="2" | GPT27P, GPT29P, GPT30P, GPT31P
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Investigation (I)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Options
| colspan="2" | 780 km (5 Options & Variants)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Exploration (EXP)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
| rowspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total on Water
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''77.5 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''98.5%'''
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Attraction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 5 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| River (RI)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 67.7 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 86.0%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Difficulty
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 3 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Lake (LK)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Direction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|None
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|Only ↓
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Fjord (FJ)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 9.9 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|12.6%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Comment
| colspan="7" | Hiking: Hiking not feasible
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Character
| colspan="7" | Valdivian Rain Forest, Sea Coast, Hot Springs, Farmland, Settlers, River Packrafting, Fjord Packrafting
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Challenges
| colspan="7" | -
|}

==Satellite Image Map==
==Elevation Profile==
====Elevation Profile of Regular Packrafting Route====
[[File:profile GPT28-p.PNG|frame|center|Elevation Profile of Regular Hiking Route (2019)]]

==Section Planning Status==
==Recommended Travel Period==
The section is best paddled between January and May. The primary danger would be a high and fast river, most common early in the season or after heavy rain.

==Benefits of Hiking and Packrafting==
==Recommended Travel Direction==
The river can only be paddled westwards.

==Section Length and Travel Duration==
The paddling portion of this section on Rio Palena is 78km and takes about 1.5-2 days to complete. Together with GPT27P, the two sections are 180km in total and take around 4 days. The ferry journey from Raul Marin Balmaceda takes an additional eleven hours, but only runs twice a week (Thursdays and Sundays).

==Suitable Section Combinations==
==Section Attractiveness==
The section is stunning, interesting, unpopulated and fun. This section feels even more remote than 27P, although the river here becomes calmer. The mountains and farmland of 27P give way to hills and woodland. It is quite easy to not see another person until within a few kms of the section’s end. Combined with 27P, paddling one river down from the mountains out to the Pacific is a wonderful experience. A very attractive section.

The ferry ride from Raul Marin Balmaceda to Puerto Cisnes is spectacular. It threads along the coastline passing mountains, islands and fiords. Very beautiful indeed, and an opportunity to scout out future packrafting options.

==Section Difficulty==
Although Section 28P is easier than 27P, Bajo Río Palena may not be suitable for beginners. There are a number of rapids, countless tree and rock obstacles, and occasional strong currents and whirlpools. At times of high river levels, the river will not only be faster, but there will be fewer places to get out or scout. There are many more rapids than indicated in the track file. That said, the rapids are generally not above Class 2, plus, the many obstacles in the river are avoidable.

As the river widens and calms, the challenges become occasional strong head winds and potentially adverse tides. These can slow progress significantly.

==Resupply==
===Resupply Town===
Raul Marin Balmaceda has a few food shops, lodging options and bus services.
====Shopping: Food====
====Shopping: Fuel====
====Shopping: Equipment====
====Services: Restaurants====
====Services: Laundry====
====Services: ATM and Money Exchange====
====Accommodation: Hostals and Hotels====
====Accommodation: Cabañas====
====Accommodation: Camping====
====Transport: Ground Transport====
A bus runs several times a week to La Junta from where connections to elsewhere can easily be made.

====Transport: Ferries====
A scenic ferry runs south twice a week (Thursdays and Sundays) to Puerto Cisnes (11 hours) and onto Puerto Chacabuco. There is also a service northwards to Quellon. Tickets can be bought online or at a grocery store in town.

====Transport: Shipping Services====
===Resupply on the Trail===
====Location, Names, Available Items and Services====

==Access to Route and Return==
===Access to Start===
===Return from Finish===
===Escape Options===
==Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues==
==Regular Route==
===Regular Hiking Route===
===Regular Packrafting Route===

Comments posted on Facebook by Jen Ni on January 5 2019

GPT27P and 28P (Alto and Bajo Rio Palena)
Packrafting Westbound (😉): Palena to Raul Marin Balmaceda
2019-Jan-01 to 2019-Jan-04

Our impression was that the river can be separated into 5 subsections, each with different character. All parts are attractive and felt quite remote. For camping you generally have the choice between sandy/rocky river banks and farm land.

1. (0-25km) Small river, many rapids:
In this subsection the river is still relatively small and often shallow, ground contact can be a serious issue. At least every kilometer there's a small rapid (usually WW-1, sometimes class 2). There are many more rapids than mapped and those are not necessarily the most difficult. Usually the rapids are only deep enough to be run in a narrow part where the main current is. We only had problems with one rapid at Lat -43.62009 Lon -71.86343 where a tree blocked the main current making it impossible to run safely.
The most difficult two rapids (class 2+) are at 22km (2km after the ferry) where many large rocks in the middle of the river make scouting and very precise maneuvering necessary. Depending on water levels they may not be runnable at all. Both rapids can be viewed and portaged (individually or together) by taking out on the beach on the left side.
The river flowed with ~5kph.

2. (25-65km) Small river, few rapids, many trees:
By now the river has grown a bit and ground contact becomes less of an issue. There are noticably fewer rapids and the largest challenge becomes maneuvering between the many trees lying in the water. The average velocity of the current was actually a bit higher than before.

3. (65-105km) Fast and medium-sized river with few obstacles:
After Río Frío has joined the river at the 180° turn the river grows significantly and ground contact is almost no more issue. In this subsection, the river flows fastest (8kph) and we had a lot of fun with the relatively easy and broad rapids here. There are fewer trees in the water that can be easily avoided in the broad river. We found a lovely campsite on grass that did not seem to be used for grazing at Lat -43.89160 Lon -72.37914.

4. (105-155km) Big river, fast current:
Close to La Junta, the river is joined by Río Rosselot and becomes huge and mostly calm. We were surprised to see that it still flows with high velocity (5-8kph) and still has a noticable gradient that makes progress fast. The few trees can be easily avoided but may be difficult to spot sometimes. The main challenge that may arise here are strong head winds that make maneuvering quite difficult.

5. (155km-sea) Big and slow river, tidal effects:
Starting at the large 270° loop, the massive river becomes noticably slower (2-3kph) and wind and tidal effects determine the speed of your progress. We found that the tides are approx. 30min after the times shown for Pto. Montt by the Android app (by 7th gear). Paddling here feels more like being on a lake and waves build up due to the wind.

Channel between Río Palena and fjord:
We explored the first channel but turned around after 200m because it is overgrown by trees and too narrow to safely pass.
We then followed the regular route and paddled through the second channel, which is much wider and still has 1-2kph current (possibly due to falling tide?), into the fjord.

Fjord:
Due to the breathtaking scenery and the remoteness of the fjord it is definitely worth paddling to the town instead of taking the road if possible. We also saw several dolphins and many birds here. The tides are very relevant here and cause currents of several kph. Make sure to not paddle this during rising tide (or very strong winds).

A few infos about Raul Marin Balmaceda:
- There is a bus to La Junta on Sun 12:00 and Tue, Wed, Fri 8:00 and to Coyhaique on Sun 8:00
- There is only Entel cell phone service and no ATM
- There are several small supermarkets as well as lodging options and 2 restaurants
- Ferry tickets can be bought online or directly at the Naviera Austral office in town

*Route description by Kara Davis after Season 2017/18:

Río Palena continues to steadily grow as it makes its way towards the ocean. This section has noticeably fewer rapids, and mostly consists of calm, slow moving water. Camping is abundant and easy to find. There are many rocky beaches that lead to flat grassy or sandy land. Within 20 km or so from the ocean, tidal effects on the river current are noticeable. Check a tidal timetable before embarking to get an idea of good times to paddle. If the wind or tides makes paddling impracticable, it is possible to reach Ruta X-12, a dirt road which follows the river and leads to Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda.

Notes for Travel to Puerto Chacabuco (Beginning of GPT29P):
There are two options for transportation to Puerto Chacabuco:

1. Ferry

Book your tickets on the ferry from Puerto R.M. Balmaceda to Puerto Chacabuco in advance here: http://www.navieraustral.cl/itinerarios-y-tarifas

The ferry is a popular travel option and only runs a couple days during the week. It is also possible to purchase tickets at the local grocery store, but be prepared to wait for several days if you decide to do this.

2. Three Buses and a Taxi

There is also an option to take a series of shuttles to Puerto Chacabuco. This is a cheaper but certainly less enjoyable and more time consuming option. The series of shuttles required to get from Puerto R.M. Balmaceda to Puerto Chacabuco are as follows:

a. There is a van that runs from Puerto R.M. Balmaceda to La Junta twice a day which leaves from the ferry port (trip time ~3 hours). The tourist information station in Puerto R.M. Balmaceda can give you times and details about tickets.

b. From La Junta, there's a bus to Coyhaique that usually only runs once a day (trip time ~5 hours). Tickets may be bought before hand at the local depot (ask the tourist information center for directions). One company that offers transportation by bus from La Junta to Coyhaique is Aguilas Patagónicas. See their website here: http://www.aguilaspatagonicas.cl.

c. From Coyhaique, catch one of the many buses traveling to Puerto Aysen.

d. The final step is to hire a taxi (about 500 CLP) to Puerto Chacabuco. There is a pickup/dropoff location along highway 240 just outside of the Unimart.

Town: Puerto Raúl Marín (R.M.) Balmaceda

Puerto R.M. Balmaceda has a few lodging options and lots of open ground for camping. There are a couple of expensive markets that could meet resupply needs, but Coyhaique or Puerto Aysen definitely have better options.

==Optional Routes==
==Investigations and Explorations==
==Links to other Resources==
==Alerts and Logs of Past Seasons==

[[category:Greater Patagonian Trail]]

GPT27P - Alto Río Palena

2024-01-17T19:11:38Z

Jordanjennings: /* Recent Alerts and Suggestions */

{{Draft}}
{{RutaForme
|Actividad=Trekking
|País=Chile
|CiudadesChile=
|BellezaEscenica=
|Atractivos=Vistas panorámicas
|Duracion=días
|RequiereHabilidadTrek=No requiere
|Sendero=Siempre Claro
|Señalizacion=Inexistente
|Infraestructura=Inexistente
|ComparteIdayRetorno=Cruce
|Distancia=103500
|MetrosAscenso=19
|MetrosDescenso=234
|AltitudMedia=
|Primer Autor=[[user:Jandudeck|Jan Dudeck]]
|Imágen Principal=
|ComentariosImagen=Caption
|KMLZ=GPT27P - Alto Río Palena.kmz
|TipoDeMap=HYBRID
|ComentariosMapa=
{{GPT KMZ}}
}}
{{Table all GPTs}}

==Recent Alerts and Suggestions==

* GPT 27 and 28P/ Alto y Bajo Río Palena/ Packrafting Route / 2024 Jan-02 / 4 days / Jordan Jennings

The descriptions in the writings below are very accurate in describing Rio Palena. My only comment is to describe the rapids a little more - all but one rapid are class II wave trains - not complicated. The rapid shortly after the ferry at c 22km has more obstacles and requires the choosing of a “line”. Was not difficult.

* GPT 27 and 28P/ Alto y Bajo Río Palena/ Packrafting Route / 2022 Jan-24 / 5 days / Tobias Schorcht

The Palena River is a juvel for all Packrafters with some experience. It was a pleasure to paddle down all the way from Palena to Rául Marín Balmaceda and see the changes of the river day by day. I started right under the brigde 2km beside Palena. There was not that much water in the upper part, I had to carry the Packraft 4 times during the first 20 Kilometers. Since it is an unregulated stream, the riverbelt and the rapids are changing constantly. I observed some of the rapids before I started kayaking, which was absolutly necessary. The confluencia with Río Frío is spectacular, because the colores of the 2 rivers starts to mix. The river speeds up in the lower parts, gets wider and more effected by the wind, who appears usually from the seaside. Be aware of the tides which influences the level of the River after -43.88645/ -72.83230 up to 3m. After reaching the fjord I saw penguins and hundrets of seawolves (Punta islote) which came veeery close to my boat 😅. Enjoy!

==Season Section Log==

* January 16-21/ Zach / Palena to Puerto Raúl Marín Balmaceda (27P & 28P) + Rio Frío (75P) / 6 Days easy

As Shaun mentioned, Kara Davis and Jen Ni described this section quite well. I combined 27P, 28P, and the Rio Frío which was totally worth the added transport effort. If you enjoy the rapids of the upper Palena, you’ll love the Rio Frío. La Junta was a nice lunch stop and upon meeting some familiar cycle tourists, turned into an afternoon off. Note that the take out/camp here is a popular swimming spot, so take care of your belongings when going to town. I left my headphones in the sun to dry and they were gone when I returned. Despite that and rain the final day, I have nothing but good things to say about Rio Palena. The termas are aptly named. The surrounding moss and tannin in the water make you feel like a gingerbread man soaking in a forest gnome’s tea kettle. After seeing no one on the river except 1 fishing tour, I was very surprised to encounter a group of 50 paddlers as part of the Decenso Colectivo Ruta de Palena. This is an organized group that paddles from Palena to Puerto Raul Marin in 4 days this time each year. The ferry still runs Thursdays and Sundays, although it left around 11:30, not 9:40 as the website states. No problem to buy a ticket upon boarding.

* 2020-Jan-22 / Shaun / Regular Packrafting route

I combined this section with GPT28P. These two sections are spectacular, varied, fun and challenging. I barely saw another person the entire time, and there’s something very satisfying about following a single river all the way out to the ocean. Very enjoyable and memorable.

I found the wiki comments of Kara Davis (below) and the Facebook comments of Jen Ni (Jan 5 2019) and Gerald Klamer (March 27, 2018) to be very helpful. Jen’s categorization of 27P and 28P into five sub-sections is very good. My impressions were similar to all of theirs and I don’t have much to add.

Not having much whitewater experience, I started 27P around km23, just west of the cable ferry and a series of early rapids. However, I was fine with the many rapids after that, so with hindsight I would have started from Palena. 27P and 28P each took me about a day and a half for a total of just over three days for the two combined. Apparently, the river was at a normal level for this time of year. It ran around 5-8kph for most of 27P and until about km40 of 28P, then maybe at 2-3kph thereafter. There were countless tree and rock hazards throughout, plus a number of whirlpools (often at sharp turns) - but these were all avoidable. As the river widened in 28P, I encountered fierce headwinds in several places, and a noticeable incoming tide toward the end.

At Raúl Marin Balmaceda, I took the 11 hour ferry to Puerto Cisnes (departs Thursdays and Sundays) which technically completed the section, in its current form. The views were stunning.

==Summary Table==
{| border="1" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+'''GPT27P: Alto Río Palena'''
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| GPT27P: Alto Río Palena
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Group
| colspan="2" | F: Sector Palena
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''-'''
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''-'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''103.5 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|'''21 h'''
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Region
| colspan="2" | Chile: Los Lagos (X) & Aysén (XI)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Trails (TL)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Start
| colspan="2" | Palena
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Minor Roads (MR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Finish
| colspan="2" | Río Palena (La Junta)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Primary Roads (PR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 2.3 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 2.2%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Status
| colspan="2" | Published & Verified
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Cross-Country (CC)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Traversable
| colspan="2" | Jan - May (Maybe: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Bush-Bashing (BB)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packraft
| colspan="2" | Required
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Ferry (FY)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Connects to
| colspan="2" | GPT26, GPT27H, GPT28P, GPT30P, GPT72
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Investigation (I)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Options
| colspan="2" | 124 km (Variants Only)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Exploration (EXP)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
| rowspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total on Water
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''101.3 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''97.8%'''
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Attraction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 5 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| River (RI)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 101.3 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 97.8%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Difficulty
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 4 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Lake (LK)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Direction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|None
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|Only ↓
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Fjord (FJ)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Comment
| colspan="7" | Hiking: Hiking not feasible
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Character
| colspan="7" | Valdivian Rain Forest, Farmland, Settlers, River Packrafting
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Challenges
| colspan="7" | -
|}

==Satellite Image Map==
==Elevation Profile==
====Elevation Profile of Regular Packrafting Route====
[[File:Profile_GPT27-p.PNG|frame|center|Elevation Profile of Regular Hiking Route (2019)]]

==Section Planning Status==
==Recommended Travel Period==
The section is best paddled between January and May. The primary danger would be a high and fast river, typically most common early in the season, or after heavy rain.

==Benefits of Hiking and Packrafting==
==Recommended Travel Direction==
The river can only be paddled westwards.

==Section Length and Travel Duration==
Section 27P is 103.5km and takes 2-2.5 days to complete. Together with Section 28P, the two sections are a total of 180km and take around 4 days.

==Suitable Section Combinations==
==Section Attractiveness==
The section is stunning, interesting, unpopulated and fun. Although, in reality, much of 27P is not too far from a road or occasional buildings, these are rarely visible and the river feels remote. Even more so for the continuation onto Section 28P. Alto Río Palena passes through farmland with a mountainous backdrop. It is very scenic. The many rapids and constantly changing features of the river make it stimulating. Combined with 28P, paddling on one river from the mountains to the Pacific is a wonderful experience. A very attractive section.

==Section Difficulty==
Río Palena may not be suitable for beginners. There are many rapids, countless tree and rock obstacles, and occasional strong currents and whirlpools. At times of high river levels, the river will not only be faster, but there will be fewer places to get out or scout. There are many more rapids than indicated in the track file. That said, the rapids are generally not above Class 2, and some of the earliest and most challenging ones, can be portered around. Plus, the many obstacles in the river are avoidable.

==Resupply==
===Resupply Town===
Town: La Junta
In La Junta, there are plenty of lodging options, from hotels and cabañas to camping, as well as a couple medium sized grocery stores adequate for resupply. There is a tourist information center located at the edge of the main plaza.
====Shopping: Food====
====Shopping: Fuel====
====Shopping: Equipment====
====Services: Restaurants====
====Services: Laundry====
====Services: ATM and Money Exchange====
====Accommodation: Hostals and Hotels====
Franco, the owner of Los Rosadita hotel in Palena, can share expert knowledge of Rio Palena. The hotel is also a nice play to stay and makes good pizzas.

====Accommodation: Cabañas====
====Accommodation: Camping====
====Transport: Ground Transport====
====Transport: Ferries====
====Transport: Shipping Services====
===Resupply on the Trail===
====Location, Names, Available Items and Services====
==Access to Route and Return==
===Access to Start===

===Return from Finish===
===Escape Options===
==Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues==
==Regular Route==
===Regular Hiking Route===
===Regular Packrafting Route===

Comments posted on Facebook by Jen Ni January 5 2019

GPT27P and 28P (Alto and Bajo Rio Palena)
Packrafting Westbound (😉): Palena to Raul Marin Balmaceda
2019-Jan-01 to 2019-Jan-04

Our impression was that the river can be separated into 5 subsections, each with different character. All parts are attractive and felt quite remote. For camping you generally have the choice between sandy/rocky river banks and farm land.

1. (0-25km) Small river, many rapids:
In this subsection the river is still relatively small and often shallow, ground contact can be a serious issue. At least every kilometer there's a small rapid (usually WW-1, sometimes class 2). There are many more rapids than mapped and those are not necessarily the most difficult. Usually the rapids are only deep enough to be run in a narrow part where the main current is. We only had problems with one rapid at Lat -43.62009 Lon -71.86343 where a tree blocked the main current making it impossible to run safely.
The most difficult two rapids (class 2+) are at 22km (2km after the ferry) where many large rocks in the middle of the river make scouting and very precise maneuvering necessary. Depending on water levels they may not be runnable at all. Both rapids can be viewed and portaged (individually or together) by taking out on the beach on the left side.
The river flowed with ~5kph.

2. (25-65km) Small river, few rapids, many trees:
By now the river has grown a bit and ground contact becomes less of an issue. There are noticably fewer rapids and the largest challenge becomes maneuvering between the many trees lying in the water. The average velocity of the current was actually a bit higher than before.

3. (65-105km) Fast and medium-sized river with few obstacles:
After Río Frío has joined the river at the 180° turn the river grows significantly and ground contact is almost no more issue. In this subsection, the river flows fastest (8kph) and we had a lot of fun with the relatively easy and broad rapids here. There are fewer trees in the water that can be easily avoided in the broad river. We found a lovely campsite on grass that did not seem to be used for grazing at Lat -43.89160 Lon -72.37914.

4. (105-155km) Big river, fast current:
Close to La Junta, the river is joined by Río Rosselot and becomes huge and mostly calm. We were surprised to see that it still flows with high velocity (5-8kph) and still has a noticable gradient that makes progress fast. The few trees can be easily avoided but may be difficult to spot sometimes. The main challenge that may arise here are strong head winds that make maneuvering quite difficult.

5. (155km-sea) Big and slow river, tidal effects:
Starting at the large 270° loop, the massive river becomes noticably slower (2-3kph) and wind and tidal effects determine the speed of your progress. We found that the tides are approx. 30min after the times shown for Pto. Montt by the Android app (by 7th gear). Paddling here feels more like being on a lake and waves build up due to the wind.

*Route description by Kara Davis after Season 2017/18:

Notes to consider before beginning: Be aware that the Chilean border control outside of Carrenleufú requires you to declare items in your possession, so keep this in mind when resupplying. They will confiscate certain foods, including produce and honey brought from Argentina.

This is the first time during this hike where the Regular Hiking and Regular Packrafting Routes begin to significantly differ. The two tracks do not rejoin until GPT32.

Beginning from Palena, walk north down the paved road, 235-CH and cross Puente Palena to the put-in on the western bank of Río Palena. The river is swift and has several Class I and Class II rapids. There are also many places where the river splits and becomes very shallow. I would recommend scouting any rapid that makes you uncomfortable. Also be wary of obstructions, such as logs and branches, that occasionally block parts of the river. Camping along the edge during this stretch of the Río Palena is difficult due to the thick foliage and steep rocky beaches. Flat and clear spots are a rare find.

The river widens out approximately 12 km from the Palena put-in. There are still several class I and class II rapids, but with longer stretches of flat water in between. The banks on both sides are littered with rocky beaches, and nice camping is still hard to come by. There is also a notable increase in the density of homes and other structures lining the river.

The banks of the Río Palena flatten out and provide better camping after the ferry at El Tranquilo, approximately 20 km from put-in. This car/passenger ferry draws itself across the river along thick metal cables which can be easily passed on a packraft. A lot of the surrounding land is used for grazing and traces of livestock are everywhere. A sign advertising a refugio, “Predio El Refugio,” was located at La Mula, approximately 12.5 km past the ferry crossing. As several smaller streams join the Río Palena, the river swells and the frequency of rapids decreases.

The river continues winding through farmland all the way to the La Junta take-out. There is a small beach here with a trail that leads up to Highway 7. La Junta is located about 2 km south of the take-out.

==Optional Routes==
==Investigations and Explorations==
==Links to other Resources==
==Alerts and Logs of Past Seasons==

[[category:Greater Patagonian Trail]]

GPT24P (PN Los Alerces Agua)

2024-01-17T18:34:55Z

Jordanjennings: /* Season 2023/24 */

{{Table all GPTs}}

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Add a new log entry always on top in the appropriate season sub-chapter and use format:

''*'' Start Date to Finish Date (use Format YYYY-MMM-DD) / Duration in Days / Hiking or Packrafting / Travel Direction (SOBO for Southbound or NOBO Northbound) / Chosen Route and/or Option Name (RR for Regular Route) / Names or Alias

Summary with remarks to route that are considered useful for other hikers and packrafters. Include alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties.

Add a sub-chapter by placing two "=" before and after the new sub-chapter heading ('==Sub-Chapter Heading==').

=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=

==Season 2025/26==

==Season 2024/25==

==Season 2023/24==
*2023-12-25 to 2023-12-27 / 3 days / Packrafting / SOBO / RP to Villa Futalaufquen / Roman

Started at Villa Lago Rivadavia at 03:30 PM. Wind from south. A few trees other than that mid speed river - really nice. Camped here: Camp {24P} [7.4/526] - lots if locals great place. Due to the recommendation in the handbook started the next day early at 06:15 AM. Cross the lake until 10:00 AM. No wind lake was like a mirror. At the beginning of Rio Rivadavia there is a line across the river you can go under it on the left side.

IMPORTANT: take the right arm (-42.692722, -71.710147 ) the left one had more water and I thought thy will connect after a few meters - no they don't! Tones of fallen trees possible to manage it but very challenging and you will hit at least 1 tree. Learned my lesson and at the end they reconnected here -42.6965, -71.717705. There supposed to be also a sign with a arrow showing this - but I haven't seen it. Other than that great river. Rapids are easy.

Lago Verde had wind from south. Stopped at Shop {24H} [31.6+0.3/525] and resupplyed. Río Arrayanes slow and easy. Made another break here: Camp {24H} [43.2/531]. There a ranger came to me and said: No camping outside the offical payed campsite because they had problems with grupos in the park. So no overnight there. Continued here: -42.81394, -71.645572 and sleep at a campsite for 6000$. The wind picked up from north west during theast section. Manageable but challenging. For the next day strong wind where forecasted and I hitchhiked to Villa Futalaufquen.

Overall: chill and relaxing packrafting very nice! Would reccomend it.

Contact: https://linktr.ee/RundW

*2023-12-23 to 2023-12-26 / 3 days / Packrafting / SOBO / Lago Cholila to Villa Futalaufquen / Jordan Jennings

I was a day ahead of Roman above, we actually met afterwards in Trevelin when I say his paddles in his backpack!

I put in at the beginning of Rio Carrilleufu at Lago Cholila (I didn’t connect from 23P).

Overall, your biggest annoyance and risk are winds on the lakes. Luckily there are many options for bailing out and waiting or hitchhiking if wind gets crazy. Otherwise, I have nothing to add - stunning and somewhat easy section. This is a strict park with park rangers on boats watching - if you need to make camp outside camp zones - hide your boat/gear from sight behind first few rows of trees otherwise they will tell you to move on.

==Season 2022/23==

==Season 2021/22==

==Season 2020/21==

==Season 2019/20==

* 2020-Jan-11 to 2020-Jan-13 / 3 days / Packrafting / Villa Rivadavia - Villa Futalaufquen / Zach
When I arrived at Lago Rivadavia at 2 PM the wind was in full force. The next morning was calm as could be. It took 4.5 scenic hours to the south end where a rope across Rio Rivadalvia prevents motorized boats and a sign states you must be accompanied by a guide or register with park authorities. Perhaps this is why 2 fly fishing guides scolded me from the other side of the river for scaring away their fish. Paddle delicately and perhaps ask permission before passing. Nobody but fish after the first rapid. This river is stunning. The trail to the mirador on Lago Menéndez is a good opportunity to stretch the legs. There’s a cafe with snacks and 400 peso/30 minute WIFI on the East side of the pasarela (footbridge). Great wind ride on Lago Futalaufquen all the way to Villa Futalaufquen. Some nice sheltered spots at the almost empty Camping Libre Las Rocas East of Villa Futalaufquen. From there to Palena on a weekend when busses don’t run it took 8 hours including groceries in Travelin and some walking. Don’t forget about the veggie police (aka aduana iguanas) at the border crossing.

* 2020-Jan-13 to 2020-Jan-14 / 2 days / hiking / SOBO / RR / Shaun

I hiked section 24H, but want to pass on to packrafters that park rangers confirmed that the trail from Lago Krügger to Villa Futalaufquen is open for its entire length, not just from Playa Blanca. There is no longer a ferry service from Punta Mattos to Lago Krugger so hikers can not cross the lake and hike this trail to Villa Futalaufquen. There is a daily ferry service from Puerto Limonao (3km north of VF) to Lago Krugger at noon, and returns at 19:00. There is a Refugio at Lago Krugger.

==Season 2018/19==

==Season 2017/18==

*Route description by Kara Davis after Season 2017/18:

GPT24P begins on the Río Carrileufu at the take-out for GPT23P. This is a very enjoyable, calm float all the way to Lago Rivadavia.

There are several nice places to camp along the east shore of Lago Rivadavia. However, several of the beaches are also popular day trip areas because of the easy access to the shoreline provided by the road, RP71.

You’ll begin to pick up speed as you near the lake outlet into Río Rivadavia. There’s a sign here prohibiting motorized boats from entering the river. Río Rivadavia is swift and narrow with several small rapids and obstacles, such as fallen trees. There are many places to camp under the tree cover on the left bank for the first 500 m or so after exiting Lago Rivadavia.

After floating into Lago Verde, you’ll notice several beaches along the east bank that are fairly popular during the summer months. There is no obvious camping on the west bank. At the outlet of Lago Verde, about 200 m after the pedestrian bridge crosses over the water, the river splits. A rope stretches across the entrance to the west fork, which flows to Lago Menédez, preventing boaters from entering (for good reason due to some violent rapids). The river stretch between Lago Verde and Lago Futalaufquen is wide, slow, and free of rapids.

On Lago Futalaufquen, there is a free campsite, Punta Mattos, just off of RP71 where the northwest branch of the lake intersects the larger body of water approximately 7 km after entering the lake. There is trash disposal here but no running water nor toilet.

At this point, there is a choice whether to continue south towards Lago Krügger and GPT25P or east towards Villa Futalaufquen and GPT25H. SEE “GPT25P: Lago Amutui Quimei” BEFORE CHOOSING TO GO TOWARD THIS ROUTE!

==Season 2016/17==

=Resupply and Accommodation=

==Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns==

*Villa Futalaufquen

Villa Futalaufquen is a small, tidy town at the southern end of Lago Futalaufquen. There is a little store offering snacks, cheese, and bread. An information station for Los Alerces National Park is located here. This station is a good resource to gain information about the surrounding area, including GPT25P and GPT25H.

==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==

*2020 / Shaun
There is a Refugio at Lago Krugger.

=Transport to and from Route=

*2020 / Shaun
There is a daily ferry service from Puerto Limonao (3km north of VF) to Lago Krugger at noon, and returns at 19:00.

=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=

* Zach
It took 4.5 scenic hours to the south end where a rope across Rio Rivadalvia prevents motorized boats and a sign states you must be accompanied by a guide or register with park authorities. Perhaps this is why 2 fly fishing guides scolded me from the other side of the river for scaring away their fish. Paddle delicately and perhaps ask permission before passing.

=Links to other Resources=

Retired Section Article [[GPT24P - PN Los Alerces Agua]]

=Images=

GPT73P (Lago Yelcho)

2024-01-17T18:14:57Z

Jordanjennings: /* Season 2023/24 */

GPT22 - Cochamó

2023-12-13T13:13:22Z

Jordanjennings: /* Season Section Log */

{{Draft}}
{{RutaForme
|Actividad=Trekking
|País=Chile
|CiudadesChile=Puerto Montt
|BellezaEscenica=
|Atractivos=Vistas panorámicas
|Duracion=días
|RequiereHabilidadTrek=No requiere
|Sendero=Siempre Claro
|Señalizacion=Inexistente
|Infraestructura=Inexistente
|ComparteIdayRetorno=Cruce
|Distancia=124500
|MetrosAscenso=2522
|MetrosDescenso=2361
|AltitudMedia=
|Primer Autor=[[user:Jandudeck|Jan Dudeck]]
|Imágen Principal=Refugio_el_arco.jpg
|ComentariosImagen=On the trail towards refugio El Arco, beyond La Junta. By Jan Dudeck
|KMLZ=GPT22 - Cochamó.kmz
|TipoDeMap=HYBRID
|ComentariosMapa=
{{GPT KMZ}}
}} {{Table all GPTs}}

==Recent Alerts and Suggestions==

* January 2023 Frank
To avoid the landslide at Laguna Las Rocas you can walk on the road or get the bus to Segundo Corral then from Lago Inferior about 1.5KM from Segundo Corral there is a ferry to Paso Bolson (Chilean border control) See Transport: Ferries section for details

==Season Section Log==

2023-Dec-03 to 2023-Dec-12 / 9 days / PACKRAFTING / NOBO & SOBO / Jordan Jennings

Route:

took bus to Primer Corral>Arroyo Ventisquero>Rio Puelo (walked 13km of rapids through canyon)>Lago Tagua Tagua>Rio Puelo>Estero Reloncavi to Cochamó (nobo) took bus back towards Primer Corral from Cochamó, asked to be dropped off near Lago Azul.. Lago Azul>lago las rocas>Lago Inferior>Lago Puelo>Lago Puelo town (sobo).

Highlights:

Arroyo ventisquero: is well worth a visit, packrafting or hiking. I got told that there is a hostel run by an abuela 4km further up the valley from Rincon Bonito (posh cabins) where the route on track files stops (c20km up valley from Primer Corral). Between the hostel and Rincon there are rapids, so be prepared to walk back to Rincon to put boat in water. The river from Rincon to Rio Puelo is stunning and very easy in packraft.

Lago Azul: If you flip flop (as recommended if packrafting), and return back to Primer Corral for sobo travel as Jan mentions in the manual, ask the bus driver to drop you at Lago Azul, rather than taking the bus closer to the Lago las rocas trailhead/Primer Corral. The 3km walk from the bus stop to the lake is easy and I got super lucky and passed a local horse race (Carreras) on a Saturday. Maybe ask ahead when they are on?!

Other comments:

The hiking section bypassing Rio Puelo (first set of) rapids through canyon, the 13km or so took me all day. Parts of the trail were barely a trail, very slow kms. Although I was also a bit sick so my experience might be tainted. The alternative is taking roads on the right hand side of the river.

I hiked the section between the Argentinian border patrol and lago puelo town (13km) which passed through some stunning farmland (lago puelo can get angry with wind as with any big lake). The dotted line section or shortcut which requires two river fords was impassable for me. Rio Azul was not even close to being fordable mid December. And even if you did pass, you would have to take the road to Puelo anyway.

In terms of transport to Primer Corral, the bus leaves Cochamó at 10:30am and Puelo at 11:30am (same bus, which I think starts in Puerto Montt v early). From the ferry there’s another local bus that will essentially drop you wherever you want (en route) to primer corral. Super easy.

* 2023-Feb-18 to 2023-Feb-23 / 6 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR + 22-01 / Martin & Helena

A lot has been already written, so just a few comments from our side:

No problem with entering the valley in SOBO direction, until the noon aprox., saying you will spend the night at the refugio El Arco - they have some time estimate for this hike and can’t let you in if its late. By the entrance you can buy some useful things that might be hard to buy in Cochamo, like gas or peanut butter. There was also a beer truck with quite good wifi connection (only during summer). Crowds of people in both directions, quite muddy trail. Detour to the Toboganes is definitely worth it. We spend the night after all in a marked camp aprox. 4 kms before the refugio and it was a good decision - there were quite a lot of people when we passed by the next day.

From the refugio its nice and easy walking. We spent the night on the southern side of Lago Vidal Gomaz where is amazing campsite Doña Luisa, for I think 5000 CLP pp. We bought there beer, some cheese and bread in the morning, and you can also charge electronics inside. It is possible to have proper breakfast or dinner, it looked all very tasty. At km N 40.7 is shop with all the basic things + great brewery next to it, definitely stop there if you are a fan.

Based on other comments and our time schedule we decided to take the alternative 22-01 to Llanada Grande. This is a good resuppy spot as there is a new and big (at least in comparison to what you would expect in a place like this) supermarket that replaced the old one destroyed by fire. Good place to stay is a campsite at the end of the village, on the right side, run by really nice lady. Not expensive and if its free, you can stay for the same price in a so called refugio, that is actually just a very small room, but for us better than a tent. Hot water and electricity + possibility to buy pizza and maybe some other small things - there is actually no restaurant in the village. Some more road walking around Lago Totoral to Rio Puelo to connect back to RR. In general not very attractive part of the trail. Great restaurant in Hostal Puelo Libre with local beer and view on the river.

From the port its again easy walking on the RR again. Drunk settler and quite agressive dogs out of his control at S km 7.2 so be careful. We slept half way to Las Rocas lake. We thought about taking the RR around the lake, but the landslide caused by snow (aprox. 1.5 km from the port) looked quite difficult to pass. We discovered there is possibility to cross the lake on one of the locals boat, which we did in the end. We were lucky that after waiting for some time in the port a car with locals arrived. Happily for us they arranged a boat transfer with other residents to get to the other side of the lake, where they went for a lunch. We were able to go with them, and after picking up their friends, we all hop off the boat close to the police station. Great experience and we learned a lot about this area and people living here. We paid 10k CLP. In the comments here is a contact for the guy with a boat, but without signal it must be arranged in advance, and the price might differ when not sharing the transfer with others. No problem with the border check. It took us around 4 hrs to get to the argentinian side, where everyone was super friendly as well. They offered us to camp there, but we decided to make it to Lago Puelo, which took us 2 more hrs. The landscape changes significantly on the other side where everything is more dry. No problem with the river crossing. We got off the trail directly on the main road.

Contact: @martin_hanzelka @helenneka

*01.02.23 - 07.02.23 / Anna & Christopher / SOBO, Cochamó - Lago Puelo

We hitchhiked from Eco Camping El Valle to the entry of the park and arrived around 8 am. We told them that we would camp at the Refugio El Arco and explained our further route. Until la Junta there were lots of chilenean tourists, therefore the path was very good only with some muddy stretches. Like Véronica we walked to Toboganes, a waterfall/stream with beautiful rock formations. There were tons of people, but it's worth it. La junta seems to be an amazing place for rock climbing, we would have loved to have some climbing gear with us.

After la Junta there were almost no more hikers. We camped next to the Refugio, as there were already two other groups of hikers sleeping in the Refugio.

Until Lago grande there are still some muddy stretches and blowdowns, but generally it is a good path. From there on the path is perfectly maintained. We camped at approx. km 66 next to Río los Morros.

Nice path until El Manso. We resupplied at the minimercado and camped next to the river, which was a beautiful camping spot with lots of delicious blackberrys.

The next morning we arrived at Señora Ocos house around 8 am. She contacted multiple people and luckily found out that there was somebody crossing the river to our side at 11 am. The man, whose name we unfortunately forgot, was super friendly and dropped us off after the river mouth of Rio Traidor, close to where he lives. He charged 10.000 CLP p.p.

The path to the first settler was mediocre and afterwards got worse and worse until it was almost pure buschwhacking. It was the worst we had so far on the GPT. Thorns.. Lots of thorns tearing away at your clothes, backpack and skin.
We camped at the river at approx. km 12, which was a beautiful spot.
Until the settlement Las Nieves the path continued beeing bad with lots of bush bashing. The settler told us that no locals use that path and she also told us that there are no regular boat transfers to Puerto Urrutia on weekends (it was sunday..).
We wouldn't do that stretch next to Rio Puelo again and instead hitchhike from El Manso to Puerto Urrutia.

At the boat transfer waypoint to Puerto Urrutia we had Entel service and contacted one lodging on the other side. They told us to go to the last house 1km back to ask for a transfer (it's the house of the man who does the boat transfer on weekdays). But we got lucky and a boat passed by and took us to the other side. The man on the boat also told us that the path from Río Traidor to Puerto Urrutia "is closed".

We continued to Lago verde, where we planned to camp, but it's surrounded by dense forest, apart from a private property.
That spot is amazing, a little landing stage to go swimming, a great view and a very friendly owner. She even baked some delicious apple bread for us. For camping she charged us 8000 CLP p.p.. That was definetly worth it.

After Lago verde there is a minimarket. We didn't check it out, but there is no resupply wp yet.

After reading previous blogs and having had enough of thorns we decided to cross el Lago de Las Rocas by boat. Therefore there is a walkie talkie on the landing stage on the northern end of the lake with which you can contact Richard. We also got his number (+56958694897), if you want to contact him in advance. When we arrived at the lake, there were already lots of people waiting for the boat so we just waited with them and after some time got knocked the boat with them. The ride was really nice across the crystal clear blue water and we were charged 5000 p.p.

From the southern end of the lake it's just a couple of minutes to walk to the chilenian border control. We continued on and camped at km 30 at the river. Again a really beautiful spot.

The next day we passed the argentinian border control and continued to Lago Puelo.

The section was really beautiful, except the part with the thorns. There are lots of streams along the whole trail, so one does not need to carry much water.

*2023-Jan-29 RR mostly NOBO 5 days Frank

I got the bus-ferry-bus from Puerto Montt to Segundo Corral. To avoid the landslide at Laguna Las Rocas & delays with the river ferries I walked on the road from Segundo Corral to El Manso, about 50KM. Easy but not very interesting walking. It takes a full day to get from Puerto Montt on the bus to Segundo Corral so I believe it would be better to go SOBO with an early start to get through La Junta, otherwise you need 2 additional days for travel.

Stayed @ nice & cheap campsite at bridge over Rio Colorado & camped at El Arco. The trail approaching El Arco was muddy & a bit swampy (it had been raining). It's possible to go by boat across Lago Vidal Gomez but it's an easy 3 hour walk.

Got the bus again to Segundo Corral & ferry to Paso Bolson. The trail across the border is generally in good condition. There is some easy bushbashing on the Chilean side for about 1KM before the border & some fallen trees but they are straightforward to go over. Rio Azul was easily fordable in early February.

*10 to 14 of January 2023 / Véronica / GPT22 RR SOBO / also GPT22-01 / 5 days

Route: Cochamó - La Junta - Lago Vidal Gormáz - El Manso - Puerto Urrutio via Option 1 - Lago Las Rocas - Lago Puelo (Argentina)

The borders of Paso El León and Paso El Bolsón are both opened again for tourists! Go for it! It is a beautiful section with wonderful people, such a contrast to where I started the GPT further north.

In Cochamó, I stayed at Eco Camping El Valle, right at the entrance to the Cochamó River Valley. Paid 7000 clp, very nice campground, there are tarps over the picnic tables at each site so you have a dry place to hang out even if it rains :) Since I spent the night so close to the trailhead, it was easy to get to the guarded valley entrance (Road End {22N} [109.8/58]) early. I did not have a camping reservation for La Junta. I arrived at the trailhead at 7:30 a.m., explained my route to the staff, saying I would stay at Refugio El Arco that night. They let me through no problem. The trail to La Junta is a bit muddy, but nothing bad, my feet stayed dry in my trailrunners despite the fact it was also raining off and on. Beautiful path through the Valvidian rainforest, I really enjoyed all the green and the moss. When I reached the La Junta area, I stashed my pack in some trees and made a short detour to Las Toboganes. They are only 0.7 km off the regular route, and highly worthwhile to see! What a spectacular area, I totally see the Yosemite resemblence, and would love to go back someday.

I found the trail after La Junta (all the way to Lago Vidal Gormáz) to be in good shape, contrary to what others have written. It was maybe slightly less maintained than the popular trail leading into the valley, but it was still very clear and easy to follow — not overgrown, no blowdowns, just a bit muddy in some places. Granted, it has been drier than normal so far this summer. None of the fords went above my knees, and sometimes I could cross the creeks without even getting my feet wet, all very easy.

The refugio at El Arco is dark and without any furniture inside. I found it much nicer to camp in the nearby meadow just south of the trail there. There are outhouses.

Nice path from Lago Vidal Gormáz all the way to El Manso. Very beautiful in this valley as well. Met a few arrieros along the way. Most of the rivers have bridges crossing them. There is a small camp at the bridge over Río Colorado.

In El Manso, I topped off my food supply at the shop on the main road. It has a good selection of food items. Then I went to Señora Oco's house to try and arrange a boat transfer over Río Puelo. She and her family are very friendly and welcoming. I arrived there mid-afternoon, but she could not get in radio contact with anyone on the other side. In the evening, we heard back from Hospedaje Nancy, who charged 60,000 clp for a crossing upriver all the way to Río Traidor (where she lives). This I found too expensive for me traveling alone. Señora Oco baked some bread and I was able to buy some. She also said I was welcome to camp in the fields behind her house while waiting for a response from settlers Paulina and Jovino regarding a crossing to their place (much more direct and therefore likely much cheaper). The next morning, we still hadn't received any response from Paulina and Jovino either via radio or Whatsapp (they may have been away). Because of this, I decided to take the gravel road to Puerto Urrutia (Option 1), and forgo crossing Río Puelo, unfortunately. Despite this setback, I'm really glad I got to meet and spend time with Señora Oco and her family, they are such kind people.

I was able to hitch most of the way to Puerto Urrutia, where I rejoined the regular route. The trail from there all the way to Lago Las Rocas is mostly easy and clear. There were a few confusing junctions in the vicinity of Lago Verde, so I kept a close eye on the GPS there. After crossing the road after that, the beginning of RR -TL-V {22S} [2.8/7.1+2.7] is tricky to find. There are lots of fallen trees and many forest paths. The GPS was very helpful there too until I finally found the right path. After about 700 m it merges with a nice clear path all the way to Lago Las Rocas.

As has been previously reported, there is a large rockslide about 2 km in once you reach Lago Las Rocas. It didn't look overly dangerous to me, the boulders were large and seemed solid enough. I started crossing it right at the bottom where the rocks fall into the lake, as it looked to be the easiest and safest way across. I was maybe 50 meters through it, when a boat came along, and the people in it told me to hop in! What lucky timing! As we passed the rest of the rockslide, I could see the last part of it was steep, loose scree rather than big boulders. That part would have definitely been nerve-wracking to cross, and I was very grateful for the boat ride. The settlers who owned the boat live about 3 km along the trail, at a little bay/inlet in the lake. They have a nice beach and campground too. That's where I rejoined the trail. Beyond their house, the "Camino Los Mosquitos," as it is locally called, gets progressively worse in terms of overgrowth and blowdowns. The trail has not been cleared since the past winter, and not been used either. The stretch between kilometers 4 and 6.5 is the worst. It felt more like pure bushwhacking than following a trail. The path was mostly burried beneath walls of downed trees and branches, it got very hard to follow at times. Lots of climbing over and under vegetation, some of it quite thorny too. Very slow and tiring. My pack got ripped up a bit and so did my clothing. Had I known the trail was this bad, I would have taken the option on the east side of Lago Las Rocas. It's hard to imagine it could be in worse shape than the regular route.

When I got to the Chilean Border Control it was around 6:30 p.m., so too late to cross that day. The border agent working there was very friendly, but he couldn't get in contact with his supervisor to get approval for stamping my passport with the next day's date. So I camped back at Lago Las Rocas, and the next morning came back at 8 a.m. when the border post reopened. The trail on the Chilean side of the border was a bit rough in places, it has been neglected since the winter too. But it was not as bad as the previous stretch along Lago Las Rocas. Once I got into Argentina, it got much better. The trails in Parque Nacional Lago Puelo are well-maintained, and I met some day hikers. No issues at the Argentine Border Control.

I was able to ford Río Azul easily, thanks to the dry weather. There are three branches of the river to cross (the GPS waypoints only show two of them). The middle branch is the widest and deepest. The water there went up to my upper thighs (I'm 165 cm), but the current was slow and it never felt dangerous.

Now I'm skipping down to GPT32 to continue my adventure further south :) The northern sections that I hiked from 6 to 22 were simply amazing, with great weather almost the entire time. Thank you, all!

* 2022-Oct-19 to 24 / GPT 22 southbound Regular hiking route.

Here are the main points because our story is long :)
*Paso el bolson and El Leon are closed for tourists until further notice
*some of trails are in bad condition because of the hard winter but they might be cleared in the following weeks.
* landslide in Lago Las rocas - very dangerous part to cross. We suggest to take an optional route

The trail starts in valle cochamo. We did not have any reservations but as we were in low season we were not worried. However the lady from the tourist office in Cochamo told us to arrive at the entrance of the valley between 7 & 8 to avoid being rejected. At 7h50 there was nobody at the reception so we did not have any trouble, but we cannot say for the high season.
You can arrange a car transfer to go the valley entrance. The numbers of the drivers are available at the tourist office.

The trail until La Junta is muddy but well maintained - no worries there. Up there we met some arrieros and the locals from the camping and they told us that the trail was closed a bit further because of snow (up to 2 meters) in laguna Blanca. This is the highest part of the trail (about 1100m). The river crossings were feasible, but as they forecasted rain for the next day, we preferred to turn back in order to avoid being blocked between high rivers and snow.

Back on the road between Cochamo and Puelo, we caught at about 10:30 the bus that leaves at 7:45 from Puerto Montt, to go to Rio Manso. There is a well furnished Shop where you can even find gas.
We remained in the Southbound direction and went to Senora Oco's house. She was very welcoming, and her and her grandchild helped us in arranging a boat transfer for the following morning (nothing was possible the same day). We paid 50000 pesos to go from their house to Rio Traidor - close to Nancy hospedaje. Indeed, we skipped the first part of the trail as they told us that it was very closed with a lot of small trees and not used anymore. Maybe it would be cheaper to cross a bit south using the cable car or directly from Manso to Rio Traidor.

Until the Rio Tigre, settler # 22N [7.7/157], the trail is visible but sometimes with some obstacles (fallen trees). After this settling, you will have to cross the Rio Tigre which might be the hardest to cross on your way if you have a lot of rain. There is a bridge indicated on the tracks but it has been swept away this winter. The best place to cross is a bit higher following the river, follow the horse track. We did not have any problem crossing, and probably the settler could help you with his horse if the river is too high. That is an advantage of the Southbound direction.

After, the trail is really clear. We found the last transfer across Rio Puelo about 1 km before the point indicated on the track. It is his job to do the crossings and he also does sportive fishing if you are interested. Look for a house with a border collie with a piece of wood around the neck :)

From Puerto Urrutia, the trail is clear again until the road. There is a shop at 600m on the right. Again here, the trail is closed due to fallen trees at the beginning, but the locals (last house on the right) will help you find another path. Clear trail until Lago Las Rocas.

Once you reach the Lago Las rocas you will be blocked after 2km. Indeed there was a landslide this winter and you have to cross a very dangerous part of about 300 m of rocky mountain slide. It is not stabilized yet. We went through but we do not advise it.
Also, there were a lot of fallen trees and the path was really tiring. The locals will probably clear the path in the following weeks. To get more information we suggest to contact the camping Playa Las Rocas on Instagram.
You can also consider the other routes or arrange a boat crossing.

Finally we arrived at the border crossing. Unfortunately it was closed due to the Covid, except for the very locals (people from Cochamo). Apparently Paso el Leon is closed as well for tourists. Be aware of that if you have to cross the Chilean- Argentinian borders, as small passes seem to be closed for tourists.
In the end we had to go back to Puerto Montt crossing the Lago inferior with a free boat (ask the carabineros), and then the bus-ferry-bus from Segundo Corral.

* 2021-Nov-23 & 2021-Nov-25 / Packrafting Estuario de Reloncavi from Ralun to Rio Puelo (Western shore) / Jan Dudeck & Meylin Ubilla / GPT21, GPT22 and GPT78

We paddled in two easy days the roughly 40 km southbound.

Start at Ralun at Puente Petrohue: On the right side of the bridge (view in river flow direction) is a suitable put-in and good spot to camp. The gate was closed but not locked. There are signs of people occasionally camping there.

Ralun to Cochamo: Packrafters in need to resupply can do this in Cochamo about 16 water kilometers from the put-in. Both, the western and eastern coast are suitable for packrafting. The eastern side is next to the main road what facilitates switching to hiking. The western side is less intervened and more scenic.

Ralun to Rio Puelo: Again, the western and eastern coast are suitable for packrafting. The eastern side is next to the main road what facilitates switching to hiking but requires the crossing of a 4 km wide bay in open water. The western side is less intervened and more scenic but requires crossing the 3 km wide Estuario de Reloncavi near Rio Puelo. On the western side are also the Termas de Sotomo that are suitable for camping.

Wind: On nice sunny days “viento sur” often kicks in around 10 am making southbound paddling difficult or unfeasible. We had two partially overcasted days and could paddle on the first day till 4 pm when wind became annoying strong. On the second day around 3 pm the wind and waves became unpleasant but by this time we were walking the final kilometers into Rio Puelo.

GPT22: Southbound packrafters may take in Cochamo or Rio Puelo the bus to Lago TaguaTagua an get to the recommended packrafting starting point of section GPT22 halfway into this section to Flip-Flop as recommended.

* 18-11-2021 / Tobías / Cochamó Valley / Northbound (Lago Tagua Tagua)

The Section between La Junta Base and Lago Vidal Gormez was very challenging. It had been raining a lot, so the Trail was very muddy and I had to cross several rivers and creeks. Went straight from Cochamó to Lago Grande and camped there in some Snow. Met only a few settlers. After reaching Lago Vidal Gormez, the Trail was easy and I enjoyed the hike a lot. Amaizing área up there!

* 18-2-2020 / Tyler / RR SOBO 4 days to OH-PR-V@22-03 (Lago Tagua Tagua)
I didn’t have problems getting a campsite at la junta on the spot luckily. AMAZING area that I’ll be returning to again to do all the day hikes in. Aside from that, most the trail was very muddy, rainy, and unmaintained. This got a bit difficult after the 3rd day in a row. Good places to camp at the lakes over the pass SOBO. When I got down to Lago Vidal Gomez the trail improved.. I got some bread from a settler at the start of the lake. There right on the trail and super friendly and have rooms. The last ferry across Tagua Tagua leaves at 7 pm. I didn’t make it, so I slept underneath the office/bathrooms and took the ferry at 8:00 the next morning. I believe there’s another ferry at 12.

*. 2020-Jan-9-11/ Shaun / Regular hiking route Southbound

Despite the austere warnings on the La Junta Camping website, I was able to make a reservation at short notice in high season, and the back and forth process only took a few hours. In Cochamó, I was warned that due to recent rain the river crossings at El Arco and another nearby river would likely be impassable. With four more days of heavy rain forecast, I decided to take the bus-ferry-bus combo to Puerto Urrutia and try to walk northbound from there with the optimistic hope that by the time I reached El Arco the river would be passable or, at least, the wait would be less. However, 10km north of the Rio Puelo crossing (service starts at 9am) my way was blocked by a high and fast river. I then retraced my steps and completed the rest of the section southbound - which was straightforward. The trail on the west side of Lago de la Roca until the frontera is a bit overgrown but still easy to see and nothing particularly slowed me down. On the Argentinian side the trail is well maintained. It is not permitted to camp on the 12km stretch between the border posts. I arrived too late to cross that day, but the Chileans stamped my passport with the next day’s date so I didn’t have to wait for the post to open at 9am. The Argentinian border guards informed me that because of the rain, the Rio Azul was too high to ford at the point on the regular hiking route just before Lago Puelo so I took the alternative route (Oh-Tl-V@22-04-#001) a few kms north and crossed over the La Pasarela bridge.

* Arnaud - 22/01/2020
Gpt 22 - section log - North to South
5 days
As we arrived from Puerto Montt we were with the bus and stopped directly at the entrance of the private parque de la vallee de Cochamo.
As it is private, there are some rules to get in, or they block you at the control point.
The entrance is free but you need to have a reservation in one of the official camp sites there. To get the reservation, you can do it on internet (but you need to wait for the confirmation and it can be several days long), or do it directly there (red house), they give you the reservation voucher if there are places available (number seem to be limited). Then you pay the night when you reach the camp sites (6000 clp/pers).
Or the other solution is to say that you sleep in the refugio del Arco. It is 23km further after the control. Then it is free and no reservation is needed, but this is possible only before 10am (after they block you). After 10am the only way to pass is to sleep in the camp sites. They block you if you do not have a
reservation voucher for one camp site.
This spot (la Junta) is famous among the chilenos so the access to the camp sites is really overrunned. The path is easy to walk.
Once you go further than the campsites, you're alone, so it is better.
The path is clearly marked. There are bridges for most of the rivers you cross. But it is very muddy.
At the lago Vidal you can resupply a bit with those living there (you can also sleep in their camp sites).
In El Manso you can find a minimarket with lots of things.
Then, we decided to follow the road instead of the track because we were in a hurry with a deadline in El Bolson, until we reached la cruce de la rocas. There are buses or hitchiking is easy.
Crossing borders was easy. There are 12km between the chilean stamp and the Argentin one that we did in 3.5 hours.
At the very end we have not not crossed El Rio Azul, we walked 7 more km to the north to reach La Pasarella

==Summary Table==
{| border="1" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+'''GPT22: Cochamó'''
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| GPT22: Cochamó
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Group
| colspan="2" | D: Lagos Chilenos
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''160.6 km'''
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''51 h'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''136.6 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|'''35 h'''
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Region
| colspan="2" | Chile & Argentina: Los Lagos (X) & Chubut
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Trails (TL)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|137.9 km
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|85.9%
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 20.3 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|14.9%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Start
| colspan="2" | Cochamó
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Minor Roads (MR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|10.8 km
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|6.7%
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 1.8 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 1.3%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Finish
| colspan="2" | Lago Puelo (Puerto)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Primary Roads (PR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|9.7 km
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|6.0%
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 2.8 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 2.0%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Status
| colspan="2" | Published & Verified
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Cross-Country (CC)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|2.2 km
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|1.4%
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 0.5 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 0.4%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Traversable
| colspan="2" | Dec - Apr (Maybe: Sep, Oct, Nov, May)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Bush-Bashing (BB)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packraft
| colspan="2" | Very Useful
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Ferry (FY)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|(1.8 km)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|(1.1%)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Connects to
| colspan="2" | GPT21, GPT23
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Investigation (I)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| (1.9 km)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| (1.4%)
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Options
| colspan="2" | 268 km (9 Options & Variants)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Exploration (EXP)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
| rowspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total on Water
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''111.1 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''81.4%'''
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Attraction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|4 (of 5)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 5 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| River (RI)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 62.5 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 45.7%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Difficulty
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|4 (of 5)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 4 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Lake (LK)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 32.4 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 23.7%
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Direction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|Both ↓↑
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|Both ↓↑
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Fjord (FJ)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 16.3 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|11.9%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Comment
| colspan="7" | Hiking: Flip-Flop recommended
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Character
| colspan="7" | Packrafting: Flip-Flop recommended
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Challenges
| colspan="7" | Valdivian Rain Forest, Sea Coast, Farmland, Settlers, River Packrafting, Lake Packrafting, Fjord Packrafting, Partly Overrun
|}

==Satellite Image Map==
==Elevation Profile==
====Elevation Profile of Regular Hiking Route====
[[File:profile GPT22.PNG|frame|center|Elevation Profile of Regular Hiking Route (2019)]]

====Elevation Profile of Regular Packrafting Route====
[[File:profile GPT22-p.PNG|frame|center|Elevation Profile of Regular Hiking Route (2019)]]

==Section Planning Status==
==Recommended Travel Period==
The Regular Route is best hiked between December and April. The primary obstacles are high river levels early in the season and after rain. During the peak period of January and February it may be difficult to obtain a camping reservation at La Junta which could prevent a southbound traverse.

==Benefits of Hiking and Packrafting==
==Recommended Travel Direction==
Northbound and southbound hiking is feasible. However, due to the controlled private southbound access through the La Junta área, hiking in that direction is only possible with a camping reservation, or by arriving at the checkpoint before 10am. A northbound traverse may therefore be preferred. For hikers generally heading south, it is possible to take the single ticket, half-day bus-ferry-bus combination south from Cochamó to Puerto Urrutia, hike the 120km north to Cochamó, then return to Puerto Urrutia and resume the section southwards from there.

==Section Length and Travel Duration==
The 161km can be hiked in around seven moderate hiking days. There may be delays due to river fords. Crossing the border is typically straightforward, however it is not permitted to camp on the 12km between the border posts. So if you arrive too late to cross, it is necessary to camp at the border post and cross the next day. In this situation, Chilean officials will stamp your passport with the next day’s date so you don’t need to wait for the office to open that morning.

==Suitable Section Combinations==
==Section Attractiveness==
The La Junta hiking and climbing area is dramatic and beautiful, and has been called ‘The Yosemite of Chile’. Among others, the segments along the Rio Puelo and around Lago Las Rocas are also very scenic. Despite the natural beauty of the section, many hikers have reported that their interactions with settlers along Lago Vidal Gomez and at the boat crossings were actually their top highlight.

==Section Difficulty==
Southbound access to the popular La Junta area is controlled at a private checkpoint and only granted to those with a prior camping reservation, or those arriving before 10am and therefore early enough to make it on to the free and unmanaged El Arco campsite 23km away. Reservations for La Junta can be made online at cochamo.com, but there may not be availability and the process may take several days, so hiking this section southwards may not be possible. This is not a problem for northbound hikers as there is no equivalent checkpoint to the south. Therefore, an option for hikers generally heading south is to take the bus-ferry-bus combination from Cochamó across Lago Tagua Tagua and on to Puerto Urrutia, hike 120km north back to Cochamó, then take the bus-ferry-bus south again and hike the remainder of the section southwards from Puerto Urrutia.

Another common challenge is that the required river fords may be dangerous, or not possible due to high river levels, especially after rain. There is also the potential for delay in arranging and making the three boat river-crossings. Walking along the main road to Llanada Grande and Puerto Urrutia is an alternative.

==Resupply==
===Resupply Town===
====Shopping: Food====
====Shopping: Fuel====
====Shopping: Equipment====
====Services: Restaurants====
====Services: Laundry====
====Services: ATM and Money Exchange====
====Accommodation: Hostals and Hotels====
In Cochamo go down towards the lake. There is a church on the left & before you reach it there is a hospedaje on the right, good & cheap.

====Accommodation: Cabañas====
There is a good place to stay NOBO 500 metres before the junction where the road turns towards Laguna Las Rocas. Farmhouse on RHS of road has rooms & meals. Cheap, friendly & good

====Accommodation: Camping====
In Segundo Corral there are two campsites. The first one is just before the school, it just says Kuchen but you can camp there. Cheap, nice family & they do meals. There is a campsite after the school but the owner was drunk & looking for an argument.
Lots of campsites at Lago Totoral (on the road, not on RR)
It's possible to camp near the Argentinian border control.

====Transport: Ground Transport====
====Transport: Ferries====
If you want to avoid the landslide at Las Rocas lake you can walk on the road or get the bus to Segundo Corral & get the ferry from Lago Inferior (about a 1.5KM walk from Segundo Corral) to Paso Bolson near the carabineros border control. The government subsidised ferry runs Monday-Friday only from 8-12 & 2PM-6PM & is only 2000 pesos. You need to radio the ferryman to arrange pickup, easily done in Segundo Corral.

====Transport: Shipping Services====

===Resupply on the Trail===
====Location, Names, Available Items and Services====
Small shop in El Manso & another one NOBO 2KM up the road. There is a supermarket in Llanada Grande, on the road but not on RR, good selection of food, you can do a full resupply there.

==Access to Route and Return==
===Access to Start===
The regular hiking routes crosses in the first part a hiking area that has grown in popularity in recent years. The large majority of visitors starts at the diversion from the main road (P22-4.3) or the trail head (P22-10.4) and walks only to the camp site La Junta (P22-20.8) from where they make day hikes into the surrounding area. The increased flux of hikers forced the operators of the camp site to establish a reservation system but the high demand during the peak season makes it difficult to reserve a spot on camp site between mid-December and mid-March on short notice. The operators of the camp site state that they may deny access to the trail if no reservation for the camp site was made in advance. I have asked the operator of the camp site if long-distance hikers without a reservation will be denied access to the trail even if they arrive early enough on the trail head to walk past the camp site La Junta to camp on one of the meadows or at the refuge several kilometers past La Junta. I did not get any answer. You should read to this subject: http://www.cochamo.com/reservationscamping/

This restriction substantially complicates a southbound traverse on the regular hiking route. A southbound traverse of this section also complicates arranging the 3 boat transfers over the Río Puelo (twice) and Río Traidor (once). Therefore I suggest hiking most of this section northbound even if walking generally in southbound direction. To flip the 120 km from Balseo Primer Corral (P22-119.9) to Cochamó (P22-0.0) you need to take twice the bus-ferry-bus combination between Cochamó and Primer Corral.

There are daily bus-ferry-bus connections from Puerto Montt to Primer Corral. The bus leaves Puerto Montt main bus terminal (07:45, 12:00, 3:30PM & 5PM on weekdays, runs on weekends also but weekend schedule may differ) and travels via Puerto Varas, Ensenada, Ralun (P21-67.1), Cochamó (P22-0.0) and the village Río Puelo to Lago Tagua Tagua. You can take this bus either on section GPT21 in Ralun (to avoid 15 km of road walking from Ralun to Cochamó), at the start of section GPT22 in Cochamó or in Puerto Montt after resupplying and resting in this larger town. For the bus schedule best ask any of the settlers along the route or see: http://www.cochamo.com/bus/

Should you start in Puerto Montt purchase your bus ticket in advance at the main bus terminal since this bus sells out quickly during the main tourist season.

At the terminal station you can board a ferry to cross Lago Tagua Tagua and take the minibus that travels the road from Lago Tagua Tagua via Llanda Grande to the settlement Primer Corral. Make sure to leave this minibus before the terminal station at the boat transfer point Balseo Primer Corral (P22-119.9). If arriving with this minibus at Balseo Primer Corral you are more likely to get immediately a lift over Río Puelo to start your hike of section GPT22 at the left bank of Río Puelo (P22-119.6).

Just before the Río Traidor at the Hospedaje Nancy (near P22-96.2, Radio Call Name: Base Traidor) you may ask the settlers Doña Nancy and Don Chindo how to best get over Río Traidor (either with their motor boat or with a neighbors paddle boat).
The third and last river crossing you may arrange with the settlers Paulina and Jovino (P22-85.6, Radio Call Name: La Junta). Alternatively you may ask before the settler Ricardo Garado (P22-91.4, Radio Call Name: Cerro Mesa) if he gets you over Río Puelo on a cable car.

Most settlers along the Río Puelo have a radio to communicate amongst them. So you may ask most settlers in advance if they are at home to verify if a river crossing can be arranged. And please, don’t expect these river crossings for free but ask for the price in advance and pay without bargaining. You can avoid this 3 boat transfers only by taking the less attractive optional road short cut via Llanada Grande (to the right of Río Puelo) instead of walking on the recommen¬ded regular hiking route (to the left of Río Puelo). If taking this road short cut you miss one of the highlights of the GPT that gets you in contact and conversation with these settlers.

After the third river crossing you will be left near the settlers home of Señora Oco (P22-84.0, Radio Call Name: El Maiten) from where you can follow scenic trails to Cochamó (P22-0.0) at the starting point of section GPT22. Several settlers live along this route.

You should spend your last night BEFORE reaching the camp site La Junta (P22-20.8) i.e. at the refuge (P22-30.6) or at one of the two nice meadows before (P22-25.7 or P22-24.3) where you may pitch your tent for one night.

You may asked any of the settlers along the route if they sell some basic homemade supplies like bread, eggs and vegetables and if you are lucky may even purchase some luxury items like meat and beer. In particular if you camp near a settlers home or pay for accommodation fresh bread may be prepared for the next morning.

Once back in Cochamó take the same bus-ferry-bus combination to get the point where you flipped the hiking direction and continue southbound. The remaining part of section GPT22 can be hiking in any direction without comparable restrictions.

If hiking this section in southbound direction I strongly recommend to make a reservation for the camp site La Junta in advance. Once you reach the home of Señora Oco (near P22-84.0, Radio Call Name: El Maiten) ask her if she can arrange a river crossing with one of the settler nearby. When you reach the settlers home of Ricardo Garado (P22-91.4, Radio Call Name: Cerro Mesa) ask how to best cross Río Traidor. He may call by radio Hospedaje Nancy (near P22-96.2, Radio Call Name: Base Traidor) that is located closer to Río Traidor. When you reach Balseo Primer Corral (P22-119.9) ask the settlers nearby when you may get lift over Río Puelo.

===Return from Finish===
When the frontier is open you can walk out to the bridge, Pasarela Rio Azul. By January it should be possible to ford Rio Azul which is shorter than going via the bridge. Walking out after the bridge or ford you reach the asphalt road. Buses run every hour to El Bolson with La Golondrina. Although Via Tac buses run by on the way to El Bolson & Bariloche they are unlikely to stop, but La Golondrina always will.

===Escape Options===
==Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues==
==Regular Route==
===Regular Hiking Route===
**Comment by Jan Dudeck after Season 2016/17:
The regular hiking routes crosses in the first part a hiking area that has grown in popularity in recent years. The large majority of visitors starts at the diversion from the main road (P22-4.3) or the trail head (P22-10.4) and walks only to the camp site La Junta (P22-20.8) from where they make day hikes into the surrounding area. The increased flux of hikers forced the operators of the camp site to establish a reservation system but the high demand during the peak season makes it difficult to reserve a spot on camp site between mid-December and mid-March on short notice. The operators of the camp site state that they may deny access to the trail if no reservation for the camp site was made in advance. I have asked the operator of the camp site if long-distance hikers without a reservation will be denied access to the trail even if they arrive early enough on the trail head to walk past the camp site La Junta to camp on one of the meadows or at the refuge several kilometers past La Junta. I did not get any answer. You should read to this subject: http://www.cochamo.com/reservationscamping/

This restriction substantially complicates a southbound traverse on the regular hiking route. A southbound traverse of this section also complicates arranging the 3 boat transfers over the Río Puelo (twice) and Río Traidor (once). Therefore I suggest hiking most of this section northbound even if walking generally in southbound direction. To flip the 120 km from Balseo Primer Corral (P22-119.9) to Cochamó (P22-0.0) you need to take twice the bus-ferry-bus combination between Cochamó and Primer Corral.

There is at least one daily bus-ferry-bus connection from Puerto Montt to Primer Corral. The bus leaves Puerto Montt in the morning (07:45 main bus terminal) and travels via Puerto Varas, Ensenada, Ralun (P21-67.1), Cochamó (P22-0.0) and the village Río Puelo to Lago Tagua Tagua. You can take this bus either on section GPT21 in Ralun (to avoid 15 km of road walking from Ralun to Cochamó), at the start of section GPT22 in Cochamó or in Puerto Montt after resupplying and resting in this larger town. For the bus schedule best ask any of the settlers along the route or see: http://www.cochamo.com/bus/

Should you start in Puerto Montt purchase your bus ticket in advance at the main bus terminal since this bus sells out quickly during the main tourist season.

At the terminal station you can board a ferry to cross Lago Tagua Tagua and take the minibus that travels the road from Lago Tagua Tagua via Llanda Grande to the settlement Primer Corral. Make sure to leave this minibus before the terminal station at the boat transfer point Balseo Primer Corral (P22-119.9). If arriving with this minibus at Balseo Primer Corral you are more likely to get immediately a lift over Río Puelo to start your hike of section GPT22 at the left bank of Río Puelo (P22-119.6).

Just before the Río Traidor at the Hospedaje Nancy (near P22-96.2, Radio Call Name: Base Traidor) you may ask the settlers Doña Nancy and Don Chindo how to best get over Río Traidor (either with their motor boat or with a neighbors paddle boat).

The third and last river crossing you may arrange with the settlers Paulina and Jovino (P22-85.6, Radio Call Name: La Junta). Alternatively you may ask before the settler Ricardo Garado (P22-91.4, Radio Call Name: Cerro Mesa) if he gets you over Río Puelo on a cable car.

Most settlers along the Río Puelo have a radio to communicate amongst them. So you may ask most settlers in advance if they are at home to verify if a river crossing can be arranged. And please, don’t expect these river crossings for free but ask for the price in advance and pay without bargaining. You can avoid this 3 boat transfers only by taking the less attractive optional road short cut via Llanada Grande (to the right of Río Puelo) instead of walking on the recommen¬ded regular hiking route (to the left of Río Puelo). If taking this road short cut you miss one of the highlights of the GPT that gets you in contact and conversation with these settlers.

After the third river crossing you will be left near the settlers home of Señora Oco (P22-84.0, Radio Call Name: El Maiten) from where you can follow scenic trails to Cochamó (P22-0.0) at the starting point of section GPT22. Several settlers live along this route.

You should spend your last night BEFORE reaching the camp site La Junta (P22-20.8) i.e. at the refuge (P22-30.6) or at one of the two nice meadows before (P22-25.7 or P22-24.3) where you may pitch your tent for one night.

You may asked any of the settlers along the route if they sell some basic homemade supplies like bread, eggs and vegetables and if you are lucky may even purchase some luxury items like meat and beer. In particular if you camp near a settlers home or pay for accommodation fresh bread may be prepared for the next morning.

Once back in Cochamó take the same bus-ferry-bus combination to get the point where you flipped the hiking direction and continue southbound. The remaining part of section GPT22 can be hiking in any direction without comparable restrictions.

If hiking this section in southbound direction I strongly recommend to make a reservation for the camp site La Junta in advance. Once you reach the home of Señora Oco (near P22-84.0, Radio Call Name: El Maiten) ask her if she can arrange a river crossing with one of the settler nearby. When you reach the settlers home of Ricardo Garado (P22-91.4, Radio Call Name: Cerro Mesa) ask how to best cross Río Traidor. He may call by radio Hospedaje Nancy (near P22-96.2, Radio Call Name: Base Traidor) that is located closer to Río Traidor. When you reach Balseo Primer Corral (P22-119.9) ask the settlers nearby when you may get lift over Río Puelo.

===Regular Packrafting Route===
*Route description by Kara Davis after Season 2017/18:

During this section, the Regular Hiking Route follows a heavy use trail to a well known climbing destination, La Junta. Due to the popularity of this hiking route, there is some necessary planning as well as rules and regulations that hikers must be aware of before embarking on this section. First of all, the trail to La Junta is not public. All hikers are required to register at the trailhead and the guards generally require proof that you made reservations to camp at La Junta in advance. To register, use this link: https://cochamo.com/reservationscamping/. Prices vary during the season but expect to pay 5.000 CLP to 6.000 CLP per night. The website states reservations should be made well in advance because of the camp’s popularity and to allow time to receive a confirmation email.

The route follows the paved highway, V-69, out of Cochamó until the turnoff onto the Cochamó-Paso El León dirt road. The La Junta trailhead is about 10.5 km from Cochamó. Keep in mind, NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO BEGIN HIKING ON THE TRAIL AFTER 15:00. There are two camps located at the trailhead which will host hikers for 5.000 CLP per night.

The trail to La Junta is obvious, but braided and muddy. Also, expect it to be crowded with other hikers heading to and from the popular camp. La Junta is located in a beautiful meadow with great views of the surrounding granite faces. This area is called the “Chilean Yosemite” for a good reason.

After La Junta, the trail ascends along the Río Cochamó. It remains obvious, but is still braided and muddy. There are several small areas to camp in the trees, and a few open fields. There is a decent place to camp is in a field south of the El Arco refugio. The trail to the field breaks off to the right just before the El Arco refugio, while the main trail passes very near to the refugio. The trail remains generally muddy until the descent to Lago Vidal Gormaz. There is a decent place to camp on the north side of the lake, but if you can make it to the south side, you’re in for a treat.

On the south side of the lake lives a lovely couple, Louisa and Mickey, who offer several services: boat transportation across the lake, camping (2.000 CLP/night), fishing, hot meals, and food to-go. As hungry hikers, we were not disappointed with the dinner Louisa served us. Most of the food was from the farm, and it cost only 4.000 CLP per plate.

The trail heading south from Louisa and Mickey’s place is mostly dry and there are several small areas to camp. Along Río Manso, about 8 km from Louisa and Mickey’s house, the trail alternates between sharp ascents and descents and is notably challenging. Locals with horses are common along the track since that is their only means of transportation to town.

There are several places to camp before reaching the gravel road about 3 km out from El Manso, but much of the area surrounding the road is private. There is advertised camping and a small store before the intersection with the larger gravel road (Lago Tagua Tagua—Llanada Grande) but both were closed when we passed through. At the intersection, there is another small store that offers snack foods, drinks, and some produce at reasonable prices. There is a hostel called El Monso with cabañas and camping options approximately 1 km down the road from the intersection.

A big feature on this section are three river crossings: two crossing of the Río Puelo and one of the Río Traidor. To reach the first Río Puelo crossing, turn off the main road (Lago Tagua-Tagua—Llanada Grande) at Señora Oco’s place (there is a sign and a gate). It is possible to arrange a ferry crossing with her. The river flows at the edge of her property, and can be reached by following a small trail. The current is strong, but ferrying across is straightforward.

The trail after the river crossing is muddy at times, but easy to follow. The Río Traidor crossing is about 9 km after the first Río Puelo crossing and is a much shorter and easier. Where the GPS route shows to cross over Río Traidor just before the confluence with Río Puelo requires hikers to climb over two barbed wire fences. About ½ km from the crossing is a farm belonging to Nancy and Chindo. They were very friendly and invited us in. They offer transportation across Río Traidor and I believe they may run a hospedaje out of their house as well.

The trail climbs after Nancy and Chindo’s house. It remains obvious, but is generally overgrown. There are areas where the forest opens up and camping is possible. Eventually the land completely opens up and the trail begins to travel through farmland. The trail is harder to follow through this area because it crosses other natural trails made by animal traffic and frequently becomes faint. There are many small stream crossings and swampy areas. Camping is plentiful in the open meadows, but this may put you in close range to the freely roaming livestock.

At the final crossing of Río Puelo, put in at a dirt boat ramp. Across the river, which is wide and has a strong current, there is a gravel boat ramp which leads up to a parking lot. The route continues on a dirt road that peels off the parking lot and climbs up to the east of the private residence (not the driveway at the south end of the lot). The route continues to follow a 4WD track, which reduces to an overgrown single track for about 7 km. The route then joins a dirt road, Camino Primer Corral—Llanada Grande.

After traveling down the road for about 200 m, the GPS track shows a sudden turn off to the east. However, when we asked the owner of the house located at the turnoff, she told us to continue east along the main road for 2.5 km, turn south on the smaller dirt road, and follow this for 2 km to rejoin the trail.

Eventually you’ll come across several signs indicating private property. The route continues past these signs but be sure to stay on the road. Follow the sign that says “Puerto Guala” onto a trail that curves to the west side of Lago de Las Rocas. There is a small dock located at the packrafting put-in. There is also a small campsite located a few hundred meters down the trail from here.

At this point, the route begins to head towards Argentina. The Chilean border control is located 1 km from the south bank of Lago de Las Rocas. In order to legally make it into Argentina, the control requires the dates on your exit stamp from Chile and your entrance stamp into Argentina to be the same. Since this is the case, the Chilean border control will not give you an exit stamp if it is late in the day since the Argentine border control station is about 12 km to the east. If you arrive late, it is possible to camp at the Chilean border control station.

The trail between the two border control stations is well maintained. The Argentine border control station is located about 4.5 km after the border. There is a nice camp spot here with a fire ring, toilets, and water.

The route continues along a trail which becomes faint and then disappears as you near Río Azul. This river crossing is substantial and should not be underestimated. The river is wide and crossing could be dangerous at high water levels.

Town: Lago Puelo/El Bolson

There is a popular campsite called Delta Del Azul with all necessary amenities on the north end of Lago Puelo. Camping here is nice but expensive. There are many camping options along RP16 towards Lago Puelo and El Bolson. Generally, campsite prices become less expensive the closer you get to El Bolson. The town of Lago Puelo offers several restaurants, places to stay, and good resupply options. There is also a bank with an ATM to withdraw Argentine Pesos from, but it does not seem to work for many foreign cards. If you find your options limited or are looking for cheaper prices, El Bolson is a quick 20 minute car ride north. This larger town has more options and several big grocery stores for easy resupply.

==Optional Routes==
==Investigations and Explorations==
==Links to other Resources==
==Alerts and Logs of Past Seasons==

==Images==

<gallery>
File:GPT_16_Cochamó_109520254.jpg|
File:GPT_16_Cochamó_109520443.jpg|
File:GPT_16_Cochamó_115282465.jpg|
File:GPT_16_Cochamó_115282466.jpg|
File:GPT_16_Cochamó_109447503.jpg|thumb|
File:GPT_16_Cochamó_101648648.jpg|thumb|
File:GPT_16_Cochamó_104321335.jpg|thumb|
File:Bahia ralun.jpg|thumb|
File:GPT_16_Cochamó_109447491.jpg|thumb|
File:GPT_16_Cochamó_109447496.jpg|thumb|
</gallery>

[[category:Greater Patagonian Trail]]

GPT77 - PN Pumalin Norte

2023-12-02T01:28:15Z

Jordanjennings: /* Season Section Log, Recent Alerts and Suggestions */

{{Draft}}
{{RutaForme
|Actividad=Trekking
|País=Argentina, Chile
|CiudadesArgentina=
|CiudadesChile
|BellezaEscenica=
|Atractivos=
|Duracion=días
|RequiereHabilidadTrek=No requiere
|Sendero=
|Señalizacion=Inexistente
|Infraestructura=Inexistente
|ComparteIdayRetorno=Cruce
|Distancia=
|ComentariosDistancia=Just hiking
|MetrosAscenso=
|MetrosDescenso=
|AltitudMedia=
|Primer Autor=[[user:Jandudeck|Jan Dudeck]]
|Imágen Principal=
|ComentariosImagen=
|KMLZ=
|TipoDeMap=HYBRID
|ComentariosMapa=
{{GPT KMZ}}
}}
{{Table all GPTs}}

[[File:GPT77 Satellite Image.jpg|frame|center|Overview of GPT77: PN Pumalin Norte]]

==Season Section Log, Recent Alerts and Suggestions==

* GPT77 and GPT76 / Hiking Option from Hornopiren to Chaiten

Dates: 2023-November-21st for 8 days
Direction: Southbound
Participants: Jordan Jennings

After arriving in Chaiten from Rio Yelcho, I initially tried travelling northbound towards Caleta Gonzalo. I only made it to Santa Barbara before facing moderate but unpleasant headwinds. Because of the forecast, I decided to return to Chaiten and travel to Hornopiren, to travel southbound. I think this is the wisest thing to do in most cases. Jan mentions northbound travel because of Yelcho, but this is only really possible if you get lucky with weather

In terms of wind- as Jan mentioned - stable/calm weather combined with sunny days creates so from 11am(ish) while the weather during my stay in the area brought prevailing northerlies outside of sunny weather windows. On sunny days, the southerly however, is redirected as a northerly down Fiordo Comau (first stretch from Hornopiren). In terms of apps, Windy is great, but Windfinder.com (location Chaiten Aeródromo) was more accurate. I waited for almost a week in Hornopiren for a decent weather window, although I was told by locals it was an unusual bad spell.

Fiordo Comeu is stunning and should not be rushed - I took Jan’s advice and stayed an extra day to packraft Lago Abascal and it was an absolute highlight. I packrafted down the river back to the thermals campsite - I would only recommend doing if you have a friend with you and whitewater experience. It’s fun, but was sketchy for me doing alone. There was one section that was perhaps a class II+ or III-.

Overall incredible experience, saw a lot of dolphins, seals, penguins

* GPT77 and GPT76 / Hiking Option from Hornopiren to Chaiten

Dates: 2021-Nov-30
Direction: SoBo
Participants: Meylin Elisabeth Ubilla González and Jan Dudeck

With the land border between Chile and Argentina still closed hikers can not cross into Argentina on section GPT22 but can continue hiking southbound by walking section GPT78 from Rio Puelo to Hornopiren. See my previous post to this section.

From Hornopiren two daily ferries carry passengers and cars to Caleta Gonzalo. The early ferry departs in Hornopiren at 8 am and a second ferry departs in Hornopiren at 10:30 am.

Both ferries go to Leptepu from where a bus carries passengers (without a car) to Fiordo Largo (approx. 12 km). From Fiordo Largo a second ferry carries cars and passengers to Caleta Gonzalo. On the later ferry that departs at 10:30 in Hornopiren is the daily bus that departs in the morning in Puerto Montt and arrives at 16:00 in Chaiten.

Hikers can sweaten this ferry trip by visiting the Termas de Porcelano about 4 km north of Leptepu. These natural hot springs are one of the finest in this region. This requires a boat transfer from Leptepu to Punta Porcelana and back (about 20’000 to 30’000 CLP per boat with up to 6 passangers). A nearby hospedaje offers accommodation (about 25’000 CLP per day per person including meals). Alternatively hikers may ask for permission to camp near the beach.

On two days per week (Tuesday and Friday) a subsidized small ferry (passengers only) visits all the tiny settlements between Hornopiren and Leptepu including Punta Porcelana next to the hot spings what cuts cost of the boat transfer (only one boat transfer for about 15’000 CLP from Punta Porcelana to Leptepu). This subsidized ferry departs at 1 pm in Hornopiren and is called Serenade II.

Contacts:

Boat transfer between Leptepu and Punta Porcelana and accomodation near Punta Porcelana: Mabel +56-9-87696084

Termas de Porcelana: Marlyn +56-9-90978870 (you may buy bread and homemade marmalade from Marlyn)

Subsidized ferry Serenade II: Alejandro Jobis +56-9-87696084 (Tuesday and Friday only).

Hikers the plan to walk section GPT76 from Caleta Gonzalo to Chaiten may take the early ferry that departs at 8:00 am in Hornopiren and check after arrival in Caleta Gonzalo if a boat is available to carry hikers towards Loyola to hike section GPT76 southbound.

If there is no boat available in Caleta Gonzalo hikers best wait for the second ferry that arrives 2:30 h later. On the second ferry is the bus to Chaiten. From Chaiten hikers can walk section GPT76 northbound. Once in Loyola hikers will find more people with boats in this larger settlement so it is generally easier to arrange a boat transfer from Loyola to Caleta Gonzalo than the other way around.

* GPT77 / Packrafting from Hornopiren to Caleta Gonzalo

Dates: 2021-Nov-30 to 2021-Dec-06
Direction: NoBo and SoBo (Leptepu-Termas de Porcelana-Cahuelmo-Laguna Abascal-Vodudahue)
Participants: Meylin Elisabeth Ubilla González and Jan Dudeck

The often strong wind in these fjords makes packrafting challenging and more risky if attempted with an open packraft without spraydeck. Therefore a decked packraft is the recommended gear.

The recommended travel direction is southbound due to the predominant wind direction.

Packrafting should only be attempted if the weather forecast predicts calm weather or moderate wind only.

On good-weather days with the typical daily wind pattern the morning from sunrise to about 10 am or noon is generally calm and them the “viento sur” kicks in that lasts till 5 pm or 7 pm. The “viento sur” quickly builds up high waves thats makes packrafting unpleasant or even impossible especially with an open packraft. Therefore it is essential to get up in the night and start paddling with the first daylight around sunrise. The best days for packrafting are overcasted calm days. On such days “viento sur” is less dominant.

Two legs require paddling 20 km in one go between suitable camps (Pichanco to Termas de Cahuelmo / Termas de Cahuelmo to Huinay). So getting up early and racing against the clock is essential to not get pinned down by strong wind halfway.

Highlights are the Termas de Cahuelmo, Laguna Abascal and the Termas Porcelana.

Termas de Cahuelmo: Are located at the eastern end of the Fiordo Cahuelmo. The pools offer the perfect view into the fjord. A refuge facilitates cooking in rainy weather. There are several spots for tents in forest next to the hot springs.

Laguna Abascal: Is location about 3 km east of the Termas de Cahuelmo. At low tide packrafters can walk 1 km cross-country to the trailhead, otherwise packrafters better paddle by packraft to the trailhead as the river arms quickly become flooded by the rising tide. From the trailhead a well maintained 2 km short trail leads to Laguna Abascal. Paddling this lake by packraft is highly recommended. The lake is surrounded by steep mountains with few beaches for camping. We slept one night in the refuge at the trail end next to Laguna Abascal and returned on the next morning to the Termas de Cahuelmo.

Termas de Porcelana: Are located 4 km north of Leptepu and definitely worth a visit. You can ask for permission to camp next to the beach. Contact Marlyn +56-9-90978870 (you may buy bread and homemade marmalade from Marlyn)

In Leptepu is a nice refuge right where the ferries arrive.

From Leptepu packrafters may walk the road and enter the Fundo Pillan to get to Estero Pillan where you may camp next to the beach. The 12 km from Estero Pillan to Caleta Gonzalo are feasible against the predominant wind direction in a calm morning if leaving with sunrise. Strong tidal currents occur at narrow at the river delta of Rio Renihue. If needed leave the packraft and pull it against the current along the edge of the river delta.

Sections GPT74P and GPT76 are only recommended in northbound direction (river flow direction and predominant wind). Therfore, after arrival in Caleta Gonzalo best take the bus to Chaiten that arrives with the ferry in Cateta Gonzalo around 15:00 and take a second bus to Puerto Cardenas after resupplying in Chaiten.

* GPT77 and GPT76 Option 3/ Packrafting from Hornopirén to Chaitén

Dates: 2021-Dec-03
Direction: SoBo
Participant: Tobías Schorcht

Did the stretch from Hornopirén to Caleta Gonzalo in a open Packraft in 3 days. The most challenging Parts are the Canal Comau and the Fjordo Largo. Watch carfully the tides and wind and stay close to the shore, since the weather can change quickly.

From Caleto Gonzalo I did some roadwalking through Parce Pumalin, went up to the viewpoint Volcán Chaitén and took the Option 3,GPT76 down to Chaitén. I would Not recomment to do that. At least not southbounded. It requires a lot of Nalca bashing and climbing by the River Chaitén. I felt down once and hurt my shoulder badly. Better take the Option Jan recommented (Loyola, Chumelden).

* 30-Dec-19 / Martín Lizondo / Regular hiking southbound

GPT 77 / 30-Dec-19 / Reg Hiking Southbound

At Hornopiren there are three ferries. Leaving schedule is at 9 am, 10:30 am and at 00 hs from Hornopirén. Reservation is made the day before or the same day since 8:30 am. There’s a bus between Leptepu and Fiordo Largo, with an obligatory boat transfer included to Caleta Gonzalo. The trip takes around 5 hours. Cost = CLP 5700.
In Caleta Gonzalo there’s a camping with services.
GPT 76: The boat to Loyola and Chumilden leaves Caleta Gonzalo on monday, tuesday, wednesday and friday. Conract: Roberto Btos +56 9 85564749. Cost = CLP 2400 per person. Also locals travel by small boats between Caleta Gonzalo to Loyola and Chumilden and can pick you up for some money.

==Summary Table==
{| border="1" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+'''GPT77: PN Pumalin Norte'''
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| GPT77: PN Pumalin Norte
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Group
| colspan="2" | N: Fiordos Norte
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''1.0 km'''
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''0 h'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''101.6 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|'''28 h'''
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Region
| colspan="2" | Chile: Los Lagos (X)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Trails (TL)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 0.3 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|0.3%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Start
| colspan="2" | Caleta Gonzalo
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Minor Roads (MR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|1.0 km
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|100.0%
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 2.5 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 2.4%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Finish
| colspan="2" | Hornopirén
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Primary Roads (PR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 8.1 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 8.0%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Status
| colspan="2" | Published & Verified
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Cross-Country (CC)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Traversable
| colspan="2" | Sep - May
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Bush-Bashing (BB)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packraft
| colspan="2" | Very Useful
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Ferry (FY)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|(85.3 km)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|(98.8%)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Connects to
| colspan="2" | GPT76, GPT78
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Investigation (I)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Options
| colspan="2" | 199 km (3 Options & Variants)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Exploration (EXP)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
| rowspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total on Water
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''90.8 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''89.3%'''
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Attraction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 5 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| River (RI)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Difficulty
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 5 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Lake (LK)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Direction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|Both ↓↑
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|Both ↓↑
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Fjord (FJ)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 90.8 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|89.3%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Comment
| colspan="7" | Hiking: Ferry
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Character
| colspan="7" | Packrafting: ↑ Preferable due preceding section GPT74P Río Yelcho and predominant wind direction
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Challenges
| colspan="7" | Valdivian Rain Forest, Sea Coast, Hot Springs, Fjord Packrafting
|}

==Satellite Image Map==
==Elevation Profile==
[[File:perfil greater patagonian trail 77p.PNG|frame|center|Profile of GPT77: PN Pumalin Norte]]
[[File:perfil greater patagonian trail 77.PNG|frame|center|Profile of GPT77: PN Pumalin Norte]]

==Section Planning Status==
==Recommended Travel Period==
==Benefits of Hiking and Packrafting==
==Recommended Travel Direction==
==Section Length and Travel Duration==
==Suitable Section Combinations==
==Section Attractiveness==
==Section Difficulty==
==Resupply==
===Resupply Town===
====Shopping: Food====
====Shopping: Fuel====
====Shopping: Equipment====
====Services: Restaurants====
====Services: Laundry====
====Services: ATM and Money Exchange====
====Accommodation: Hostals and Hotels====
====Accommodation: Cabañas====
====Accommodation: Camping====
====Transport: Ground Transport====
====Transport: Ferries====
====Transport: Shipping Services====
===Resupply on the Trail===
====Location, Names, Available Items and Services====
==Access to Route and Return==
===Access to Start===
===Return from Finish===
===Escape Options===
==Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues==
==Regular Route==
===Regular Hiking Route===
===Regular Packrafting Route===
==Optional Routes==
==Investigations and Explorations==
==Links to other Resources==
==Alerts and Logs of Past Seasons==

GPT77 - PN Pumalin Norte

2023-12-01T22:10:08Z

Jordanjennings: /* Season Section Log, Recent Alerts and Suggestions */

{{Draft}}
{{RutaForme
|Actividad=Trekking
|País=Argentina, Chile
|CiudadesArgentina=
|CiudadesChile
|BellezaEscenica=
|Atractivos=
|Duracion=días
|RequiereHabilidadTrek=No requiere
|Sendero=
|Señalizacion=Inexistente
|Infraestructura=Inexistente
|ComparteIdayRetorno=Cruce
|Distancia=
|ComentariosDistancia=Just hiking
|MetrosAscenso=
|MetrosDescenso=
|AltitudMedia=
|Primer Autor=[[user:Jandudeck|Jan Dudeck]]
|Imágen Principal=
|ComentariosImagen=
|KMLZ=
|TipoDeMap=HYBRID
|ComentariosMapa=
{{GPT KMZ}}
}}
{{Table all GPTs}}

[[File:GPT77 Satellite Image.jpg|frame|center|Overview of GPT77: PN Pumalin Norte]]

==Season Section Log, Recent Alerts and Suggestions==

* GPT77 and GPT76 / Hiking Option from Hornopiren to Chaiten

Dates: 2023-November-21st for 8 days
Direction: Southbound
Participants: Jordan Jennings

After arriving in Chaiten from Rio Yelcho, I initially tried travelling northbound towards Caleta Gonzalo. I only made it to Santa Barbara before facing moderate but unpleasant headwinds. Because of the forecast, I decided to return to Chaiten and travel to Hornopiren, to travel southbound. I think this is the wisest thing to do in any case. Jan mentions northbound travel because of Yelcho, but this is only really possible if you slam dunk good weather.

In terms of wind- as Jan mentioned - stable/calm weather combined with sunny days creates southerlies from 11am(ish) while the weather during my stay in the area brought prevailing northerlies outside of sunny weather windows. On sunny days, the southerly however, is redirected as a northerly down Fiordo Comau (first stretch from Hornopiren). In terms of apps, Windy is great, but Windfinder.com (location Chaiten Aeródromo) was more accurate. I waited for almost a week in Hornopiren for a decent weather window, although I was told by locals it was an unusual bad spell.

Fiordo Comeu is stunning and should not be rushed - I took Jan’s advice and stayed an extra day to packraft Lago Abascal and it was an absolute highlight. I packrafted down the river back to the thermals campsite - I would only recommend doing if you have a friend with you and whitewater experience. It’s fun, but was sketchy for me doing alone. There was one section that was perhaps a class II+ or III-.

Overall incredible experience, saw a lot of dolphins, seals, penguins

* GPT77 and GPT76 / Hiking Option from Hornopiren to Chaiten

Dates: 2021-Nov-30
Direction: SoBo
Participants: Meylin Elisabeth Ubilla González and Jan Dudeck

With the land border between Chile and Argentina still closed hikers can not cross into Argentina on section GPT22 but can continue hiking southbound by walking section GPT78 from Rio Puelo to Hornopiren. See my previous post to this section.

From Hornopiren two daily ferries carry passengers and cars to Caleta Gonzalo. The early ferry departs in Hornopiren at 8 am and a second ferry departs in Hornopiren at 10:30 am.

Both ferries go to Leptepu from where a bus carries passengers (without a car) to Fiordo Largo (approx. 12 km). From Fiordo Largo a second ferry carries cars and passengers to Caleta Gonzalo. On the later ferry that departs at 10:30 in Hornopiren is the daily bus that departs in the morning in Puerto Montt and arrives at 16:00 in Chaiten.

Hikers can sweaten this ferry trip by visiting the Termas de Porcelano about 4 km north of Leptepu. These natural hot springs are one of the finest in this region. This requires a boat transfer from Leptepu to Punta Porcelana and back (about 20’000 to 30’000 CLP per boat with up to 6 passangers). A nearby hospedaje offers accommodation (about 25’000 CLP per day per person including meals). Alternatively hikers may ask for permission to camp near the beach.

On two days per week (Tuesday and Friday) a subsidized small ferry (passengers only) visits all the tiny settlements between Hornopiren and Leptepu including Punta Porcelana next to the hot spings what cuts cost of the boat transfer (only one boat transfer for about 15’000 CLP from Punta Porcelana to Leptepu). This subsidized ferry departs at 1 pm in Hornopiren and is called Serenade II.

Contacts:

Boat transfer between Leptepu and Punta Porcelana and accomodation near Punta Porcelana: Mabel +56-9-87696084

Termas de Porcelana: Marlyn +56-9-90978870 (you may buy bread and homemade marmalade from Marlyn)

Subsidized ferry Serenade II: Alejandro Jobis +56-9-87696084 (Tuesday and Friday only).

Hikers the plan to walk section GPT76 from Caleta Gonzalo to Chaiten may take the early ferry that departs at 8:00 am in Hornopiren and check after arrival in Caleta Gonzalo if a boat is available to carry hikers towards Loyola to hike section GPT76 southbound.

If there is no boat available in Caleta Gonzalo hikers best wait for the second ferry that arrives 2:30 h later. On the second ferry is the bus to Chaiten. From Chaiten hikers can walk section GPT76 northbound. Once in Loyola hikers will find more people with boats in this larger settlement so it is generally easier to arrange a boat transfer from Loyola to Caleta Gonzalo than the other way around.

* GPT77 / Packrafting from Hornopiren to Caleta Gonzalo

Dates: 2021-Nov-30 to 2021-Dec-06
Direction: NoBo and SoBo (Leptepu-Termas de Porcelana-Cahuelmo-Laguna Abascal-Vodudahue)
Participants: Meylin Elisabeth Ubilla González and Jan Dudeck

The often strong wind in these fjords makes packrafting challenging and more risky if attempted with an open packraft without spraydeck. Therefore a decked packraft is the recommended gear.

The recommended travel direction is southbound due to the predominant wind direction.

Packrafting should only be attempted if the weather forecast predicts calm weather or moderate wind only.

On good-weather days with the typical daily wind pattern the morning from sunrise to about 10 am or noon is generally calm and them the “viento sur” kicks in that lasts till 5 pm or 7 pm. The “viento sur” quickly builds up high waves thats makes packrafting unpleasant or even impossible especially with an open packraft. Therefore it is essential to get up in the night and start paddling with the first daylight around sunrise. The best days for packrafting are overcasted calm days. On such days “viento sur” is less dominant.

Two legs require paddling 20 km in one go between suitable camps (Pichanco to Termas de Cahuelmo / Termas de Cahuelmo to Huinay). So getting up early and racing against the clock is essential to not get pinned down by strong wind halfway.

Highlights are the Termas de Cahuelmo, Laguna Abascal and the Termas Porcelana.

Termas de Cahuelmo: Are located at the eastern end of the Fiordo Cahuelmo. The pools offer the perfect view into the fjord. A refuge facilitates cooking in rainy weather. There are several spots for tents in forest next to the hot springs.

Laguna Abascal: Is location about 3 km east of the Termas de Cahuelmo. At low tide packrafters can walk 1 km cross-country to the trailhead, otherwise packrafters better paddle by packraft to the trailhead as the river arms quickly become flooded by the rising tide. From the trailhead a well maintained 2 km short trail leads to Laguna Abascal. Paddling this lake by packraft is highly recommended. The lake is surrounded by steep mountains with few beaches for camping. We slept one night in the refuge at the trail end next to Laguna Abascal and returned on the next morning to the Termas de Cahuelmo.

Termas de Porcelana: Are located 4 km north of Leptepu and definitely worth a visit. You can ask for permission to camp next to the beach. Contact Marlyn +56-9-90978870 (you may buy bread and homemade marmalade from Marlyn)

In Leptepu is a nice refuge right where the ferries arrive.

From Leptepu packrafters may walk the road and enter the Fundo Pillan to get to Estero Pillan where you may camp next to the beach. The 12 km from Estero Pillan to Caleta Gonzalo are feasible against the predominant wind direction in a calm morning if leaving with sunrise. Strong tidal currents occur at narrow at the river delta of Rio Renihue. If needed leave the packraft and pull it against the current along the edge of the river delta.

Sections GPT74P and GPT76 are only recommended in northbound direction (river flow direction and predominant wind). Therfore, after arrival in Caleta Gonzalo best take the bus to Chaiten that arrives with the ferry in Cateta Gonzalo around 15:00 and take a second bus to Puerto Cardenas after resupplying in Chaiten.

* GPT77 and GPT76 Option 3/ Packrafting from Hornopirén to Chaitén

Dates: 2021-Dec-03
Direction: SoBo
Participant: Tobías Schorcht

Did the stretch from Hornopirén to Caleta Gonzalo in a open Packraft in 3 days. The most challenging Parts are the Canal Comau and the Fjordo Largo. Watch carfully the tides and wind and stay close to the shore, since the weather can change quickly.

From Caleto Gonzalo I did some roadwalking through Parce Pumalin, went up to the viewpoint Volcán Chaitén and took the Option 3,GPT76 down to Chaitén. I would Not recomment to do that. At least not southbounded. It requires a lot of Nalca bashing and climbing by the River Chaitén. I felt down once and hurt my shoulder badly. Better take the Option Jan recommented (Loyola, Chumelden).

* 30-Dec-19 / Martín Lizondo / Regular hiking southbound

GPT 77 / 30-Dec-19 / Reg Hiking Southbound

At Hornopiren there are three ferries. Leaving schedule is at 9 am, 10:30 am and at 00 hs from Hornopirén. Reservation is made the day before or the same day since 8:30 am. There’s a bus between Leptepu and Fiordo Largo, with an obligatory boat transfer included to Caleta Gonzalo. The trip takes around 5 hours. Cost = CLP 5700.
In Caleta Gonzalo there’s a camping with services.
GPT 76: The boat to Loyola and Chumilden leaves Caleta Gonzalo on monday, tuesday, wednesday and friday. Conract: Roberto Btos +56 9 85564749. Cost = CLP 2400 per person. Also locals travel by small boats between Caleta Gonzalo to Loyola and Chumilden and can pick you up for some money.

==Summary Table==
{| border="1" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+'''GPT77: PN Pumalin Norte'''
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| GPT77: PN Pumalin Norte
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Group
| colspan="2" | N: Fiordos Norte
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''1.0 km'''
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''0 h'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''101.6 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|'''28 h'''
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Region
| colspan="2" | Chile: Los Lagos (X)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Trails (TL)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 0.3 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|0.3%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Start
| colspan="2" | Caleta Gonzalo
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Minor Roads (MR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|1.0 km
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|100.0%
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 2.5 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 2.4%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Finish
| colspan="2" | Hornopirén
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Primary Roads (PR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 8.1 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 8.0%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Status
| colspan="2" | Published & Verified
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Cross-Country (CC)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Traversable
| colspan="2" | Sep - May
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Bush-Bashing (BB)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packraft
| colspan="2" | Very Useful
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Ferry (FY)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|(85.3 km)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|(98.8%)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Connects to
| colspan="2" | GPT76, GPT78
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Investigation (I)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Options
| colspan="2" | 199 km (3 Options & Variants)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Exploration (EXP)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
| rowspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total on Water
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''90.8 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''89.3%'''
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Attraction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 5 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| River (RI)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Difficulty
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 5 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Lake (LK)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Direction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|Both ↓↑
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|Both ↓↑
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Fjord (FJ)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 90.8 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|89.3%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Comment
| colspan="7" | Hiking: Ferry
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Character
| colspan="7" | Packrafting: ↑ Preferable due preceding section GPT74P Río Yelcho and predominant wind direction
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Challenges
| colspan="7" | Valdivian Rain Forest, Sea Coast, Hot Springs, Fjord Packrafting
|}

==Satellite Image Map==
==Elevation Profile==
[[File:perfil greater patagonian trail 77p.PNG|frame|center|Profile of GPT77: PN Pumalin Norte]]
[[File:perfil greater patagonian trail 77.PNG|frame|center|Profile of GPT77: PN Pumalin Norte]]

==Section Planning Status==
==Recommended Travel Period==
==Benefits of Hiking and Packrafting==
==Recommended Travel Direction==
==Section Length and Travel Duration==
==Suitable Section Combinations==
==Section Attractiveness==
==Section Difficulty==
==Resupply==
===Resupply Town===
====Shopping: Food====
====Shopping: Fuel====
====Shopping: Equipment====
====Services: Restaurants====
====Services: Laundry====
====Services: ATM and Money Exchange====
====Accommodation: Hostals and Hotels====
====Accommodation: Cabañas====
====Accommodation: Camping====
====Transport: Ground Transport====
====Transport: Ferries====
====Transport: Shipping Services====
===Resupply on the Trail===
====Location, Names, Available Items and Services====
==Access to Route and Return==
===Access to Start===
===Return from Finish===
===Escape Options===
==Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues==
==Regular Route==
===Regular Hiking Route===
===Regular Packrafting Route===
==Optional Routes==
==Investigations and Explorations==
==Links to other Resources==
==Alerts and Logs of Past Seasons==

GPT74P (Rio Yelcho)

2023-11-20T18:14:40Z

Jordanjennings: /* Season 2021/22 */

{{Table all GPTs}}

<br style="clear:both" />

Add a new log entry always on top in the appropriate season sub-chapter and use format:

''*'' Start Date to Finish Date (use Format YYYY-MMM-DD) / Duration in Days / Hiking or Packrafting / Travel Direction (SOBO for Southbound or NOBO Northbound) / Chosen Route and/or Option Name (RR for Regular Route) / Names or Alias

Summary with remarks to route that are considered useful for other hikers and packrafters. Include alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties.

Add a sub-chapter by placing two "=" before and after the new sub-chapter heading ('==Sub-Chapter Heading==').

=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=

==Season 2025/26==

==Season 2024/25==

==Season 2023/24==

==Season 2022/23==

==Season 2023/24==

* 2023-Nov-06 to 2023-Nov-09 / 3 days/ Packrafting/ Northbound / GPT 74P Rio Yelcho / Jordan Jennings

My time on Rio Yelcho succeeded days of heavy rain. The river was swollen and very pushy. My guess is that it was moving at around 12km/h. Maybe more. I appreciated headwinds.

Saying this, the biggest risks that I noted were the many (and usual) partially submerged trees. The first rapid, I easily portaged. There was even an eddy in perfect proximity in an adjacent creek flowing into Yelcho which allowed for an easy reentry. The second rapid, although I knew where it was on my gps, I passed without noticing. Perhaps it is more prominent with lower levels of water.

On my final day, I got a beautiful sunny day after 6 days of rain. From my camp 2/3rds down the river, I watched the sun come up over a gentle mist rolling down the valley. When the sun hit the mist, it lit up a stunning golden. One of the most spectacular sights I have ever seen.

==Season 2021/22==
* 2022-Jan-14 to 2022-Jan-15 / 1.5 days / Packrafting / NOBO / GPT 74P Río Yelcho / Tobias Schorcht

Río Yelcho is a fast floating and wide River. It’s well documented in the Track files with a numerous of beautiful camps all along the way. There are 2 easy Rapids. The First one is class 2, if you take the more fun line and paddle through the waves on the right side. The chicken line (class 1) is on the very right side, where a portage is also possible. The second rapid is class 1 and leads you through some fallen trees. Enjoy!

==Season 2020/21==

==Season 2019/20==

==Season 2018/19==

==Season 2017/18==

==Season 2016/17==

=Resupply and Accommodation=

==Resupply and Accommodation in nearby Towns==

==Resupply and Accommodation along the Route==

=Transport to and from Route=

=Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues=

=Links to other Resources=

Retired Section Article [[GPT74P - Río Yelcho]]

=Images=

[[Archivo: | ]]

{| border="1" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+'''GPT74P: Río Yelcho'''
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| GPT74P: Río Yelcho
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Group
| colspan="2" | M: Sector Yelcho
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''-'''
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|'''-'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''51.4 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|'''11 h'''
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Region
| colspan="2" | Chile: Los Lagos (X)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Trails (TL)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Start
| colspan="2" | Puerto Cárdenas
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Minor Roads (MR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Finish
| colspan="2" | Chaitén
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Primary Roads (PR)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Status
| colspan="2" | Published & Verified
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Cross-Country (CC)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Traversable
| colspan="2" | Jan - May (Maybe: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Bush-Bashing (BB)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packraft
| colspan="2" | Required
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Ferry (FY)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Connects to
| colspan="2" | GPT71, GPT73P, GPT76
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Investigation (I)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Options
| colspan="2" | 6 km (Variants Only)
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Exploration (EXP)
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|-
|-
|
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Hiking
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Packrafting
| rowspan="4" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Total on Water
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''51.4 km'''
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| '''100.0%'''
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Attraction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 5 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| River (RI)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 47.2 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 91.7%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Difficulty
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|-
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 3 (of 5)
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Lake (LK)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| -
|-
| style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"|Direction
|style="background-color:#ffbfbf;"|None
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|Only ←
| colspan="2" style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Fjord (FJ)
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"| 4.2 km
|style="background-color:#c2edfc;"|8.3%
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Comment
| colspan="7" | Hiking: Hiking not feasible
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Character
| colspan="7" | Valdivian Rain Forest, Sea Coast, Farmland, Settlers, River Packrafting, Fjord Packrafting
|-
|style="background-color:#bfbfbf;"| Challenges
| colspan="7" | -
|}

[[File:perfil greater patagonian trail 74P.PNG|frame|center|Profile of GPT74P: Río Yelcho]]

GPT73P - Lago Yelcho

2023-11-20T17:59:55Z

Jordanjennings: /* Recent Alerts and Suggestions */

GPT73P - Lago Yelcho

2023-11-20T17:57:23Z

Jordanjennings: /* Recent Alerts and Suggestions */

Greater Patagonian Trail track files

2023-10-16T16:14:45Z

Jordanjennings:

[[category:Greater Patagonian Trail]]
The track files of the [[Greater Patagonian Trail]] are provided on personal request by [[user:Jandudeck|the author]] free of charge but not unconditionally. Read in the Hiker's Manual chapter '''1.15 Terms and Conditions for Using the Hiker’s Manual and the Trail Files''' to review these conditions and to understand why these conditions were put in place.

GPT Hikers's Manual: http://bit.ly/GPTmanual

==Create an account in Wikiexplora (compulsory)==
[[File:create account wikiexplora.png|frame|Six (very standard) steps to create an account in Wikiexplora]]
To request the files you must first [http://wikiexplora.com/index.php?title=Especial:Entrar&type=signup create a Wikiexplora account]. It really takes less than a minute. The form is in spanish, but it's very standard and simple:
#User name
#Password
#Confirm password
#Email. Not compulsory but highly recommended to give us the chance to reach you. Wikiexplora has sent only '''one''' non personal email in 13 years.
#Real name (optional)
#On the final line type '''wikiexplora''', all in lower case

==List of requests==


Please type your name (or your new Wikiexplora user name or alias) and explain your plan for the GPT that requires the GPT Track Files. Put yourself on top of the list.

Don't forget to send the email after adding yourself to the list as described in the GPT Hikers' Manual (1.15.7 Access to the GPT Track Files).

Use the format:

* '''JordanJennings''' Hi Jan, my plan is to packraft soundbound sections 17-30 over the season, but will likely begin with a few (conditions appropriate) sections between 30-40 from November after completing some packrafting training around Puerto Río Tranquilo. I would like to also thank you for dedication so much time and energy into making this possible for all of us

*'''LottiRummel''' Hi Jan, thank you for all your fantastic work! We are planning to spend January 2024 in Chile and want to hike starting from around GPT 06 southwards. I hope the gpx tracks will help us decide which sections to plan. Thanks! Alex and Lotti

*'''Rowe99''' Hi Jan, first of all, many thanks to you and everyone else who contributed to the manual. I have never seen so much information about such a large network for any other region in an open-source manner. I am planning to hike this year (2023) from December to mid-February starting from El Chaltén northwards with a pakraft. Thanks for all the information so far! Cheers Roman!

*'''Jonas._____''' Hi Jan, I'm planning to hike through Patagonia from December to February/March. I will start in Puerto Montt and then go south from there as far as time and terrain permits. The great GPT Hikers' Manual did already give me a really good insight in what to expect and I would really appreciate having the GPT Track Files as well to prepare for my trip as much as possible! Thanks for your help!

*'''ColineW''' Hi Jan ! Thank you a lot for the amazing work you did with the "Great Patagonian Trail, Hikers Manual" ! It's full of wize advices and ideas I maybe would havenot find myself. I will go in Chili from mid-december to mid-march, meet up with my father who is currently wandering in the south. We'd like the hike northbound from GPT20 to GPT01. The GPS files would be a great help for you, since I tried my plan an itinerary on Google Earth and, as you know, I lost sight of some roads in the forest. My father has a Garmin66i, so we'll be able to send the datas of our trail to you. Have a nice day !

*'''Roi Keler''' Hello Jan, First of all, thank you for the amazing work you did and still do, it's a great inspiration for me. I plan to spend 3-4 months in Patagonia and I want to combine several walking sections of the GPT between section GPT01 - GPT16 & GPT32 - GPT46. After reading the hikers' manual and completing the preparations, I decided not to focus on a meticulous plan because it is important for me to be spontaneous and keep the options open. The GPS files in combination with the hikers' manual will allow me to choose the hiking sactions that suit me and then send the information to you and share with the community. Thanks for everything!

*'''Marmur''' Hi Jan! We are a couple and are planning to hike the GPT from start to end, in 2 seasons (hopefully) starting next season. We have visited Patagonia in the past and can't wait to get to know it more intimately, as we loved it so much. hiking in remote locations with unmarked trails is not new to us, but we are exited about the challenges that are waiting for us at this epic terrain. this is a great chance to thank you for all this impressive work that you've been doing, and you can count on us that after all this ends for us, we will share all inputs and updates with you and the community.

*'''Lukas Deleu''' Hi Jan, my girlfriend and I are planning to do 3-4 months of hiking through Greater Patagonia starting this december. We chose some of the sections that most appealed to us and hope to connect them by public transport. Gpt 6-12, 16-19, 32-40 is what we have in mind for the moment. Having the trackfiles would be a great help offcourse. Cheers.

*'''Huemul''' Hello Jan, I'm Frank from Irlanda. I hope to continue southbound in November from El Chalten to Isla Navarino. Thanks for all your help & advice so far.

*'''RoshiJ''' Hi Jan, what an amazing piece of work you've established in the GPT hiker's manual, and its amazing to see how many people are inspired by it. I am planning on exploring Patagonia starting in November, with no end date as of yet. My only goal is to wander and wonder but I'd like to do so well-informed and as prepared as possible. I already feel so after reading the manual but it would be even better to set out armed with your GPS files. I also love the idea of using wikiexplora as a platform to communicate within a like-minded community with similar goals so am enthusiastic to share my own experiences and read those of others.

*'''Pieper92''' Holá Jan, Thank you for providing this comprehensive manual. I will travel to Patagonia in November 2023 and want to make my way from santiago to tierra del fuego by feet, on my beloved packraft but also longer sections by bus transport. Have not picked all sections but Lagos Chilenos/argentinos, parts of fjord area and tierra del fuego are in focus. Especially I want to circumvent the spoiled national parks in the south. Your guide has already been a great help up to know but the GPT track files would be extraordinary helpfull. I will especially try to provide novel exploration data by packraft.

*'''nickcarter884''' Dear Jan, Thank you so much for all the work you have done on this manual and the route, it's fantastic! Some friends and I are planning to do the section around El Chalten in February 2024 and would really like to follow your routes rather than the roads. Please could I have access to the GPS files so we can be in the real nature, not just the road? :-)

*'''delabien''' Dear Jan, I am very inspired by your manual. My partner and I plan to travel for 4 months starting from the capital Santiago going slowly to the south (starting in November 2023). Thus we would like to hike some of the sections you and the other collaborators assembled. In order to make the expedition more feasible for us we intent to use the local public transportation for some parts. Really looking forward to experience the changing landscapes during the route. Thank you

*'''wbarab''' Hi Jan, thank you for all the extensive and detailed work put into this manual. My partner and I (American & Spanish)plan to hike the GPT from mid November 2023 until late February or March 2024. So far GPT 6-12, 14-16, 19, and 32-40 have stood out to us as a start, but our investigations continue and we plan to add at least another half dozen sections (plus some "maybes" if time permits)! To continue we would really appreciate access to the trackfiles.

*'''ranulph24''' Hi Jan, great manual! Thank you for putting so much passion in this project. I consider hiking on the GPT in November 2024 - April 2025. I am mainly aiming for the northern part 5 - 30 and add a smaller section in the south. For refining my plans I would like to study the GPS Track Files in detail.

*'''MMartinez''' Hi Jan, thank you so much for this incredible amount of work. It is really inspiring and exciting. We are a couple (American and Polish) and we are interested in hiking some of the sections of the GPT later this year. We have been reading the manual and adjusting and readjusting plans the more we learn (there's so much to learn!) We would really appreciate access to the track files to help with the planning. Thank you so much again!

*'''SeanMaskill''' Hi Jan, Thanks for all of your work! I've wanted to hike sections of the GPT for a few years. I've now started the research seriously and tracks would help me decide which sections I'd like to hike. Cheers Sean.

*'''MarmotAndBear''' Dear Jan, Thank you for putting in so much dedicated work, to create the Hiker’s Manual, and in doing so helping others to hike and appreciate this part of the world. We are a German-Singaporean couple and we have been following the GPT community for almost one year now. We have quit our jobs not long ago and have started visiting Central Asia, where we’ve been able to do some amazing hikes. Before setting foot on the GPT this coming (southern) summer, we are planning to improve our Spanish in other South American countries. We hope a few weeks of dedicated learning will do the trick. Once on the trail, we are planning to hike and packraft as much of the GPT as we can during the coming season. Let’s see how far our feet and boat will carry us :)

*'''guaraches80''' Hello and good afternoon Jan. I have been reading and preparing for some sections of the trail you have put together. I, a Mexican American, and a Colombian friend will be backpacking through Brazil and later to Argentina in the coming months and we would love to see some of the wonderful trails you and others have experienced. Obviously, because of our backgrounds we both speak fluent Spanish and have years of backpacking, hiking and bushcrafting experience. This is something I look forward to with the uptmost energy and so will eagerly await the track files to begin further in-depth planning. Thank you for your time. Until next time!

*'''blissfulmisgivings''' Hi Jan, Thank you for providing so much detailed and helpful information about the GPT! We (two Americans) are excited to try packrafting portions of the GPT beginning in November 2023. The guidance you've provided in the manual has already been invaluable to our preparations, and we look forward to reviewing and using the GPT track files in our journey. Thanks again!

*'''YannickCOLL''' Hi Jan, Thank you very much for your work and your dedication to the GPT. We are immersing in the GPT universe with pleasure and a growing sense of adventure. We are a couple (French and Belgian) and we’re looking to hike some sections of the GPT between mid-November 2023 until April 2024 (Sections: 1-12 / 16 / 19 / 32-40). These are the sections that we selected so far and that we are more attracted to, knowing that of course it can change. We were wondering if you could grant us access to the GPS tracks in order for us to prepare for the GPT. We understand that this is an unofficial trail and that it is still a work in progress and we are eager to help in any way we can to continue to build this ‘trail’. Nolwenn & Yannick

*'''daniel.s''' Hi Jan, amazing work with the Hiker's Manual! I hope to meet some of you on the trail next season. I'm planning to do some of the packrafting sections starting at GPT 17. The track files would be very helpful to make it an unforgettable experience. Greetings from Austria, Daniel

*'''hevike''' Hello fellow hiking community, I'm Jens from Germany looking into hiking sections of the GPT this November until the end of February. Thanks for the amazing work you all have put into this project and I'm looking forward to contribute myself.

*'''MartinGilles''' Hola Jan, soy Martin de Belgica y estoy planeando hacer una parte del GPT al principio de noviembre hasta el 20 de diciembre. Me gustaria tener the GPS tracks para organisarme y ver lo que me conviene mas. Muchas gracias por lo que hiciste y para permitir la exploracion de esta parte del mundo. Un placer, Martin.

*'''Marc Altena''' Hi Jan, thanks for all your hard work exploring the hidden trails of Patagonia. I'm hoping to do sections 6 to 10, 16 to 22 and 32 to 40 early next year. The GPS tracks would be helpful. Tanks in advance for sending them. Kind regards, Marc

*'''Lorenzo''' Hi Jan, I don't have specific plans concerning the GPT yet, but that might change soon. After the reading the first 300 pages of your guidebook it seems to me like a real challenge and an unforgettable experience at the same time. I'll call it a dream to hike at least parts of it, and extensive planning is the first step to make your dreams come true.

*'''Joscha97''' Hi Jan, I gonna travel to Chile in the beginning of next year and I am really fascinated by the idea of the GPT. I would love to hike some parts of it, starting in Santiago. Thanks for all the work you put into this project. Greetings

*'''Larix84''' Hello Jan, he hablado contigo con whatsapp hace 2 semanas Mi proyecto de trail para el ano que viene se confirma, un saludo'''

*'''Noemie''' Hi Jan, thank you so much for making us discover those incredible paths and landscapes in an ethical way. I have been hiking in Chilean Patagonia for a few months now and I wish to keep discovering the region more deeply by hiking through a few sections of the GPT, especially GPT36H (ruta de los Pioneros). Depending on how this goes, and on the weather conditions, I may try to go further north around sections 08-09. Thanks for all your work, the resources you provided have been super helpful!

*'''TheRebel''' Hey Jan thanks for the big package of information you provide with tha website/pdf I'm in Argentina since 3 months and hiked many km in the official and more marked areas (bariloche, bolson, esquel, el Chaltén, El Calafate, Ushuaia and more) and now I'm on the way back north and wanna end up in Bolivia or maybe even Columbia in the next 6 months... I've heard about your site from a Canadian guy who did some sections more north and I thought it would be nice to do some more trails in a little more remote areas on my way north
Greatings TheRebel

*'''Jen''' Hi Jan and so, so many thanks for all the incredible work you have done here. I am currently in Peru and planning to fly south to begin the beginning of GPT01 in the next few weeks and see how long I can walk for before things become too off season. I will halt and recommence when the season comes back in. If I manage to journey to Punta Arenas in the end, whenever this might be, then I am happy! Thank you, Jen.

*'''Ollie''' Hello Jan. I am from Wales and currently is
Brazil after sailing here from Europe. My plan is to work my way towards southern Argentina where I will stop and work for a while. Hopefully improving my Spanish, get to know the culture more and spend my weekends in the mountains to prepare. The idea is to start from Tierra Del Fuego, head north and just take it step by step. The manual has been a great read thank you for being so thorough. Love it. Cheers.

*'''Silke & Hans''' Hello, We are a Belgian couple currently on a multiyear bikepacking, trekking & mountaineering trip through South-America. We'd been looking forward to do some sections of the GPT for a long time. We are currently in Chile Chico, and planning to do the GPT35 section. We probably want to do some more sections further South.

*'''Jakub+Veronika''' Hi Jan, we're a couple from Czechia, currently almost one month in Chile getting to know the country, it's history and it's people's culture. We'd like to hike some parts of the GPT south from Puerto Montt, where we are based right now. Thanks for this awesome work!

*'''Alan''' Hola Jan! I'm Alan from California. I'm interested in doing GPT32 and GPT33H. Thanks for all the resources you have provided so far!

*'''Diegoara''' Hi! My name is Diego and I am from Chile and I'm interested in the GPT to do de GPT18 & GPT19, i would be a little more than a week, i think that is amazing the work that you do making this GPT in my country.Thanks!

*'''Jess&Paco''' Hey Jan ! We are from France and we would love to hike the GPT between march and april 2023. We plan to connect a few sections in the great lakes region (between section GPT45 and GPT35, south to north) for about a month. And if the weather is favorable, we would explore in april a little bit of the nothern parts of the GPT (volcanos region) but without necessarily connecting steps, while being around for a workaway. Thanks a lot for all this work !

*'''blklb''' Hi Jan! I'll be leaving for Chile in a few days and would like to do bits and pieces of the sections between Curico and Conaripe, perhaps farther south. I'll be combining trekking with time spent in towns/cities. This is going to be a leisurely exploration of the GPT, with the possiblity of a longer GPT-specific trip in the future. Thanks!

*'''Joachim''' Holà Jan! I'm Joachim from France. I'm coming to Chile in a few weeks, and found your website with a lot of valuable informations on this beautiful itinerary! I don't have a fixed plan yet but my idea is to start around Santiago and go South until winter begins. I'd love to get a hand on those gpx files to help me plan properly, I'll be happy to share feedback when coming home. Many thanks for all the work you put in!

*'''Johnny1968''' Hi Jan! We are a couple from Italy and want to to start mid february 2023 from Santiago for the GPT. We have 2 months of time and want to see how far we get, without hurry, soaking up nature and culture. Thanks for the manual and creating the track files, great respect for the ethics!

*'''derameisenbaer''' Hi, two people from Germany. We'll be hiking part of the GPT (GPT06-GPT12) in February. If there's time left we might be able to hike part of the more southern sections as well. Really looking forward to it and really aprreciate the great work on this page and the Hikers Manual!

*'''ebse''' Hello, I'm Ed from England. Would love to help contribute to this mammoth project by hopefully walking GPT01 - GPT20ish in late 2023. Looks like a remarkable experience all round; I'd be very grateful to be part of it.

*'''Martio''' Saludos, soy Martial ! landing on jan. 14th for a 2 month journey into Chilean natural wonders. I plan to hike a selection of northern GPT sections between 1 and 22. Plans purposely open for this first experience and can't wait to get involved in the community. Ps: Jan, you rock !

*'''Clemgbl''' I'm Clement from France. Currently hiking in Chile from month, I would like to continue my trek on the GPT next month (january and February 2023). I plan to start in Coyhaique and hike until El Chalten (GPT 31 to GPT 40).

*'''Jcoxxx''' I'm Jeff from Alaska. Hopefully I'll be hiking and packrafting section 17 to 39, starting this January. I'm really excited to be a part of this project and share my trackfiles.

*'''Eleebeatriz''' Hi, I'm Elena from Chile. On the 27th of this month we are going to carry out the Gpt7, we will enter through the "Puente Ingles" , in San Fabian de Alico, up to the Polcura mountain range, in Antuco. Greetings and I hope in January I will be editing what I have done to share it with you!

*'''MarcGPT''' Hola! Last year while hiking around Cochrane, I learned about the GPT. Looking forward to return and contribute to the GPT manual.

*'''Franzz''' Hi! I'm Franzz from Switzerland. I'm planning to thru-hike my own version of the GPT next year. Using your tracking files would be a great help planning the itinerary :) I would be more than happy to share back my own track files and experiences once I'm back.

*'''Nicktravels_''' Hey mate, I'm Nick - i'm planning on a hike/packraft of mumtiple segments with my three amigos. Leave only footprints is a big part of our travelling philosophy and I have a lot of respect for the ethos you carry through the information provided.

*'''Timo''' Hi, I'm Timothée. I'm French but also from Munich Germany! I plan on being in Chile beginning of next year and on doing someof the sections (probably 6-22, 32-40 more or less). I'm super impressed by all the gathered and explained documentations and advices form the Manual and would love to contribute !

*'''zozo''' Hi, my name is Zohar. I'm from Israel and plan on doing some trekking in Patagonia in January 2023. planning to do parts of the GPT from south to north starting at section 46.

*'''florianluca''' Hi, my name is Florian. I'm from Germany and plan on doing some trekking in Chile at the Beginning of next year (2023). I appreciate the work that went into this project and would like to use some of it for planning some of our tour.

*'''willcampbell444''' Hi, I'm Will from Canada. I'm interested in hiking some of the trail as I make my way south through Chile! I was thinking of starting at section 6 in mid December, depending on the weather. I really appreciate all the work done putting together the trail, and I hope to contribute with my track files and notes.

*'''Dallas''' Hi, I´m Dallas, from Berkeley, California, USA. I am interested in planning a trip in early 2023 to explore the beauty of Patagonia and indulge in my passion for slow, human-powered travel. This trip is open-ended and intentionally meandering, and the GPT looks like an excellent basis of exploration.

*'''Nicopo''' Hi, I´m Nicolás, from Buenos Aires. My girlfriend and I have been hiking in Patagonia for the last few years and we are planning on hiking sections of the GPT from December to February. We are already getting started with our planning and are looking forward to contributing with what we can. Thank you!

*'''Newt, Birdie, and Possum''' Hi! We are on our way back to Patagonia for the third time. The three of us have hiked in Patagonia and many other places in the world together. We will have 1 month to hike a portion of the GPT, specifically focusing on 33H -38H going northbound. We are inspired by this document and we can't wait to become contributing members of this community. Thank you!

*'''pgantier''' Hi, I'm Pierre from France. I discovered Chile and South America 5 years ago during an exchange semester and look forward to going back there for a long trip (within the next 5 years for around 12 months). I would love to do some part of the Greater Patagonian trail during this future gap year and I want to prepare well it advance to continue to get experience to be ready for this gread adventure !

*'''Jonny6k''' Hi, im planning on hiking some sections of the GPT from late December until March (or until i get tired!) I am planning on sections 6-22, but nothing is certain yet. I hope to add to the track files and contribute with some notes regarding the trails. i look forward to arriving in chile! Jonny

*'''felagund''' Hello, I would like to hike the GPT in December-February, from Santiago till as far as I can get and as long as a I enjoy it. So I would be interested in the trackfiles from 1 till about 40, even though I probably won't reach that far. I am a contributor to OSM so I was thinking that would be my main form of contribution, though I would not want to put paths that are disputed there of course. Tomas

*'''Arnaudlacoste''' Hello Jan! I have been a big fan of the GPT for some years now. I just moved back to Chile after living for the past 8 years in Europe and would love to discover a few sections of the GPT. I will be settling in Araucania region so I would love to have access to the track files and plan which sections I will immerge myself into. I hope I can also contribute to it and meet some of the community in the following months/years. Thanks you and the community for this marvelous work! Cheers, Arnaud.

*"ChristopherT"Hello! Christopher from Austria here. My girlfriend Anna from Germany and I are planning to do the gpt. We are still trying to figure out which sections we would like to trek.We definetly want to explore and hike in Feuerland though.We would very much appreciate the track files to help us with our decision and on our journey. I hope we can contribute a bit as well. Thank you!
Cheers,
Christopher and Anna

* '''Matous'''Hi everyone! Here Matous and Johana. Couple from Czechia. We are planning to hike some sections on GPT at the beginning of next year. We are interested in GPT06 - 22. The track files would be great help in planning. And thank you for amazing work. We´ll be happy to contribute.

* '''guilhermealexs''' Hi! Guilherme Alexsander here from Brazil. Me and some friends are planning to walk some parts of the GPT. We are currently interested in the Los Quenes - Central Cipreces section. I'd like to get the track files to help us with planning. Thanks!

*"nmakepeace" Hello everyone, Natalie here from Canada, thank you to Jan and everyone for their contributions! My plan is to hike southbound on the GPT starting at Termas del Flaco (connect@ GPT05) because I want to do some specific mountains in Central Chile first. I may also look into connecting Volcán Maipo to coya. To make this all easier and more safe I would be not only grateful for the GPS files but honored! Start: mid/late December until begining of March. Hope to hear tales from you all soon!

* '''rom1dwker''' My girlfriend and I will cycle southward patagonian roads and ripio from mid december 22 to mid february 23, and we plan to maybe hike some sections of the GPT, especially the ones in Jenimeini where we have already been a few years ago, dependind on how everything goes with the cycling and and the roads we will actually take.

* '''gornik''' Me and my grilfriend Gabi would like to hike on GPT from January till March 2023. We are on a gap year after our studies, and during that time we would love to enjoy the wilderness of Patagonia. We are planning to first do some singular sections and after gaining some knowledge and experience in Patatagonia hiking, we would like to do some longer distances. We are also exited to combine it with hitchhiking to minimalize environmental impact.

* '''hannahp24''' My partner Eric & I will hike GPT 32-36 in Dec-Jan 2022/2023. Excited to explore new places and give guidance to what we find here.

* '''Jmcantin''' Hi Jan, thanks for the hard work in this awesome guide! I am planning a Southbound hike of the GPT from Santiago de Chile in January 2023 for a couple of months. I would love to have the track files to properly plan my route. Thank you for your help :)

* ''' bforselv''' Hello guys, my wife and I live north of the Artic Circle in Norway and we are planing to go to Chile for hiking January and February. We want to do sections of the GPT.

* ''' Ishaysachs(Ishay)''' Hello Jan! Ishay from Israel here. Just finished the PCT and looking forward to do some sections of the GPT this January-March. Would love to get access to the files in order to plan my route (: thank you for putting so much effort into this. That's an incredible project and I can't wait to start hiking and share the journey with this great community.

*''' greenh3624 (Helen and Craig)''' Hello Hello Jan. Thank you so much for providing all this incredible information from the manual, we are both super grateful and are looking forward to contributing. Looking in to sections GPT 16- 05/06 for 2023 and hopefully some southern route sections from there. Just a quick comment to request track files. Your manual is incredible by the way. Mil gracias!

* ''' Christophe (Alex & Christophe)''' Hi Jan! Thanks a lot for all this informations and for your work. We are now travelling in south America with our van and are planning to sell it and start to hike the GPT in December 2023 for 2 or 3 month. This track files would help us a lot to plan this incredible adventure.

*'''miguelvdvelden (Miguel)''' Hola Jan! I’m in awe of everything you’ve put together for the GPT. It’s so comprehensive and as a sustainability student I am grateful for the focus on both the environmental and social sustainability of the region and its communities. I am hoping to hike or packraft a part of the GPT over six weeks or so in Jan-Feb 2023. I am in full planning mode now, hence my request here. Muchas gracias por todo. Abrazo.

*'''nico142857''' Hola Jan! Hace un tiempo habia leido parte del manual y veo que ahora esta actualizado. Desde ese momento que quede maravillado con la rigurosidad de tu trabajo y lo sigo haciendo ahora. Me suscribo a esta lista para poder obtener los track files, pues me interesa recorrer algunas secciones en las proximas vacaciones de verano 2022/2023. Estare muy agradecido si lo puedes mandar. Saludos desde Chile!. nicolas.

*'''Lore Olivares''' Hola Jan, gracias por compartir esta valiosa información. Soy de Chile y junto a mi amigo queremos hacer la parte norte del GPT desde Santiago. Te agradeceré mucho si nos puedes compartir los datos GPX. Muchas gracias de antemano.
*'''annéesympathique;) (Rémy D.)''' Hi guys, I‘m a student from Belgium and I plan to walk the GPT from december to march. That’s why having the GPX track files would help me realize this project. A big respect about all the work behind the GPT.
* ''' TOBEL ''' Congratulations to the GPT Hikers Manual. I am from Germany and a bit older then the most here. This year I will hike some parts of the GPT, so I would like to get the gpx files.

* ''' Michaelstabile (Mike & Avery) Hi, Thanks for compiling all of this information. We are Backpacking and Pack rafting Guides in Alaska. We are planning to start in 2023 and Continue through all the way back to Alaska. Hiking, bike packing, Packrafting and sea kayaking. Having this track files would be incredible for us helping with planning for this section of our journey.

* ''' Martin&Helena (Martin.h)''' Hello guys! Thanks for the amazing work you’re doing with the GPT. We are a couple from Prague, Czech republic, planning to start hiking from the beginning of December, most likely until the end of March. We would use the track files for planning our hike and navigation. Thank you, Martin&Helena

* '''EDAWILSON (Ed)''' Hello! We are a couple from Scotland who are heading to Patagonia for a couple of months hiking this October/ November, and we are looking to incorporate some elements of the GPT into our trip. 2022 conditions permitting, we will likely explore some sections of the Fjord route; as well as Glacier Chica to El Chaltén; and fingers crossed some sections south of here. I would love to overlay the track files over GE for a better planning experience. We love the spirit of the community you are building here! Great work!

* '''Ridgepathpictures (Jani)''' Hi! Myself and a couple of friends are planning a packrafting trip in Patagonia at the start of 2023. We will be dipping in and out of the regular packrafting route, so sections 17 to 39. The aid of the track files would be greatly appreciated. I'm honestly astounded by the work you have put into this trail, it's truly very inspiring.

* '''Slingshot (Jeremy)''' Hi! My soon to be wife and I are planning a 3 month trek from GPT05 southbound and would greatly benefit from the GPT track files. Thank you so much for your hikers manual and for providing access to these files. It has already greatly benefited us.

* '''Alexis (dm) & Iris''' Hello! We are a 29/28 years old couple from France and are starting a sabbatical in South America for a year in December. We are landing in Puntas Arenas and would like to hike our way, on the GPT or not, through Chile up to the Ecuador. To better plan our trip, we would like to access the GPT track files and are obviously willing to contribute to the initiative. Many thanks.

*'''Max''': Hello, I am from Germany and I really like to hike. Next year, I plan to hike from Santiago de Chile all the way down to Ushuaia with a Packraft. To do that, I would like to get the gpx files, so I can choose from the routes. Thank you for all of this.

*'''Ted''': Hi guys, I'm a 33 year old austrian guy and I plan to hike a few sections of the GPT in October and November. it would be great if i could have the gpx data so i can plan the routes better. great community

*'''Chris and Tara''': Hello!!! We are husband and wife, being 33 and 26 years old respectively. We plan to walk from Barilloche to Santiago incorporating large sections of the GPT. There are no fixed plans for sections and times, just to fully immerse our selves in Patagonia, it’s people and way of life. Thank you and all those who have contributes for your incredible work so far, I look forward to being able to contribute for others to enjoy!

**'''Wannes''': Hello, I'm a 31 year old belgian who plans a two week trek/run in the beginning of November. I would love to do a part of the GPT. Could I receive the gpt tracks to decide which part would be ok to do? Kind regards. Wonderfull work!

*'''Yannic & Mirjam''': Hello together. We are Yannic and Mirjam and since one year on a world trip. We plan to spend a few months in Patagonia next and hike parts of the GPT. Which parts exactly we are currently still working out. Would it be possible to get the GPS tracks? Thank you for you incredible work !

*'''AdriKunz''': Hello, first of all, a huge thank for all your amazing work. I am so grateful for this sharing which will allow me I hope to live a unique experience. I'm a actually working in French Guyana, but were looking for an immersive hick before living this continent. I finally came across this extraordinary adventure, which I think corresponds to me in every way. I plan to try the GTP from Santiago to part 14 or 15 of the GPT in a month and a week. I intend to start the hike in mid november. May i aske you the GPT track of thoses parts ?

*'''Avisito''': Finally going for it - December 2022! Plan to start at GPT05 and go south for several weeks - would love to start exploring the GPS track files. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

*'''Veronica''': Hello, I am Canadian and will be spending six months in South America from October 2022 to March 2023. While I am there I would love to spend a few of these months hiking various portions of the GPT, which is why I would love to obtain the GPS track files. Thank you so much for all this work and to all those who have compiled all this information. I am very much appreciative of all of this!

*'''Andes et Tentes''': Hello, we are 3 french students taking a year off to explore South America. We are planning to explore Patagonia between February and April 2023 by hiking on some specific sections of the GPT. That's why we are asking for the GPS tracks. Many thanks for the huge work achieved ! It is impressively detailed and complete !

*'''ondra''': Hello! My name is Ondrej and I am from the Czech Republic. I have been reading about Jan's and others' experiences on the GPT for the past two years. I will finally have a chance to walk a part of the trail myself in January - March 2023. I am adding myself to the list to kindly request the track files. Thank you Jan for putting this together.

*'''Mat''': Hi! from France. I’m planning a few months hiking trip to discover south America. I’ll most probably walk parts of the Gpt (as much as I can). I would be grateful to receive the necessary gpx files. Thank you for the this very huge and inspiring work.

*'''Alice & Florian''': Hola! We are Alice & Florian, a french couple who love hiking. We who will travel in South America and especially in Chile in September and October this year (2022), and we read about the GPT and some blogs, which really peaked our interest. Our project is to walk going south along the GPT for about a month, somewhere between September and November. After reading the hiker's manual, we came here in order to do access the GPX files and prepare deeper our project. Muchas Gracias para todo este trabalho.

*'''Thomas - Chilzin, Brah!''': Hola! I'm a thru hiker planning to do a large part of the GPT mostly continuously before heading north on a huge trip to explore South America. I really appreciate this resource and will do my best to contribute before and while I'm on trail. Thank you!

*'''Aneso''': Hola! I'm Aneso, a French woman who loves hiking. I heard about the GPT while doing research following my plan to go to South America for 1 year.
My project on the GPT being to leave from the south in the direction of the north, over a period of 1 month (or even a little more) from January 2023.
In my research I am missing the exact GPX files for my GPS.
Thank you in advance and congratulations again for all the work provided and to which we have access.

*'''Ariane''': Hola! I'm French and I will be hiking in Patagonia in April (and perhaps May); my plans are not yet well defined but I'd like to follow parts of the GPT on my way northward. Thanks for your super useful work!

*'''OriolGirona''': Hola! I'm from Barcelona but living at nearby Girona. Love hiking and cycling, being my longer tours so far between 4 and 6 weeks on the trail. I hear about the GPT two years ago while looking for new ideas during covid lockdown. I already read the manual a couple of times, and I am thrilled to travel to Santiago next November / December for a couple of month, probably starting from section 1. And at this point of planning I will apreciate to have the GPX tracks to get deeper into this process. Awesome work. Thanks a lot!!!

*'''JuanchoUgarte''': Hola! I'm a Chilean guy that loves hiking. I hear about the GPT a few years ago. This year while doing the Travesia Cerro Castillo realized that it was part of the GPT and decided to start planning to do it on summer 2023. During 2021 did the GR11 in Spain and want to do something in Chile this time (the GPX tracks would be very useful for all the planning) Probably will start near Parque Inglés. Thanks a lot!!!

*'''LeanderDc''': Hey hey, we're a crew of 3 hiking-friends from Belgium and Chile. We're planning on walking a part of the GPT starting from around Cochamó till O'Higgins, probably taking some ferries and hitchhikes in between. We're starting to refine our exact route, by reading the manual and analyzing google earth, and would hugely benefit from the exact GPX files. Thanks in advance!

*'''rowanl''': Hello, I'm an avid hiker from Canada looking to explore trails along the carretera austral especially around Cerro Castillo National Park. I hope to use the track files to help refine my plans. I appreciate all the information provided, Thank you!

*'''meotr''': Hi! I'm a french engineer planning to hike some parts of the main route between mid-february and mid-march during a 3-4 months period in Chile and Argentina. Thank you for you incredible work !

*'''Sergio''': Hi! I live in Santiago and I'm planning on hiking some of the first GPTs on early February and hopefully some of the southern parts later on. Thank you very much for all the work you have put into this, it's an incredible thing what you have done!!

*jdhanlon/Jen and Vince''': Hi! I am planning to hike and packraft a number of sections this season, from Jan - March 2022. Thank you for all your efforts and guidance in sharing information about the trail network!

*'''Gianluca/Cerna_Beltz''': Salve a tutti, Hi!! I'm italian and I'm planning to hike some part of the GPT from the end of january to mars/avril. Thank you so much for all this information and for your attitude!

*'''José''': Hi!!. I'm chilean and im planning to hike the GPT05 - 22 southbound. I would really apreciate to have access to the track files. Thank you so much for doing this, its awesome!

*'''Carlos and Ivan''': Hellow. We'll be in Chile in january and february. Track files would be a great help for planning our hike. Thank you for your great work!

*'''Mariia and Misha''': Hi! We are two Russian flying to Argentina in end of December. Fully equipped for packrafting. Planed start January 5, 2022 from Lago Puelo southbound. Sections: 1. GPT23-25P Rio Frey and Lago Amutui Quimei. 2. Then flying to Chile and resume GPT26-28P 3. GPT30P-32 4. GPT33H-35 5. GPT36P 6. 36H Northbound. End before March 25. I would be very greatful for the track files. Thank you so much for your awesome guide and work!

*'''Mawel''': Hello, I'm planning to hike the GPT or at least a part of it. Idealy, I'd like to start from Ushuaïa and travelling up north along the cordilliera. Anything concrete yet but I'm sure the track files will be very helpful to prepare this journey as best as I can.

*'''Alexey''': I will start my trip on 29.11.2021 from Lago Todos Los Santos to the North, until Lago Ranco.

*'''Matthias&Janna''': We will hike parts of the GPT in december - february. Track files would be a great help for planning our hike. Thanks for the enormous work done!

*'''Franck''': I will hike parts of the GPT with a friend in december and january, we're interested in GPT05 to 12, 19 to 22 and 32 to 36. Thanks for the great work !! Can't wait to put my shoes on : D

*'''Nathaniel''': I will be in Chile for a few months starting in December 2021. I am considering packrafting in the vicinity of the Western Fjord Traverse (GPT90P-GPT92P) as well as hiking/packrafting a section of the main route of the GPT in Zones H and I (possibly including GPT32-40).

*'''Laurent and Maxime''': Hi there! We are two Canadians flying to Chile in January. We are fully equiped with lightweight equipment for packrafting, endure all sorts of weather and accomplish a great trip on the greater patagonian trail! We have 3 months to travel and we are very grateful of all the precious information you offer us ! Thank you very much !

*'''Rebeca y Cristián''': Buenas tardes Jan! Estuvimos conociendo distintos lugares de la décima región desde inicios del 2021, "aprovechando" las cuarentenas. Ahora estamos planeando un viaje más largo, el cual incluye packraft. Nos encantaría acceder a los archivos para planificar mejor. Desde ya, muy agradecidos.

*'''David Batguano''': Good day all. I am heading to Chile at the end of November 2021 to get some hiking in, obviously. Fist I am completing the O circuit at Torres del Paine, then will hopefully complete some of the easier sections of the GPT(I do not wish to bushwack or prove a point). I have no time constraints and will just go where I wish at a leisurely pace. I am on page 400 of the hikers manual working on routing. Though difficult, Jan's work so far is an unbelievable resource.

*'''Vera & James''': Hi all! We are planning to head over to Chile for 3 months Jan - Mar 2022 and plan to hike on the GPT. Planning is ongoing but current thinking is start at Puyehue and work north. The main motivation is to be in the mountains/wilderness for a period of time. The manual is an incredible resource! Thanks!

*'''Tobias''': Hi Jan, I'm flying into Chile on the 1 of November. My plan is to hike southwards from Frutillar to El Chaltén and visit Schools along the way. I would be very greatful for the track files GPT 22-40. Thank you so much for your amazing work!

*'''Kris&Stiina''': Greetings, we are going to Chile in November and we plan to hike some sections of the GPT. Track files would be a great help for planning our hike and logistics. Thanks for the enormous work done!

*'''Helmut and Beatrice''': Hi JAN, we are planning to spend two months in Patagonia at the beginning of next year. We want to hike around 1000 km and the tracking data would be a great help for us to choose appropriate sections and plan our hiking adventure. High praise for the great manual!

*'''HolKann & Peanutje''': Hey all, we're planning to visit Chile in January 2022, and hope to hike parts of the GPT for the better part of (at least) 3 months. Our most recent hiking experience was the [https://thepindosway.com Pindos way] in Greece, which consisted of finding "the shadow of an old mule path" to get up or down a mountain ridge, which taught us how to handle packs of angry shepherd dogs, and which forced on us a crash course in rudimentary Greek (as we would have gone hungry otherwise). We hope to get to know Patagonia and its people in the same way, except that our Spanish skills should be a bit better.

*'''Stephan''': Hi folks, Hi Jan, i'm planning to do the GPT 22,Lago todos los santos, from Petrohue to Cochamo, hiking and packrafting. I have planned to go on October 2021. Thanks for the great work!
*'''Stéphane''': Hi folks, Hi Jan, planing a trail trip next summer in Patagonia walking from Villa Cerro Castillo to Villa o Higgins. Could you please Jan send mi the track files beetween Villa Cerro Castillo and Pto Ibanez passing through Torres el Avellano ? GPT33H. Thx a lot and long life to yout project ! Hug

*'''Martin and Kim''': Hi, we are planning to spend two oder three months next year in Patagonia. We want to hike round about 1200 km there and the track file would be very helpful to choose sections and plan our adventure. Thanks for the great manual!

*'''Vicente''': Hi, I'm planning on doing the GPT this spring of 2021, I've done other long trails through Patagonia so I want to take it to the next level. I believe this trail has a great potential to become an icon for my country and its beautiful mountains. I need the track files to prepare the adventure.

*'''Marc''' : We are two guys from Denmark who are hoping to spend a couple of months on the GPT, if possible we will begin this december. We are eager to get our hands on the track files to help us plan which sections to hike. We have a great amount of respect for all the work you have done to make this adventure possible!

*'''Simoncashyt''' : Me and my friend are Planning to spend 2.5 months in the area this December. Hoping to get this Track file and review the trail in gis with other historic route databases to really understand the sections topography, climates and route options to explore off the track file.

*'''Bastian Klein''' : I am a university student from Germany and currently only have vague plans for my hike. With the Covid situation still going on its still to be determined when I will actually get to go hiking, but I think the track files will help me a lot with planing. Greatly appreciate the work done on the GPT manual !.

*'''Tim''' : We are a couple from Germany and around new year we plan to spend a few weeks in the area around GPT05 to GTP07. If possible we might return some time to see southern patagonia as well for multiple months.

*'''Léo''' : I plan to travel one year in Chile from sept 2021 ; I want to start from Puertomontt to reach Santiago (in a whole year, so taking my time), and hike some sections of the GPT ! I have not chosen which exacts sections yet.

*'''Nadfero''': Mi plan is to divide the route in two or three sections, and hike it in the 2021-2022-2023 summers. Obviously it all depends on the covid situation. There is no harm in planning!

*'''Cristóbal''': Estoy aprovechando la cuarentena para estudiar la ruta y comenzar a hacer tramos en la medida que se levanten las restricciones sanitarias este 2021 y 2022.

*'''Jo and Ty''': We are a couple planning to trekk for 3 months or so on the GPT. 2021/2022 depends on Covid 19 situation. Propably starting somewhere at GPT08. We are still in the beginning of planning. We require the track files for a lot of planning and for navigating on the trek it self. We are pretty excited!

*'''Molly og Melissa''': We are two friends, from Denmark. We plan to hike most parts of group B, C and D in December 2021 - February 2022

*'''Patagonico''': Years ago i did the ruta de los pioneros now i would like to complete the GPT in the next few years.

*'''Les Amériques au fil de l'eau''': We are a french couple, planning to use the trail from Puerto Montt to Santiago in 2021-2022 and to realize two short documentary films about wetlands and about the women of America
*'''O Bicho Geográfico''': Para fines de investigación científica, Abril de 2021.
*'''Max Nemeth''': November to Mid-March 21/22, sections to be determined. Thank you for the amazing work on this route!
*'''Memo mcrash''': GPT10 and GPT11. I plan to do it in March with some friends. We are very grateful for the work you have done. Thank you! Guillermo.
*'''nico142857''': GPT01 and GPT02. Im planning to hike these 2 sections on March, and gpx's routes surely will help a lot. Thanks!
*'''MauricioDM''': I am planning to hike the whole trail in parts, but I am not sure where to begin, the GPX will help . Thanks.
*'''Nico busch''': GPT33H. Planning on doing the Torres del Avellano hike. Thanks.
*'''Bjornsether''': GPT 01 to 40. I've been planning a long-distance hike in Chile for some time. February-April 2021 might allow me to spend time on the GPT.
*'''AJForno''':, GPT 01 to 40, I live in Chile and have done some sections, and plan to keep exploring, Thank you! Andres
*'''Thom&Miky''': Hi, we are two friends planning to walk from febrary to april 2021 and we will try to reach from south to north the GPT 14 to GPT 01. Thank you! Thomas and Michael

*'''WhatDoesMyHeartTellMe''': I am very much interested in GPT 01 to 40. I plan to trek in 2021-2022. This endeavor requires a tremendous amount of planning. I hope you can grant me the track files. Thanks very much!

*'''Tom Corbett''': Januray 2021, hiking and packrafting sections of GPT 26 to GPT 33.

*'''Rperezdearce ''': Hi, With my girlfriend we will leave the first days of Nov 2020 from Santiago with the intention of reaching GPT12, then we will try to continue further south.

*'''Tobi & Fang''': Hiking and potentially packrafting in the <s>2021/2022, 2022/2023</s> 2023/2024 season.

*'''Freek van Keulen (Freek)''': Plan to hike 2021-2022 season, starting preparations and research now

*'''Joaquin Munoz (jqnmunozdiaz)''': Plan to hike sections GPT32-40 southbound on summer 2020-2021 if covid allows. I will likely hike some northern sections as well.

*'''Quamen''': I am dreaming to hike the GPT01-16 and to hiking/packrafting GPT17-40 southbound this austral summer 2020-2021 season.

*'''Frambues''': Starting at the end of 2020 if Covid lets. Not sure yet which part to do in one season, but probably start in Santiago.

*'''Ferdinand''': Hi, Ferdinand from germany, I'd like to hike southbound starting from GPT 05 from Dec 2020 - Apr 2021 and see how far I can get. The GPS files would help a lot planning everything more in detail, thanks!

*'''Víctor Valenzuela''': GTP 05-19: Planning on starting end of 2021 with GPT 05-19 and further on. Got one season to explore the GPT.

*'''Isaac Garza (Try431)''': Planning to hike southbound GPT season from ~December 2020 through ~March/April 2021 (weather/COVID permitting). At the moment, planning to do GPT17P - GPT39, and track files will be very helpful in planning out in more detail :)

*'''Pipers''': Hi, I'm from Valdivia, chile, and I am planning to hike or ride in my bike the closest parts of the route, as soon as coronavirus lockdown finishes

*'''Patagoniandreams''': Planning to hike the standard route soundbound, starting at GPT10 until GPT23 and looping back nordbound via the Huella Andina. Due to the Corona crisis we postpone this endeavour to the 2021-2022 season. The hike will be done in family. We will have a 6 year old girl and a 3 year old boy with us. We have 4 months. We have been doing GPT sections back in 2008 - 2010 - 2013.

*'''Olivier1''': Planning to hike the standard route northbound, starting at GPT 40 for the 2021-2022 season.

*'''David Brophy (d.brophy)''': Planning to hike the standard route GPT01-GPT40 over two seasons starting as soon as COVID permits. Will use a pack-raft for the second season.

*'''Peter Mican (ElCondor)''': Planning to hike the GPT in 2020/2021, starting at section 01 and hike as far south as I can, depending on the weather and situations on the track. I am planning to go solo but would be happy to join with a fellow hiker(s) ;-)

*'''jojohoughton''': Planning on hiking/packrafting southbound to section 40, starting either from section 1 or section 13 depending on the conditions. Will be exploring the GPT for the summer 2020-2021 season.

*'''Leonhard''': GTP 1-16: Planning on starting end of 2021 with GPT 1-16 and further on. Got one season to explore the GPT.

*'''Aligator''': GTP 40 to GPT32: Plannning to explore that part of the GPT in February (from 03/02) and March (flexible) with my girlfriend (we both live in Santiago). Thank you for the incredible work you've achieved gathering and updating all those information!

*'''ConnyPflaume''': GTP 14 & 15 or the area between lago Conguillo and Lago Tinquilco. We will start this weekend, 11.1.20 - would be nice we could be supplied with the map so shorthanded.

*'''felixrulz''': Will be in the Andes for around 4 months. Have already completed 3 sections, but looking to do more. Joined specifically for the Puyehue section (GPT 19)

*'''Kelly Swanson''': I plan to solo trek starting at GPT06 in January 2020, continuing till mid March.

*'''phil ro''': i will start in coihayque in mid-january and will head south for more than 4 weeks with a packraft.

*'''johannsteffen''': Going to make a backpack trip starting in February on Ushuaya and going to Bariloche in June.

*'''Claudio Miranda''': Starting from Santiago in January 2020 until April, planing to arrive at least to Chile Chico.

*'''Trinity''': Travelling to SA for 2 years and plan exploring Patagonia.

*'''pirre''': Starting in January 2020 on GPT32 and planning to hike south for 6-8 weeks. Thanks!

*'''Shn0rhelez''': Hi,I am Anton from Sofia,Bulgaria...me and my girlfriend are starting from sec6 in the middle of January...we have around four months...thank you for your remarkable work!!!

*'''Gatodelmonte''': Starting on 2 January from Santiago, planning to hike South for about 45 days & exit near Pucon (sections 1 to 15)

*'''Fedepatagon''': Like to pack raft on the area between Bariloche-Osorno and P.N Los Alerces

*'''Vincent Paquet''': My girlfriend and I are planning to spend 3 weeks walking from december 18 2019 to Jan 10 2020. We're still selecting the exact sections. Cheers!!

*'''Tmattson425''': Plan for this year is to solo trek sections 1 through 19 (southbound) starting in mid-January 2020. I'm an American expat living in Buenos Aires and plan on returning in following seasons to complete the GPT, try packrafting, and explore alternate routes. Extremely excited an grateful that this trek is possible. Thank you!

*'''SalomeS''': Planning for a 6 month trip with my husband starting in Nov/Dec 2020. Planning to hike the sections 40 to 16. We would be incredibly grateful to receive the gps track files. Thank you!

*'''Ianhikes'''* Leaving for Chile in 1 week and looking to spend a month on GPT hiking southbound.

*'''zc0rp10''': Hi! Planning and preparing for an extended hike together with two friends from November 2020 - Feb 2021.

*'''ELLI''': together with a friend we plan to hike the sections of the main route but in opposite direction starting in the area around Lago viedma in first days of January 2020, we have approx. 4 month time

*'''gorskial''': plan to bike/packraft along the carretera austral from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins with hiking side trips. Jan/feb 2020

*'''pitney''': Solo hiking GPT sections 6-22 Southbound beginning early January, 2020.

*'''dirtmonger''': GPT sections 1-24; planning underway for an immersion solo hike ‘20 November to ‘21 February.

*'''bob451''': Planning on solo hiking 2 or 3 sections of the GPT northbound March/April 2019.

*'''Mgabenesch''' : Planning on hiking most parts of the GPT, starting in Ushuaïa then going North. I have on year off. Starting Dec 2019

*'''Family Size''': Planning on hiking parts of the GPT southbound. Starting end of November 2019.

*'''shaunchurch''': Hope to solo hike/packraft a few sections southbound. Section 15 or 17 in Dec 2019. Then maybe a couple more from among sections 21-31 in Jan and Feb 2020.

*'''iank''':2 months jan and feb 2020. Hope to hike isla navarino, cirque of huemuls and then cochrane to chile chico. More northerly secions maybe 2021.

*'''dsmit3000''': Solo hiker planning on hiking GPT40-31 northbound November-January 2019.

*'''2As''': We plan to walk in Chile and Argentina from mid October 2019 to mid march 2020. We don't have precisely planned our trip but the root of our trip is to go by foot through Patagonia and also discover Chile and his people and culture.
*'''A pat''': We plan to do several sections of the GPT (Need to confirm but we are interesting in sections 08-22 and 35- 40) from January to early March 2020.
*'''Aceestrin''': We'll be exploring for 4 weeks in Los Lagos region December-January.
*'''Andrealopezb''': I plan on doing individual sections for the time being, mostly between Santiago-El Maule
*'''annbrnn''': Heya, a friend and I are planning on hiking several sections of the GPT beginning end of December 2019 and are currently in the process of determining our route.
*'''AlexEdge''': Hi, i am planning to hike the lower sections of this route with a couple friends, possibly febuary 2020. thank you!
*'''Arno507''': We plan to do several sections of the GPT starting fom November/December 2019 till early April 2020.
*'''Birdy ''': I plan to mostly walk from Lake Titicaca to Ushuaia starting November 2019.
*'''David''': Hello!! This is David from Barcelona and I'm planning to walk through the Patagonia for 4 month from January 2020. I would love to do all de GPT, but I'm not sure if it's too ambitious... For sure, I'll try it!! :-) I would really appreciate if you can provide me the gps track files. Many thanks!!
*'''Dubrovskiy''': 2 people, January 2020, Foot hiking southern parts, likely around GPT40-33.
*'''Edwinb''': I will be arriving in Chile in Nov and plan to cherry pick parts of the GPT and mix it with other trekking, basically like I did last year. Always interested in a bit of exploring, providing it doesn't get to extreme!
*'''Hendrik Niehaus''': We arrive in Chile early Oktober 2019. From November until January we plan to be on the GPT. Due to the recommendations of the hikers manual we are mainly interested in section 5-16. However, plans might still change and are not too fixed yet. Thank you in advance!
*'''Herman van Horssen''': We plan to do section 47 to 69 of the GPT in 2020.
*'''johansonst333''': Hi! I am planning the sections 30 - 40 during this hiking season, would be incredibly grateful to have the GPS files for further research and planning. Thank you in advance!
*'''Jose Barros''' Hello !Im jose from Santiago de Chile, i will do the sections from Conquillio national park to Puyehue national park, its aprox. 15 days in January, i think it will be great ! If you can provide the track files i will be very thankfull.
*'''Jose Roman''': Hi, my plan is to several sections by bike or hiking staring September 2019 until Abril 2020.
*'''JUNHUI SON''': Hi, I'm from South Korea, I plan to do section 1 to 40 of the GPT in September 2019 till November.
*'''Kendon''': I cycled Patagonia many year ago and have always wanted to return for an extended walk through this wonderful area. I am in preliminary stages of my planning and thank you for your efforts in providing such a great resource. I am looking at the 2020 summer.
*'''Martín H.I.''': Hello, I´m planning to make an attempt to hike from sections GPT01 to GPT22 this summer from December 2019 to February 2020, still deciding on the exact sections, but southbound is my direction. I´m a chilean 25 year old architect who will humbly try to hike this unique trail. Thank you Jan for the amazing creation.
*'''Martin Lizondo''': I will be hiking southbound from Anticura (GPT20) to El Chaltén (GPT39), between December 2019 and February 2020. It's my second season in the GPT, after hiking from Santiago (GPT01) to Anticura (GPT19) in 2018-2019.
*'''martinahaller''': We will be arriving in Chile in Nov and plan to hike parts of the GPT during the next 6 Month, starting in Santiago.
*'''Maturin''': Hi, I am currently figuring out the details to hike GPT06 to GPT08 from the 27th of December 2019 until mid January. I will be doing the Horseriding tour before. I speak fluent spanish and the idea is to go southbound. Thank you!
*'''Matúš Lašan''': We plan to do as much as possible from December 2019 till March 2020.
*'''msantelli''': Hi, Melissa, plan to trek sections 05-22 taking a chance to start mid-late Nov. of ‘19 may need to backtrack and cut a few sections out, if rivers can’t be ford/crossed-flexible schedule
*'''Meylin Ubilla and Jan Dudeck''': We plan to investigate new packrafting and hiking routes in more remote areas between Puerto Montt and El Chalten without making a single long traverse (GPT21 to GPT40, GPT90P to GPT 92P). We will depart in November 2019 and plan to finish in February 2020. Experienced packrafts may join us for these investigations.
*'''Lauric Olrik''': We plan to do several sections of the GPT starting from November 2019, we have a whole year off.
*'''Lea Geibel''': Hi, my plan is to do several sections of the GPT starting fom October/November 2019 until beginning of January 2020 and need to figure out which ones are suitable for such an early start.
*'''Linda''': Hi, I am planning to hike alone southbound the GPT from beginning of December 2019 to mid-February 2020, probably from GPT06 to GPT22, but I am still studying the routes and the sections. I spoke quite good spanish, at least, it will come back there, practicing ! Thank you !
*'''Oreste Marquis''': Hello, i'm planning to hike sections 06-22 and 32-40 if time allows it. My trip will be from January to Abril 2020.
*'''Sanita Heinz''': We plan to do section 1 to 40 of the GPT in December 2019 till March 2020.
*'''Selma''': We are planning to packraft some sections of the GPT during our stay in Nov/Dez '19
*'''Staci Garcia''': Hello, I am planning on doing several sections of the GPT in 2020. I am still in research on what sections.
*'''TrashPanda''': Hi, we plan to do several sections from the end of November 2019 till February 2020.
*'''tom347''': Hola, I plan to do part of parts 1 to 40 with a friend, starting mid october. We will be hitchhiking the parts that are not recomended in particular months. We will be travelling for aproximately 2 months. Gracias.
*'''Tombartlett''': Hello I am planning on hiking many sections over a three month period from November 2019 to February 2020.
*'''Wanderwood18 ''': We plan to make it to El Chalten/Fitz Roy in one season from Santiago. This means I’ll probably skip recommended sections to skip/do what I need to do to make it. I’m flexible, we will see how it goes. My girlfriend, America, and I are planning on starting around Nov. 10th….
*'''LieberWeiter''' Hi, I do not know yet if I ever dare to walk the GPT but meanwhile I would like to plan therefore!
*'''Jarek Wątroba''' Hey, I will spend several months in Patagonia starting in Jan 2024. The information you provided in the Hiker's Guide is already immensely helpful, but the track files would make planning our route so much easier. Thanks.
*'''Wolke7net''' Hi, could you please send me the track without packrafting. Thanks!
'''wikiexplora'''