Paine Grande Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Commonly Backpacked · Geological Significance · Lake · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

(1)You are not allowed to smoke, light fires or use any types of stoves along the trail, only at designated places in official campsites. (2) Water from any stream is good for drinking right out of the source. (3) Paine Grande Refuge has a small market, a restaurant, nice bathrooms with hot showers and a kitchen for cooking (sinks and tables, bring your own stove and pots). You can only cook inside the kitchen. There is also the possibility to rent tents and other camping gear or stay in beds inside the refuge. Italiano campsite only has bathrooms and a small shack with 2 tables where you can cook. Reservations for campsite or refuge can be made in advance, see: parquetorresdelpaine.cl/es/…. Paine Grande refuge is super windy and campsites are on a first-come, first-serve basis, so be sure to get there early if you want a good spot.

From the Italiano ranger station, hike through dense woods and past the dark waters of Skottsberg Lake. As you hike along the lake, the views toward the Cuernos del Paine are spectacular. End at the Paine Grande ranger station on the shores of Pehoe Lake.

In the more open areas, you'll find a scrub composed mainly by Neneo, Nirre, Calafate, Chilean Firebush, Escalonia and Discaria shrubs. During summer, yellow or white orchids from the Chlorea and Gavilea genus are commonly seen, as well as dandelions, llallantes and arvejillas. The forests are mostly comprised by Lenga and Coigue trees, although most of them were burned in the big fire that happened in the park in 2011-2012, so you'll see a lot of dead trees. Commonly seen birds are the Southern House Wrens, Black-chinned Siskins, Patagonian Sierra Finches, Rufous-Collared Sparrow, Chimango Caracaras, Austral Thrushes and Austral Blackbirds. Pay attention to the sky to spot Andean Condors or Black-chested Buzzard Eagles flying high up or American Kestrels or Cinereous Harriers closer to the ground. You can also see Crested Ducks and Upland and Ashy-Headed Geese in the lakes.