Torres del Paine W trek, Grey Glacier section: hiking to the ice

Chile Travel describes the W as a route of 70 km that traces its letter through the park's valleys,⁶ and explains that the name comes from joining the Ascencio, Francés and Grey Glacier valleys, over 4 to 6 days with hikes of up to 8 hours a day.⁷ The Grey section is the western arm of that letter, the stretch that ends in front of the ice rather than below the granite towers.

For anyone walking the Torres del Paine W trek, the Grey Glacier leg is often the last or the first full day, depending on direction. Chile Travel's day-by-day plan puts it at the end: from Paine Grande you walk to the Grey viewpoints and back, about 8 hours in all over rolling ground, until the ice wall and the floating floes come into view.² It is a long day, and CONAF rates the walk to the refugio as medium in summer.¹

Remember that the W is linear. Chile Travel stresses that you finish far from where you started,⁸ so the Grey arm needs a plan for getting in or out. Chile Travel's plan links it to the catamaran across Lago Pehoé to Pudeto, where buses leave for Puerto Natales,⁹ and the Grey boat offers another way to skip the return walk. Both options are covered below.

Close to the refugio, the trail reaches the main Grey Glacier viewpoint in Torres del Paine, a rocky lookout above the water where the eastern front of the ice fills the view. Chile Travel describes the end of this walk as the moment you stand facing the immense ice wall and the floes drifting on the lake,² and on a calm day the reflections of the blocks in the gray water double the scene.

The ice front here is the same wall the boat visits, seen from land. The ice cliffs stand 30 m above the water in Chile Travel's figure,¹⁹ and NASA's account has the glacier splitting into three lobes where it meets the lake,²⁰ so from the shore you see only part of the whole front. The boat, by contrast, swings along all of them, and that is the case for sailing even after you have seen the ice from above.

Farther north the views keep improving. The CEQUA guide's photographs include a view of the ice from an unofficial lookout at Campamento Paso,²¹ high above the ice on the route of the O circuit. That stretch is a serious hike rather than a stroll from the refugio, but even the first part of it, up to the hanging bridges, gives a raised angle on the crevassed surface of the glacier.

The Grey III catamaran doubles as a shuttle between the hotel and the refugio. Hotel Lago Grey's morning and midday departures head first to Refugio Grey on a timetable, pausing for passengers holding single-leg tickets, and then carry on to the ice;⁴ round-trip passengers cannot get off there.⁴⁵ The afternoon boat visits the glacier first and calls at the refugio afterwards.⁴⁶

The direction you travel decides whether you see the glacier from the water. On the morning and midday boats, passengers getting off at the refugio do not get the glacier visit,⁴⁷ while those boarding at the refugio on the same boats do.¹⁷ If you finish the W at Grey and want to see the fronts by boat, board at the refugio on an early sailing and ride the full loop back to the hotel.

Timing matters at the beach. The operator asks passengers boarding at the refugio to be on the shore 15 minutes before the boat arrives,⁴⁸ and at the hotel end the operator puts the beach crossing at 30 to 45 minutes, while the bus company counts 25 minutes from the cafe at the Pingo bridge.^22,49 A park ticket is still required, as the boat reservation does not cover the entrance fee to Torres del Paine.⁵⁰ Carry the downloaded ticket along with the boat confirmation, since mobile signal exists only at Villa Monzino, far from the refugio.⁵¹

CONAF's basic rules apply to every step of this trail. Walking without daylight is prohibited,³⁹ and the park notes that most deaths there have been of people walking by themselves who strayed from the path.³⁸ Lighting any heat source, stoves and cigarettes included, is banned,⁵³ and drones may not be flown.⁵⁴ The trail is wild country, not a park path, and CONAF reminds visitors that rescue in the mountains may be several hours away.⁵⁵

Winter changes the rules. Through the 2026 cold season, from May until mid-September, the park let nobody onto the W without a certified guide,⁵ and Chile Travel's winter notice added microspikes or crampons, trekking poles and a headlamp for every walker.³⁷ From 16 September 2026 the W is open for independent hiking, but the park may require guides again in severe weather.⁵ The whole W shuts in June and July, per Chile Travel,⁵⁶ and CONAF already classes the Paso section as closed for the whole winter.¹⁵ Check the current notices before you set out.

Pack for wind, rain and sun on the same day. Chile Travel's kit list starts with thermal underwear, adds fleece or down for warmth and finishes with a waterproof, windproof outer jacket, and it advises against cotton.³⁶ On the bridges, hold the cables, cross singly where a sign asks, and keep your pack tight against gusts. The ice below will still be there when you are safely on the other side.