Parking
Paine Grande has no vehicle access. Reach the refuge from Pudeto by catamaran or on foot, and arrange onward transport at Administration; this is not a loop.
Overview
About Paine Grande to Administration Trail
Why go
- A lakeshore start with views toward the Cuernos and Paine Grande peaks.
- A continuous overland connection to the park’s Administration area.
Heads up
- The long one-way walk requires careful arrival and return planning.
- Current direction and seasonal access rules should be confirmed locally.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Torres del Paine map
Full mapElevation25–74 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Torres del Paine alerts
- ClosureInternal Y-150 road closedThe internal Y-150 road between Sarmiento and Laguna Los Cisnes is closed. - This is the internal road segment; CONAF lists the separate Y-150 access road to Sarmiento as open.Official details
- CautionOne-way and guide-only trail restrictionsPlan around CONAF’s current one-way and guide-only trail restrictions.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Torres del Paine Tour Guide
Your drive to Paine Grande to Administration Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Torres del Paine National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Torres del Paine audio tourMore stories near here in the app
- Hotel Lago Grey: Before You Board
- Why Glacier Ice Looks Blue
- Playa Grey: Ice Across the Lake
- Salto Grande and the Cuernos
- 81 audio storiesacross Torres del Paine’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Puma, Andean Condor, Guanaco, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 35 trails, 56 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Paine Grande to Administration Trail
The walkLas Carretas is a one-way walk from Refugio Paine Grande to the park’s Administration center.
Las Carretas is a one-way walk from Refugio Paine Grande to the park’s Administration center. Plan for about 17.9 km (11.1 mi) and five hours at moderate difficulty. The first 3 km follow Lake Pehoé, with views toward the Cuernos and Paine Grande peaks, before the route turns south along the Río Grey. Camp Las Carretas is reported around km 10–11; check locally before relying on it as an overnight stop.
Access and directionThis is a point-to-point route, not a loop.
This is a point-to-point route, not a loop. Paine Grande has no road access; reach the refuge from Pudeto by catamaran or on foot, and arrange onward transport at Administration. The available route information does not clearly establish year-round direction and seasonal rules. The mapped direction is Paine Grande toward Administration, but confirm what is currently permitted with a park ranger.
Distance and conditionsThe park’s listing gives 17 km, while a detailed itinerary and the connected route to…
The park’s listing gives 17 km, while a detailed itinerary and the connected route to Administration support about 17.9 km; this entry includes the full walk to the Administration site. Park information identifies snow risk from May through September. Pets are not allowed in the protected area.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Torres del Paine
113 sightingsPumaMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
146 sightingsAndean CondorMost seen around noonSighting map
381 sightingsGuanacoMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
53 sightingsHuemulMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
36 sightingsLesser RheaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
11 sightingsWild HorseMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Torres del Paine. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
