Grey Glacier is the most accessible of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field's outlet glaciers, reached via the western arm of the W Trek or by catamaran across Lake Grey. The glacier's face stands over 30 metres above the lake surface and stretches six kilometres across, calving icebergs into the water with regular booms and splashes. The lake itself is filled with floating ice in various stages of melt — some pieces the size of cars, some the size of houses, all in shades of translucent blue.
The most dramatic approach is by foot via the W Trek, arriving at the southern shore of Lake Grey after two days of walking from the central refugios. Alternatively, a catamaran runs from the Grey Lake dock during the high season, giving non-trekkers close access to the ice face. The glacier is retreating — it has lost considerable length and mass since systematic measurement began — but what remains is immense and overwhelming in scale. Dress for cold and wind at any time of year; the ice field generates its own weather.