French Valley

The French Valley is the middle arm of the W Trek, and many walkers consider it the most dramatic section. The trail climbs through lenga beech forest, then above the treeline into a natural amphitheatre of rock and ice. Hanging glaciers cling to the cliffs above — some of them visibly cracked and active — and on windy days you can watch ice break away and fall. The sound arrives well after the event.

From the mirador at the valley head, the Cuernos del Paine fill the southern skyline and the Nordenskjöld Lake stretches below. The return hike takes most people five to seven hours from the park trail junction. Unlike the Torres viewpoint, the French Valley trail has no major boulder scramble, making it the more accessible of the two side trips on the W for walkers with uncertain knees. Bring poles and waterproofs.

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A story
The valley's Faroese name, Valle del Francés, commemorates nothing particularly French — it was named after a landowner. But its amphitheatre of hanging glaciers is entirely its own. On windy days, enormous chunks of ice detach from the glaciers above and fall hundreds of metres, sending clouds of ice crystals drifting across the valley and a thunderclap rolling through the mountains minutes after each impact.

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