Laguna Torre (Cerro Torre)

One of the most frequented day hikes from El Chaltén, the route to Laguna Torre leads to a glacial lake at the base of the Torre massif. The 18 km out-and-back trail follows the Fitz Roy River valley, moving through sub-antarctic forests of ñire and lenga. The terrain is primarily well-maintained gravel paths and packed dirt, with a short initial ascent followed by mostly level walking through the glacial valley. The destination offers direct views of Cerro Torre (3,128m) and the Adela range, with icebergs frequently calving from the Torre Glacier into the lake.

Mount Skåla holds a strenuous and proud distinction: it features the longest continuously steep uphill hike in all of Norway. Starting practically at sea level next to the Nordfjord, hikers face a grueling, unrelenting ascent of 1,848 vertical meters (6,066 feet) to reach the summit. The 5-mile (8km) one-way trail begins on a tractor road, transitions into dense alpine forest, and finishes on an endless, steep, zigzagging stone staircase built by Nepalese Sherpas. The sustained physical effort is rewarded with what is arguably the most spectacular panorama in the country—a 360-degree view dominating the massive Jostedalsbreen glacier (mainland Europe's largest ice cap), deep blue fjords, and jagged alpine peaks. At the summit sits Skålatårnet, a bizarre, historic circular stone tower built in 1891.