What this stretch is
The Camino de los Siete Lagos is Ruta 40 at its most photographed: 108 km of asphalt between San Martín de los Andes and Villa La Angostura that pass Lago Lácar, Machónico, Falkner, Villarino, Escondido, Correntoso and Espejo, with Nahuel Huapi waiting at the end. It was finished as a paved road a decade ago; before that the middle section was gravel and the day took twice as long. Now it is a road of fast sweepers, short climbs to around 1,170 m, and a viewpoint every ten minutes.
OpenStreetMap tags 102 of the 108 km as paved and only 3 km as gravel, on the side roads to the beaches. The hazards are the ones of a popular road: cars pulling out of viewpoints, cyclists on the climbs, slow buses in summer, and wet shade under the trees in spring and autumn.
Fuel: nothing for 107 km
One YPF in San Martín at the start and the YPF and ACA in Villa La Angostura at the end, and nothing in between. The 107 km gap is not a problem for any bike that left San Martín full; it is a problem for the rider who arrived from Hua Hum the day before on reserve and forgot. Fill before you leave town. The fuel range calculator marks the segment as comfortable for every preset.
The weather
This is the drier side of the Andes but still the lakes: January highs of 20 °C with six or seven rainy days a month, 13 in April, 18 in July. The wind is moderate, seven gusty days a month in January, nine in December, mostly in the open sections near Lago Espejo and Correntoso. Snow is a factor from June to September: three snow days a month in July at the midpoint, and the road can be icy in the shade until mid-morning in the shoulder months. The rideable window on the numbers runs from November to April.
Stops and detours worth the time
Lago Machónico and Lago Falkner. The first two viewpoints south of San Martín; Falkner has a beach with a campsite right on the road.
Lago Villarino and Lago Escondido. The middle of the road, with the short walk to the Vuliñanco waterfall between them.
Lago Traful. From the junction at the southern end, Ruta Provincial 65 heads east along Lago Traful to Villa Traful and the Mirador del Viento, a cliff viewpoint above the lake. It is gravel, 35 km each way, and the best detour on the day if you have two hours.
Lago Espejo and Lago Correntoso. The last two before Villa La Angostura, and the ones with the Nahuel Huapi behind them. The Correntoso river, which links the two lakes, is one of the shortest rivers in the world and a fly-fishing landmark.
Where to sleep
San Martín de los Andes and Villa La Angostura both have every kind of lodging and both are expensive in January. Between them there are campsites at Falkner and Villarino and a couple of hosterías at Lago Espejo; nothing with fuel. Our itinerary rides this road in the morning and spends the afternoon in Villa La Angostura.
Riding it with us
The Siete Lagos is the easy, beautiful day in the middle of our Andes Crossing, between the Hua Hum gravel and the run into Bariloche. Read the best time to ride guide for the month, and the Ruta 40 rider’s guide for the rest of the road.
