Tierra del Fuego National Park

Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego stretches along the border with Chile and protects more than 63,000 hectares of beech forest, jagged mountains and glaciers, lakes, sub Antartic tundra, local flora and fauna and coastline. Climate in the park is maritime with high winds. Its elevation ranges from sea level to its highest point at 1,450 meters / 4,757  on the summit of Monte Vinciguerra. The park extends from the Beagle Channel and to the north across Fagnano Lake, only the southern section is open to the public and its only access is from Ushuaia through RN3. The park is divided in three sectors. In the east  is Bahia Ensenada and Rio Pipo. To the west Lago Roca  to the border with Chile and to the south is Bahia Lapataia on the Beagle Channel and the end of the RN3 or Panamerican highway.

Map of Tierra del Fuego National Park, Argentina

The park was created in 1960 to protect the sub Antarctic forest and its local flora and fauna as well as archeological sites from the Yamana Indians that remain within the park. One special distinction of the Tierra del Fuego National Park and the rest of the protected parks is that it is the only one with a maritime coast, a total of 6 kilometers along the Beagle Channel. The park is located within two eco-regions, the Patagonic forest and Altos Andes, which is characterized by sudden and unpredictable changes in weather.

Bahia Lapataia, the end of the Pan American Highway, a 17,848 km ride from Alaska

The rare Patagonian Culpeo Fox

Tierra del Fuego National Park is open during summer months from December to March. Visits to the park are usually organized by tour companies but you can do it on your own. Bus tours take you through the park and make several stops letting you explore the park, buses make rounds at set intervals so after you are done exploring you can catch the next bus. For the more adventurous there are horseback riding tours and canoe excursion that take you to Lapataia Bay.

Camping is an opportunity to enjoy nature even closer, for camping sites, fees and trails you can find information at the park entrance or at the Ushuaia Tourist Office.There are four main camping areas Bahia Ensenada, Lago Pipo, Lago Roca and Lago Verde. The former two are free and the latter two require a fee as they are better maintained and boast the best campsites in the park.

Lago Roca, offers one of the best campsites in the park

You can enjoy boat expeditions to the wildlife refuge of Isla Redonda where you can sail through the Beagle Channel and see plenty of local flora and fauna. You cannot leave the park without visiting Lago Roca and Laguna Verde. The former is a mountain ringed lake that offers spectacular views. Laguna Verde or Green lagoon as its name suggests gets its emerald green color from the algae at the bottom of the lake.

The Tren del Fin del Mundo or End of the World Train is a 4.5 km trip. The train departs from a station 8km from Ushuaia and and takes you inside the park. The 40 minute ride is a simulation of the trip that El Presidio prisoners took daily into the  beech covered forest in order to chop wood.