los alerces national park

A wonderful place to visit while in Argentina or Chile. I have been there in early winter - not the right time definitely, due to the conditions of the unpaved road and to the closure of most trekking trails. Nonetheless I have enjoyed it a lot. It is highly advisable to stop at the info center in Villa Futalaufquen to get info and advice.I guess that the lake cruise to the Alerzal Milanario in summer must be a dream for nature lovers.

We came here to visit the ancient (4500 years old) Alerces tree. Unfortunately it was New Year's Eve and the boat (the only access) was not sailing. Nevertheless, the time spent in the park taking in a few of the shorter trails was simply amazing. Particularly appealing was the short 3 km Lahuan Slitario which is well maintained with many species of plants labelled and explanation boards. And while we didn't get to see the "old one" we did see younger versions of the same species, and they are very impressive.

Spent two nights at Bahia Rosales campgrounds in the park. A bit pricey at 100 pesos per day but the only site available as there was a mouse invasion in the park and no camping allowed in the "camping libre" areas… Only saw one mouse in two days, no biggy! Great lake views and wildlife, enjoyed the park very much! The roads are also very good here! Hope this review was helpful!

We hiked above several lakes and enjoyed beautiful vistas. There are several lakes connected by a river. One day we took a boat to a trail leading to a hanging glacier. The park has been left natural, mostly untouched by man.

I had no idea Parque Nacional Los Alerces was so breathtaking. We camped three nights at the Lago Verde camping agreste (paid camping), which was perfect. We paid under $10 for a really pleasant campsite with hot showers and just up from an amazing beach from where we could kayak. We took a gorgeous day hike to the mirador of Lago Escondido... overlooking pristine green rivers and lakes, mountains, and glacier. For my birthday we took the boat, along with 85 other passengers, to visit the alerces. What a gift! Sunny summer day, cruising amidst amazing vistas. Two-hour super-informative walking group tour with a guide who had been there for 25 years in the park. They saved the best for last!! A 2600-year-old, 57-meter-tall, 3-meter-diameter grandfather alerce. Need I say more?

Before visiting the park we went to the tourist info cente in esquel to get ideas for walking. We were told to ask at the park headquarters which means you have to get off the bus at the first stop in the park. At the back of the office is an a4 photocopy of the park info. We planned to visit lago verde for couple of walks there. We got the bus from esquel at 7.30am (there is also an 8am one) which took 45 minutes to get to villa futalaufan. There was a stop here long enough to go to the office and grab a basic map which we had seen earlier. The bus to largo verde took a further 45 minutes along the lakes.We did not have the best weather for the trip and we can imagine a sunny day would improve scenery impressively. We did an easy walk to see the 'mirador del lago verde' which was a 20 minute relatively easy uphill walk. Views are very good. We had to walk a km from where the bus dropped us off and that was more of a challenge than the walk.We walked 2 km back to pasarela rio arrayanes. We were going to stop at the wilderness lodge but it was too much of a detour- pretty step down to the river. There is a toilet and cafe at the bridge crossing anway. The Lahuan solitario is an okay walk with a few viewpoints including one to see a distant glacier. The bridge crossing at the beginning probably has the best views. We also started the viejo Lahuan walk from camping rio arrayanes. This is quite well laid out with wooden planks through muddy areas. The weather for us was not great but the riverside views were pleasant enough. We caught the 6.30 bus back to town.We took our own food and refilled our bottles from the bridge side cafe. The walking between points was quite tiring and dusty. We would probably take a car next time. We were quoted 250arg$ for 24 hours.

We spent 5 nights visiting the northern section of Los Alerces National Park.Here are some tips!• The drive from Bariloche and the time in Los Alerces was definitely worth doing. You get a sense of the raw beauty of Patagonia. The rivers, lakes and mountains open your senses and give a feeling of breathing room that encourages rejuvenation. The nearest town is Esquel, 70 km on the gravel road southeast of Lago Verde, which is in the north section of Los Alerces. This park is for nature lovers; the park has been minimally commercially developed and still retains a wilderness feel; the western two thirds of the park has been designated a strict scientific reserve and is off limits. If you are looking for a charming resort town experience with restaurants, shops and a selection of hotels, this would not be your park of choice.• We were glad that we came in December. We had good weather and there were not many other visitors in the north section of the park. We were delighted that we had walking paths to ourselves, that the El Abuelo boat excursion wasn’t packed, and that the Lago Verde Wilderness Resort campgrounds and other public campgrounds had only a few campers. In the peak season of January and February, it would be unlikely to have the lake side in front of our cabanas at the Lago Verde Wilderness Resort to ourselves and that precious silence in the night might have been missed. We understand that the fall months are beautiful as the deciduous trees are in full bloom.• We chose to stay in the northeastern section of the park as it is supposed to be the most interesting for the visitor and the area around Lago Verde is a convenient base for day trips. This minimized the amount of time spent driving each day, leaving more time to enjoy outdoor activities of our choice.• Definitely be aware of the horse flies in December; we are not sure what other months they are here. Some areas not so bad, but on the Laguna Escondido hike it was really bad. Pack long pants and shirts as well as hats for sun and bug protection.• A must do is the boat and hike excursion to El Abuelo. Reserve the boat ride in advance! We did this through El Aura/Lago Verde Wilderness Resort. They will have the tickets ready for you and if there are any scheduling changes, they will handle that for you. If you are not staying at El Aura, be sure to check with the boat company a few days before to make sure that it is still going as scheduled. The company is BrazoSur and you want to take the Safari Lacustre; the website is www.brazosur.com.ar• We had a few hours on Lago Verde and Rio Arrayanes in a small boat and thoroughly enjoyed it! Consider a full day on the lakes; ask Lago Verde Wilderness Lodge where we stayed and they will arrange it. Our travel agent had suggested that we go by boat to the Estrecho del Monstruouso, near Lago Kruger. With more time on the water, this would have been possible.• To make the drive worth it from Bariloche, plan at least 3 nights, 2 full days. We did 5 nights/4 days and felt it was just right for us. Plan one day to do the excursion to El Abuelo. There are a number of options to choose among in the north section of park. These include:The walk along the Rio Arrayanes (see day #11) The Lago Verde Overlook and combined with the boat ride offered by El Aura (see day #9) Lago Escondido hike (see day#10)Full day on the water in a boat Fly fishing - the area is famous for the rich colors of the lakes and fishingHiking – see guidebook reference below – includes all areas of the parks with easy, moderate and demanding hikes. El Aura can also email you information on daylong guided hiking near the Torrecillas Glacier as well as a Three Lakes Four Rivers day excursion.Take a look at our journal and the day numbers (see above) to get a feel for the experience and look at the photos!http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/journeyer/2/1228810320/tpod.html• Get a copy of the “Guias and Sendas Bosques for El Bolson and Parques Nacionales Lago Puelo and Los Alerces”. It includes English abstracts of hikes, walks and boat rides as well as a glossary/dictionary to help understand the Spanish. The local maps are excellent and the Spanish is simple, so you can get the gist of what is written. ISBN: 987-20080-7-8. Website: www.guiasendasybosques.com.ar Anna gave us a copy, however it can be purchased on line and most likely locally. They have other titles within Patagonia. • If you are staying in the northern section of the park and arriving from the north, you will most likely not make the 55km drive on the gravel road to the park’s information center. So get information on what you are interested in doing before your arrival.ENJOY!!!

Beautiful series of glacial lakes connected by fast-flowing rivers. Wonderful trout fishing and good hiking trails. We stayed at the beuatiful Lago Verde Lodge (El Aura).

es un lugar maravilloso, la paz que se siente en el lugar es algo inigualable, hay que visitarlo, vivirlo y sentirlo,

Realmente todo. Lago Verde, Villa Futalaufquen, los muchos senderos para recorrer, los paisajes divinos, la tranquilidad, las montañas y la gente tan hospitalaria. Los campings son muy organizados y completos.