Lagunas Altas sector

Consevación Patagónica

In 2004, a new legacy began for the Chacabuco Valley. Conservación Patagónica, an international non-profit conservation organization, purchased the Valley Chacabuco Estancia with the vision of restoring these lands to their natural state. They gradually sold off the livestock and began to tear down the fences, restore the soils, native plants and wildlife. Their vision is to eventually link the Chacabuco Valley with two adjoining National Reserves, Tamango and Jeinimeni, so that together, these three Protected Areas can form one enormous Patagonia National Park. To support this vision, they are creating critical park infrastructure, including camping areas, a restaurant, lodges, and hiking trails. Hiking Trails Conservación Patagónica has completed three official hiking routes, which provide visitors the opportunity to experience a variety of areas within Patagonia Park. Hiking off-trail is also permitted. Check-in with the Administration team to share your plans and obtain permission. The landscape of the Valley includes vast expanses of Patagonian Grasslands, magnificent Austral Steppe, dense beech forests and high Andean peaks. There are countless rivers and streams, wetlands, lagoons and lakes. Birdlife abounds in the valley and the varied natural features offer a safe haven for a vast diversity of fauna, ranging from the nearly extinct huemul, a prolific guanaco population, puma, fox, and all kinds of smaller creatures including the viscacha and the large four-eyed frog. • Special Considerations: It is advisable to use hiking boots, dress in layers, bring rain and wind gear, sunglasses, sunscreen and a brimmed cap. Carry trekking poles for the most difficult trails. Don't forget to carry water, a snack and your camera. • Reservations: Self-guided activity, but visitors should check-in with park administration staff, let them know you are hiking, learn about the Conservación Patagónica project, inquire about trail conditions and request a complimentary trail map. Contact: reservas@vallechacabuco.cl; www.conservacionpatagonica.org; Facebook: Parque Patagonia

Westwinds Camping Area

The Westwinds Camping Area, which has space for up to 60 tents, showers with hot water, and cooking sites.

Chacabuco Valley

As you look out over the expansive landscapes of the Chacabuco Valley, imagine a time, thousands of years ago, when primitive peoples roamed these immense Patagonian grasslands looking for shelter and food. These nomadic hunter-gatherers left us clues about their movements and habits, including cave paintings under rocky eaves where they were protected from the cold and wind. There have been more than 300 archaeological sites identified so far in this valley! Centuries passed until in 1915, a man named Lucas Bridges moved thousands of sheep into the Valley from the Argentina steppe, establishing "Estancia Valle Chacabuco", which soon became one of the largest sheep ranches in Chile. During most of the twentieth century, ranching was the dominant activity in the Chacabuco Valley. Like most large ranchers of his generation, Bridges was armed with great determination, but little ecological awareness; his actions left devastating impacts on the local environment, the scope of which are only now being understood. To protect the Estancia’s investments (30,000+ sheep), employees hunted the native puma that frequently preyed on flocks. Hunting eventually put this animal in danger of extinction. To keep their livestock contained and organized, they constructed an elaborate maze of fencing, using more than 6,000 strands of wire. Unfortunately, this maze was a significant hurdle for native species like huemul and guanaco, which thrived on free range. Encroachment forced native fauna into ever smaller areas, pressuring their populations. Stresses were further accentuated by hunting and the dogs that worked the ranch. Then, when increasing wool production in Australia began to lower international prices for wool, Patagonia ranching became increasingly less profitable. Strategies for recovering losses were based on the accumulation of yet more sheep; thus, improving the efficiency of the lands in producing wool. Unfortunately, this practice resulted in overgrazing and further degradation of the soils and ecosystems. By the late 1990s, the Estancia was no longer a viable proposition.

Consevación Patagónica

In 2004, a new legacy began for the Chacabuco Valley. Conservación Patagónica, an international non-profit conservation organization, purchased the Valley Chacabuco Estancia with the vision of restoring these lands to their natural state. They gradually sold off the livestock and began to tear down the fences, restore the soils, native plants and wildlife. Their vision is to eventually link the Chacabuco Valley with two adjoining National Reserves, Tamango and Jeinimeni, so that together, these three Protected Areas can form one enormous Patagonia National Park. To support this vision, they are creating critical park infrastructure, including camping areas, a restaurant, lodges, and hiking trails. Hiking Trails Conservación Patagónica has completed three official hiking routes, which provide visitors the opportunity to experience a variety of areas within Patagonia Park. Hiking off-trail is also permitted. Check-in with the Administration team to share your plans and obtain permission. The landscape of the Valley includes vast expanses of Patagonian Grasslands, magnificent Austral Steppe, dense beech forests and high Andean peaks. There are countless rivers and streams, wetlands, lagoons and lakes. Birdlife abounds in the valley and the varied natural features offer a safe haven for a vast diversity of fauna, ranging from the nearly extinct huemul, a prolific guanaco population, puma, fox, and all kinds of smaller creatures including the viscacha and the large four-eyed frog. • Special Considerations: It is advisable to use hiking boots, dress in layers, bring rain and wind gear, sunglasses, sunscreen and a brimmed cap. Carry trekking poles for the most difficult trails. Don't forget to carry water, a snack and your camera. • Reservations: Self-guided activity, but visitors should check-in with park administration staff, let them know you are hiking, learn about the Conservación Patagónica project, inquire about trail conditions and request a complimentary trail map. Contact: reservas@vallechacabuco.cl; www.conservacionpatagonica.org; Facebook: Parque Patagonia

Cementery

Lagunas Altas sector

Trail photos

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Trail stats

Trail photos

Itinerary description

Waypoints

Consevación Patagónica

Westwinds Camping Area

Chacabuco Valley

Consevación Patagónica

Cementery

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