Glaciers National Park (Argentina)
Parque Nacional Los Glaciares

Overview

Remains from the Ice Age that once covered 30 percent of the earth are found on many continents. Some of the largest ice fields in the Southern Hemisphere (outside Antarctica) are found in the most southern part of South America. Glaciers National Park (Parque Nacional Los Glaciares) in southern Argentina offers a rare opportunity to view a unique remnant of the Ice Age: a large glacier that advances instead of retreats like most glaciers throughout the world.

This fascinating glacier, Perito Moreno not only moves forward, but it also moves backwards. Its sheer size, 3 miles (4.8 km) and approximately 200 feet (61 m) above the water´s surface, makes this glacier easily accessible and a popular tourist attraction. It advances at a speed up to 6.6 feet (2 m) per day. Occasionally, the glacier advances over the Lago Argentino (Argentine Lake), which forms a dam and divides up the lake into two sections when it reaches the other side of the lake. As a result of the building water pressure, large pieces of ice rupture from the glacier mass in a spectacular fashion.

Located at the southern part of the park, Lago Argentino feeds the Santa Cruz River. Charles Darwin actually visited the Santa Cruz River before he went to the Galápagos Islands. He decided that the erosion he saw there could not have happened in a few thousand years, but he did not consider the effect a global Flood would have on the landscape.

A completely different landscape is found in the northern section of the park. There you will find Mt. Fitz Roy at 11,072 feet high (3,405 m) which boasts granite mountain peaks, glacial structures, numerous lakes, and serene wooded areas.

Whether trekking on the large Perito Moreno glacier or hiking Mt. Fitz Roy, this park offers plentiful opportunities to witness firsthand the remnants of the Ice Age that reshaped the earth´s surface only a few thousand years ago.

Points of Interest

Perito Moreno—A Unique Glacier

Perito Moreno not only moves forward, but it also moves backwards. Its sheer size, 3 miles (4.8 km) and approximately 200 feet (61 m) above the water´s surface, makes this glacier easily accessible and a popular tourist attraction.

Mt. Fitz Roy

The landscape and terrain in Glacier National Park is as diverse as it is beautiful. Amidst this glacier wonderland are mountain peaks that rise high above pristine lakes that get fed by the glacier runoff. Rising 11,072 feet (3,405 meters) above the large lake, Lago Viedma, Mt. Fitz Roy offers a unique blend of lakes, wooded territory, granite mountain peaks, and glacial structures.

Helpful Tips

• Plan your trip with a travel agent familiar with South American vacations.
• Visit https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html for passport information.
• Main page: http://argentina.gotolatin.com/eng/Attr/htm/Argentina-Los-Glaciares.asp
• Lago Roca is a lake surrounded by breathtaking terrain. Fishermen, campers, and hikers are all drawn to this beautiful place.
• Glacier National Park section of the Argentina Travel Guide: http://www.allaboutar.com/ard_calafate_glacier_national_park.htm