Parque Nacional Los Alerces owes its existence and name to Fitzroya cupressoides, the coniferous monarch of the humid Valdivian forests, also known as false larch or Patagonian cypress.

Easily western Chubut’s most popular attraction, the park draws campers and fishing aficionados to its forests and finger lakes.

Despite a magnificent setting, with snowy Andean summits to the west, hikers find it frustrating because a scant trail network often forces them to walk the shoulders of dusty roads with heavy auto traffic.

Practicalities

Colloquially known as “La Villa,” Villa Futalaufquen is the park headquarters. The APN’s Museo y Centro de Informes (tel. 02945/471015, int. 23, losalerces [at] apn [dot] gov [dot] ar or infoalerces [at] apn [dot] gov [dot] ar) is both a museum, with history and natural history exhibits, and a helpful ranger information center. Mid-December–April, it’s open 8 a.m.–9 p.m. daily; otherwise, hours are 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily.

At both the northern Lago Rivadavia and eastern La Portada entrances, rangers collect a US$4-per-person admission charge, which is valid for a week and includes other area parks. After 9 p.m., when the tollbooths close, there’s no one to collect the charge, but they check on the way out.

In addition to the APN headquarters, La Villa also has a grocery, public telephones, and a first-aid station.

Transportes Esquel buses between Esquel and Lago Puelo pick up and drop off passengers along RP 71 within the park; some northbound buses go only to Lago Rivadavia before returning to Esquel. Puelo-bound passengers can disembark and reboard another day so long as they do not reverse direction.