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Established in 1937, and part of the Pacific watershed, the 2630-square-kilometre Parque Nacional Los Alerces protects some of the most biologically important habitats and scenic landscapes of the central Patagonian cordillera. Its lakes are superb: famous for both their rich colours and their fishing; while most have a backdrop of sumptuous forests that quilt the surrounding mountain slopes. In the northeast of the park these lakes form a network, centring on Lagos Rivadavia, Menendez and Futalaufquen , whose waters drain south to the dammed reservoir of Lago Amutui Quimei , and from here into the Rio Futaleufu (also called Rio Grande). Los Alerces doesn't have any mountain peaks of the calibre or altitude of Volcan Lanin or Cerro Tronador in Nahuel Huapi. Nevertheless, some of the two-thousand-metre ranges that divide the park are spectacular, with dramatic rock colorations and cracked and craggy summits such as those that can be seen in the Cordon Situacion , whose peaks rise to 2300m. Cerro Torrecillas (2253m), in the north of the park, has the only glacier you'll witness, but patches of snow can last on the upper peaks into mid-summer. The peaks also seem to act as regular moorings for some remarkable high-altitude cloud formations. As in other parks in this region, vegetation alters considerably as you move east from the Chilean border into the area affected by the rain shadow cast by the cordillera. Up against the border, rainfall exceeds 3000mm a year: enough to support the growth of dense Valdivian temperate rainforest ( selva Valdiviana ), and most particularly the species for which the park is named: the alerce . Other species in the forests include coihues, lenga, arrayanes, canelo, maiten and laurel . The ground is dominated by dense thickets of the bamboo-like cana colihue , while two species of flower dominate: the orange or white-and-violet mutisias , with delicate spatula-like petals, and the amancay , a golden yellow lily growing on stems 50cm to 1m high. In contrast, the eastern margin of the park is much drier, receiving 300mm to 800mm of rainfall annually. Cypress woodland and nire scrub mark the transitional zone here between the wet forests and the arid steppe near Esquel, on the other side of the Cordon Rivadavia. The western two thirds of the park are off-limits, being designated a strict scientific reserve. This is the haunt of the endangered huemul, a species you're highly unlikely to see, except perhaps in winter when they come down from the heights in search of food; and the shy pudu, the smallest deer in the world, standing 40cm tall. Other frustratingly invisible denizens of the park include the gato huina (a type of wildcat); the nocturnal comadrejita trompada (a species of marsupial); and the huillin (a type of otter). The non-native mink ( vison ), an escapee from a fur-farm in Cholila, has caused havoc amongst the wildlife, eating bird's eggs and capturing small mammals. You'll need patience to see the Chilean pigeon ( paloma araucana ), now making a comeback from the verge of extinction, and the Des Mur's wiretail ( colilarga ), which secretes itself in clumps of cana colihue . More accommodating are the chattering austral parakeet ( cachana ); waterbirds like the great grebe ( huala ); the dull-grey giant hummingbird ( picaflor gigante ), and its wee relative, the green-backed firecrown ( picaflor rubi ). At the other end of the scale, you may glimpse a condor. In mature woodland, listen out for the "thwack-thwack-thwack" of the Magellanic woodpecker, a powerful bird with a torpedo-shaped black body, white dorsal patch, and a scarlet flame of a crest on the male. Anglers try to hook introduced species - landlocked salmon; plus brook, rainbow and brown trout - but not the protected native species, such as the puyen grande and the perca criolla. If caught, these should be returned, preferably without removing them from the water - cut the line if necessary. The northeastern section of the park is the most interesting for the visitor, especially around the area of beautiful Lago Verde , which works as a useful base for camping and trekking. The must-see of the park, irrespective of time or budgetary concerns, is the transcendental Rio Arrayanes that drains Lagos Menendez and Verde. A pasarela or suspension bridge, 34km from the Intendencia, gives access to a delightful hour-long loop walk that takes you along the riverbank to Puerto Chucao. Another highlight - unless the weather really closes in and for those whose budget allows - is the trip from Puerto Chucao across Menendez to see El Abuelo , a titanic millennial alerce . The savage Lago Rivadavia area is the least visited of those accessed by the park's principal road, the RP71 , but it's less handy than Lago Verde or Villa Futalaufquen as a centre of operations. The south of the park is a subsidiary destination. The Futaleufu hydroelectric complex here was a controversial project from the 1970s, designed to provide power for the aluminium smelting plant at Puerto Madryn on the coast. Ironically, submerged in the depths of the expansive reservoir are Cuide Los Bosques signs, telling you to look after the forests.
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