Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the large car park beside Ruta Nacional 3, 18 km from Ushuaia, the trail heads north into lenga forest and climbs gently up the valley. It crosses a stream on a footbridge, then a wide peat bog on boardwalks and muddy stretches, passing old beaver dams. A last steeper climb beside the stream brings you to Laguna Esmeralda, whose milky green water is fed by the Ojo del Albino glacier in the cirque above. Return the same way.
It is 8.8 km there and back with 195 m of ascent; allow about 2½ hours of walking, though the province reckons 4 to 5 hours with the mud. The grade is Moderate: a marked path, gentle but wet and slippery in the bog.
The province asks walkers not to start up the trail after 15:00 in spring and summer, or after 12:00 in autumn and winter, when mud, ice and snow are likely. Wear waterproof boots and carry warm clothes in any season. Go no further than the lake: the route on to the glacier is for guided parties only. Fires are banned throughout the province.
Minibuses from Ushuaia run to the trailhead in season. There is no phone signal in parts of the valley; the emergency number is 103.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- The lake's green colour comes from fine sediment washed down from the Ojo del Albino glacier above it
- The trail lies in the Valle de Tierra Mayor nature reserve, 18 km from Ushuaia
- North American beavers, brought to Tierra del Fuego in 1946, have dammed streams all over the valley
- The path crosses lenga forest and wet peat bog before climbing to the lake
Getting there
Start: Laguna Esmeralda car park. -54.72185, -68.12195
Directions to the start
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Tierra del Fuego: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
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Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.