Hiking Ushuaia
Some people are beach people. I am a mountain person. No doubt in my mind. The mountains just feed a piece of my soul. Or maybe it's just nature that feeds my soul. Ushuaia claims the title of the southernmost city in the world. I've loved having the chance to explore “the end of the world.” Summer is December to March here in the southern hemisphere. That doesn't mean warm though! We had sunny days in the 60s, overcast misty, sleety rainy days in the 40s, and downright downpours while we were there. Jim's fight with Mother Nature continues everywhere we go. At least there wasn't some freak snowstorm with a foot of snow!
We ended up here because this is where our expedition to Antarctica embarks from. It's not known for the best hiking in Patagonia. I'm told it doesn't compare to El Calafate and El Chalten, but our trip to that area has been canceled and rebooked three times now. We are hopeful to get our chance to compare the hiking in the rest of Patagonia to this area in Jan 2023… in the meantime, check out the fabulous scenery from the hikes and sites around Ushuaia.
Laguna de Los Témpanos y Glacier Vinciguerra
8.5 miles, 3200 ft elevation gain
This was definitely my favorite of the hikes we did in Ushuaia. You can hike all the way up to the glacier and explore the glacier caves as well as walk around on the glacier. It was busy, but due to the length and the elevation gain, there was a lot less people than most of the popular trails.
(click on the picture to see the full uncropped image)
Laguna Esmeralda
6.5 miles, elevation gain elevation gain 1750.
This one was touted as one of the best and most popular hikes around Ushuaia. It was SO BUSY. I usually avoid the popular hikes. I don’t mind seeing a few people as I’m hiking. I prefer less busy, quieter trails though. Everyone we saw greeted us and on occasion would ask where we were from. Everyone was clearly happy to be out enjoying the beautiful summer day.
(click on the picture to see the full uncropped image)
Sendera Costa
As short or long as you want it to be.
This trail starts at the Post Office in Tierra del Fuego National Park and follows along the coast. It's a busy trail, but a nice one if you are tired of climbing up the mountains. We saw a few young wild horses and a number of birds as we explored for a few hours.
This was our only visit to the National Park—it's $21 per person per day(!) for entry, even though the number of hiking trails is fairly limited. Since there are so many free scenic well-maintained trails in the area we didn’t feel the need to pick hikes within the Park.
(click on the picture to see the full uncropped image)
Next stop: Antarctica!