- Los Alerces National Park
Infobox_protected_area | name = Los Alerces National Park
iucn_category = II
caption =Futalaufquen Lake , one of the many lakes in the Los Alerces National Park.
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location =Chubut Province ,Argentina
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area = 2,630 km²
established =1937
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governing_body =Administración de Parques Nacionales The Los Alerces National Park is a national park in
Chubut Province ,Argentina , some 30 miles fromEsquel . It is a park of 2,630 square kilometres along the border withChile , best known for the alerce (lahuan) trees ("Fitzroya cupressoides") from which the park takes its name.The park was created in 1937 in order to protect the alerce forest, and other typical examples of the flora of the
Patagonia nAndes . The National Park has the largest alerce forest of Argentina. Alerce is one of the longest-livingtree s in the world; some in the park are around 3,000 years old, with many of them over 1,000 years. It grows very slowly and belongs to the familyCupressaceae . The principal forest in the park, visited by tourists, is at Puerto Sagrario at the northern end of Lago Menéndez. Arrayán ("Luma apiculata") trees can be seen along the Arrayanes river.In the west of the park, there is high rainfall and
Valdivian temperate rain forests below the high Andes mountains. Much of the rest of the park is Patagonian forest similar to the Lanín andNahuel Huapi National Park s, withcoihue s and lenga in addition to the alerce. There is a complex lake system with many rivers. The most important are the Menendez, Rivadavia, Futalaufquen and Krüger lakes, and the Frey river. Ahydroelectric dam, providing energy to industry inPuerto Madryn , has created the large artificial Lake Amutui Quimei, which empties into theFutaleufú River which flows on to Chile. The Torrecillasglacier can be seen from tour boats.There is good walking and fishing in the park, plus boat trips on the lakes.
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