Tierra del Fuego National Park was created in 1960 in the southwest corner of the island, on the border with Chile. It covers 156,000 acres of forest, rivers and lakes, with the final mountains of the Andes range. The southern edge of the park borders the Beagle Channel. It is a temperate and humid area with no dry season. Annual rainfall is about 28 inches. The sea has a great influence on the weather, maintaining a uniform climate, with temperatures between 32 and 50 degrees fahrenheit. Snow is seen in the higher elevations.
The best way to enjoy the park is to take a bus from Ushuaia, about a 30-minute ride. I bought a round-trip ticket and got off the bus at the coastal trail head. The trail hugs the Beagle Channel for about five miles through the beautiful forest. It is mostly an easy hike, with some swampy areas and some short, steep portions. Trekking poles were useful.
All along the trail there was evidence of the Yamaná presence. Every small inlet contained archeological remains, where the people collected shellfish and discarded the shells. Numerous depressions in the ground indicated where they built their huts. Around these depressions the shells created circular mounds. These middens are obvious today, only a little over one hundred years later. Here is clear evidence, with some shells still intact.
These are photos from the late 19th century. The hut is typical in this area, though I am not certain if these are Yamaná or the neighboring Selknam people. The hut is covered with branches and sea lion skins. If these are Selknam, they are covered with guanaco skins. The guanaco is a relative of the camel.
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