The Lago Puelo National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Lago Puelo) is a protected area in Argentina. It is located in the northwest of the Chubut province, within the Patagonia region of South America. The park covers an area of 276.74 square kilometers (68,380 acres). It was established to protect its beautiful natural views and the plants from the Valdivian region, which helps increase the variety of life found near Los Alerces National Park. At first, it was part of Los Alerces National Park but became its own separate park in 1971.
The park is named after Puelo Lake and is part of the Patagonic forest and steppes and High Andes areas. The mountainous land where the park is located was shaped by glaciers. These glaciers formed many rivers and lakes, including Puelo Lake, which gives the park its name. The rivers in this area carry a lot of tiny particles from glaciers, which make Puelo Lake appear blue.
Climate
The climate is cold and wet. It is more temperate than other parks in the Patagonian region. Average temperatures range from 5 °C (41.0 °F) in winter to 17 °C (62.6 °F) in summer. The average yearly rainfall is about 1,400 mm (55 in), with most of it falling between May and August. Sometimes, snow can fall during the coldest months.
Flora and fauna
The park's plant life includes species from the Valdivian rain forests, such as avellano, tique, lingue, and ulmo. Other plants found there are ciprés de la cordillera, coihue, lenga, radal, and arrayán. The rosa mosqueta is a non-native plant.
The park's animal life includes pudú, huemul, red fox, cougar, and coipo. Birds present in the area are huala, pato vapor volador, bandurria, pitío, and zorzal patagónico. The lake is home to native fish like perca, peladilla, and puyén grande, as well as non-native trout.
History
The first people to live in the area were hunter-gatherers who lived on the steppe and used stone tools to hunt guanacos. There are cave paintings in the park that seem to show images of paths leading into the forest. Today, Mapuche communities live in the eastern part of the park.