Laguna San Rafael National Park (Spanish pronunciation: [laˈɣuna san rafaˈel]) is a park located on the Pacific coast of southern Chile. The park is named after the San Rafael Lagoon, which was formed when the San Rafael Glacier melted and moved back. Established in 1959, the park covers an area of 17,420 square kilometers (6,726 square miles) and includes the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. A fjord that is more than 16 kilometers (10 miles) long is one of the park's main attractions.

History

In the year 1675, people from other places first explored the area known as Laguna San Rafael. At that time, the glacier with the same name was a land-terminating glacier, meaning it ended on land. It likely reached the lagoon again sometime between 1741 and 1766. Since that time, the glacier has been a tidewater glacier, meaning it ends in water.

In 1979, the park was named a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

Geography

The park includes some of the taller mountains in the Andes of Patagonia, such as Monte San Valentín, Cerro Arenales, Cerro Hyades, and Cerro Pared Norte.

This park has several rivers. The San Tadeo River is located in the Isthmus of Ofqui and flows into San Quintín Bay in the northern part of the Gulf of Penas. Other rivers near the park include the Baker River and the Exploradores River. The Témpanos River, which is not actually a river, connects San Rafael Lagoon to the Gulf Elefantes, which is in the southern part of the Moraleda Channel.

Presidente Ríos Lake is located along the border between the park and the Las Guaitecas National Reserve.

Climate

The average yearly rainfall at Cabo Raper (latitude 46°50' S.), located on the open coast of the Taitao Peninsula, is about 2,000 mm (79 in). As you move eastward, rainfall amounts increase in the protected areas of the Chilean Inside Passage, reaching levels similar to those in the Los Lagos Region. Between 1981 and 1985, the Laguna San Rafael weather station (latitude 46°37' S.) recorded an average yearly precipitation of 4,440 mm (175 in). At higher elevations, rainfall increases significantly and falls as snow on the Northern Patagonian Ice Field, with annual precipitation exceeding 6,000 mm (240 in).

Biology

The park is recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

Many types of birds live in the park, such as black-browed albatrosses, great grebes, black-necked swans, and cormorants.

The area also supports a variety of land and sea animals, including the South American gray fox, South Andean deer, Chilean dolphin, South American sea lion, marine otter, and southern elephant seal. Baleen whales travel to the Gulf of Penas. It is important to note that the gulf may serve as a wintering and calving area for the critically endangered Southern Right Whale population.