Futalaufquen Lake (Lago Futalaufquen) is a large lake in

Chubut Province Chubut ( es, Provincia del Chubut, ; cy, Talaith Chubut) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), the 46th parallel south (bordering Santa Cruz Province), the Andes rang ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Futalaufquen Lake is in the chain of lakes of the

Futaleufú River The Futaleufú River, located in northern Patagonia, is one of the premier whitewater rivers in the world. One of only two rivers to cross the 5,308 kilometer Chile-Argentina border, the Futaleufú headwaters can be found in the glacial snow mel ...

system of Argentina which via

Yelcho Lake Yelcho Lake is a large fjord-shaped lake located in Chilean Patagonia, in southern Palena province of Los Lagos Region, Chile. The lake receives the waters of the Futaleufu River at its southern tip, near the tiny settlement of Puerto Ramirez. The ...

and the

Yelcho River The Yelcho River is a river in the Los Lagos Region of southern Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, oc ...

flows into the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. Located in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, Lake Futalaufquen is three-lobed, of glacial origin, and occupies narrow valleys between glaciated peaks. It is located in the

within

Los Alerces National Park Los Alerces National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Los Alerces) is located in the Andes in Chubut Province in the Patagonian region of Argentina. Its western boundary coincides with the Chilean border. Successive glaciations have molded the landsc ...

. The name comes from the

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...

language. "Futa" means great, and "laufquen" means

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

. A highway runs along the eastern arm of the lake. Tourist facilities and the National Park headquarters and Futalaufquen village are there. Fishing for

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

is popular in the lake.

Description

Parque Nacional Los Alerces Argentina - panoramio (1)

The Arrayanes River flows about to Futalaufquen Lake after collecting the outflow from

Lake Menéndez Lake Menéndez (Lago Menéndez) is a large lake in Chubut Province, Argentina. Lake Menéndez is in the chain of lakes in the Futaleufú River system of Argentina which via Yelcho Lake and the Yelcho River flows into the Pacific Ocean in Chile. ...

and

Lake Rivadavia Lake Rivadavia (Lago Rivadavia) is a lake in Chubut Province, Argentina. Lake Rivadavia is the second lake, after Lake Cholila, in the chain of lakes in the Futaleufú River system of Argentina which via Yelcho Lake and the Yelcho River flows ...

. The Arrayanes River is named after the trees of the same name found along its banks (the Arrayanes tree is commonly called the Chilean Myrtle in English). The Arrayanes River is noted for its scenery and sport fishing, especially for rainbow trout, an introduced species. The outlet for Futalaufquen Lake is the western arm. The lake flows through a narrow passage called the "Monster Narrows" (estrecho de los monstruos) into Kruger Lake, in size. The Narrows acquired that name because of the large trout that can be seen in the crystal-clear water. The outflow from Kruger Lake is called the Frey River which flows into

Amutui Quimey Reservoir Amutui Quimey Lake is a large reservoir in Chubut Province, Argentina. Amutui Quimey is in the chain of lakes of the Futaleufú River system of Argentina which via Yelcho Lake and the Yelcho River flows into the Pacific Ocean in Chile. The Futale ...

, the next large lake in the chain."Lake Futalaufquen", https://web.archive.org/web/20110902232811/http://www.hidricosargentina.gov.ar/EIndice-Futalaufquen.html, accessed 1 Feb 2018

Sources

{{reflist Lakes of Chubut Province Patagonia Lakes of Argentina