Lago Gutierrez

Exploration Path

This walking route recreates the ancient pathways of the Aonikenk, hunter-gatherers of Patagonia who roamed the pampas of the Chacabuco Valley thousands of years ago. Their traces endure in the petroglyphs of the Cueva de los Niños, located near the trail. The route culminates at Lago Gutiérrez, the largest in the Chacabuco Valley, which served as a resting site for the long journeys of nomadic Patagonian communities.

For the troperos - traditional nomadic herders - and ranchers of the region, the year was divided into two key seasons: the "veranada" and the "invernada. During the summer, the troperos drove their cattle to the veranadas, high pastures that, once free of snow, provided abundant grazing in clearings surrounded by deciduous forests of ñirre and lenga. In winter, the herds moved to the winter pastures, lower, sheltered areas where corrals provided protection from inclement weather. Today, thanks to the ecological restoration efforts led by Rewilding Chile, these clearings and ancient forests used for cattle grazing have been transformed into a natural sanctuary waiting to be explored.