The largest of the Southern American Islands, Isla Grande is geographically considered as part of Patagonia. Politically the area is split almost equally between Argentina and Chile. Whilst the northern half is flat steppe, the southern sector rises to the Fuegian Andes, the eastern extremity of the Darwin Range. Rising to around 1500m these Fuegian Andes are protected from the worst of the weather by lying on the eastern side of the island but with the low vegetation at this latitude they appear much higher. A particular feature of the vegetation of this region are large areas of peat moss, which hold peoples weight but are fragile to walk on. There is a range of trekking here of various degrees of difficulty, but there are few good maps.

Photographs from one visit.

In January 2008 we completed two treks in this area. The first was the Sierra Valdivieso Circuit and the second Paso de la Oveja.
The Sierra Valdivieso Circuit is a true wilderness circuit to the north west of Ushuaia. It takes four or five days to complete and is largely unmarked. There is a reasonable map available but the guidebook description is essential. Camping is permitted throughout the route, except for a small section of private land at the end. There is one hut in poor condition near the start of the route. This trek can be combined with a trip to Laguna Esmeralda, from where there is relatively easy access to a small glacier.
The Paso de la Oveja route is much more popular and includes an Alpine Lake to camp at. Camping is only permitted as designated areas.

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