Bernardo O'Higgins National Park
| Bernardo O'Higgins National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Southern Patagonian Ice Field
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| Location | Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region-Magallanes Region, Chile |
| Coordinates | 50°0′S 74°00′W / 50.000°S 74.000°WCoordinates: 50°0′S 74°00′W / 50.000°S 74.000°W |
| Area | 3,525,901 ha (8,712,691 acres) |
| Established | July 22, 1969 |
| Visitors | 35,964 (in 2016) |
| Governing body | Corporación Nacional Forestal |
Bernardo O'Higgins National Park (Spanish pronunciation: [berˈnarðo oˈxiɣins]) is the largest of the protected areas in Chile, covering an area of 3,525,901 ha (8,712,691 acres) in both the Aysén and Magallanes and Antártica Chilena regions. Management of this and other national parks in Chile is entrusted to the Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF). The park is named after General Bernardo O'Higgins, the first head of state of the Republic of Chile. Los Glaciares National Park (Argentina) and Torres del Paine National Park are its neighbours to the east, Laguna San Rafael National Park is located to the north, the Alacalufes National Reserve to the southwest and the Katalalixar National Reserve to the northwest.
The earliest occupants of the area were the Alacaluf people.
In 1830, the then Captain Phillip Parker King on board H.M.S. Beagle visited the Eyre Fjord.
In June 2007, it was announced that between March and May 2007 all the water within a glacial lake located within the park had disappeared, leaving behind a 100-foot-deep crater. Only some blocks of ice, previously floating on the lake, remained behind on the crater floor. In July 2007, scientists were able to draw the preliminary conclusion that the disappearance occurred as a result of climate change.
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