We spent two weeks in Ushuaia, taking day hikes whenever good weather was promised. We quickly learned a good forecast meant nothing, (cut to the only hour it 'WINTER MIXED' one day, while we were on the ridge of a glacier, only to come down and it's sunny and 50F for the next 18 hours) and a bad forecast meant less. A day with less than favorable forecasts, we decide to go for another hike in the National Park.
Side note: it's not cheap to go to Tierra del Fuego from Ushuaia. 100% worth every second, but if you are going, and it's raining the whole time, you will see very little. The park entrance fee is 140 ARS per person, and 200 ARS round trip bus, (haha, tiny VAN) pp.. The entire transaction is easy to maneuver, which is nice. You can roll into the tiny Bus Station / parking lot, and catch a van headed toward the Park, every half hour.
On our first venture to the park, we were hustled into the front seat of a van, and left within seconds of arriving.
This time around, we chose to do the Hito XXII trail, an 8K hike around Lake Roca. It's an easy hike, which weaves through the forests and water several times.
The end of the trail is the Chilean border. A great ending, just sign stating the border, and a metal triangle post. No one stamped our passports.
Don't tell anyone we walked into Chile for a minute with nuts and fruit. That is serious! We crossed Chile/ Argentine borders via bus last week, and the fruit / processed meats situation was not a joke. Fruit/meat sniffing dogs everywhere. Walking out, we saw one guy pounding a three inch slab of salamis at the border.
The hike took around 3 hours round trip, and ended by the cafe where the bus picks you up. We took a Patagonia Tours bus, which we liked, they come more often than Sol, the other bus company. Patagonia even offered to drop us off at our Hostel.
Like most hikes in the National Park, Hito XXII is an easy, low impact walk, with stunning views.