Lake Cholila

Lake Cholila (Lago Cholila) is a lake in Chubut Province, Argentina. Lake Cholila is the uppermost of several large lakes in the Futaleufú River system of Argentina that via Yelcho Lake and the Yelcho River flows into the Pacific Ocean in Chile. The lake is of glacial origin and occupies a narrow east to west valley between glaciated peaks of the Andes.

Lake Cholila
Snow-capped Andes peaks overlook Lake Cholila.
LocationChubut Province, Argentina,
Coordinates42°27′36″S 71°40′40″W
Lake typeglacial lake
Primary inflowsTigre River
Primary outflowsCarrileufú River, discharge 19.3 cubic metres (680 cu ft) per second[1]
Catchment area609 kilometres (378 mi)[2]
Basin countriesArgentina
Max. length18 kilometres (11 mi)
Max. width1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi)
Surface area17.5 km2 (4,300 acres)
Average depth48.5 metres (159 ft)
Max. depth108 metres (354 ft)
Water volume.85 cubic kilometres (690,000 acre⋅ft)
Residence time.52 years
Surface elevation540 metres (1,770 ft)

Description

The Tigre River is born in glaciers at an altitude of about 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) along the border with Chile. From its source, it flows eastward about 30 kilometres (19 mi) to enter the upper end of Lake Cholila. The outlet at the lower end of the lake is the Carrileufú River (River of Green Waters in the Mapuche language). The highest mountain in Chubut Province is Tres Picos, 2,515 metres (8,251 ft), about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west northwest of Lake Cholila.[3]. The Carrileufú River should not be confused with the Carrenleufú or Palena River. Both names derive from the same Mapuche word. Although the lake is not located in a national park, the lake shore is mostly in a natural state. Cattle raising, tourism, and sport fishing are the principal occupations of the sparsely populated region.[4]

After leaving Lake Cholila the Carrileufú River is joined by the outflow from Lake Mosquito (Lake Pellegrini) and Lake Lezana and then flows into the upper end of Lake Rivadavia, approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) river miles and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Lake Cholila in a straight line distance.[5]

Recreation

Sport fishing is popular in the lake and in the rivers. Trout, not native to South America, are the chief attraction, including brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, and landlocked Atlantic salmon. Native species of fish include "trucha criolla" (Percichthys trucha) and "puyen" (Galaxias).[6] Boating is popular on the lake and rafting, kayaking, and canoeing are popular on the Carrileufú River below the lake.

Butch Cassidy

For several months in 1905, the outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid may have hidden from Pinkerton detectives in a cabin where the Tigre River joins Lake Cholila. The two outlaws owned a ranch near the town of Cholila.[7]

Footnotes
  1. "Lake Cholila, Argentina", https://www.lakepedia.com/lake/cholila.html, accessed 25 Jan 2018
  2. https://www.lakepedia.com/lake/cholila.html, accessed 25 Jan 2018
  3. "Cuenca del Rio Futaleufu", https://www.mininterior.gov.ar/obras-publicas/pdf/76.pdf, accessed 24 Jan 2018; "Peak Bagger", http://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=12140, accessed 4 Feb 2018
  4. "Alphabetic index of Lakes, Shallow Lakes, and Reservoirs," https://web.archive.org/web/20110902222041/http://www.hidricosargentina.gov.ar/EIndice-Cholila.html. accessed 24 Jan 2018
  5. Google Earth
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20110902222041/http://www.hidricosargentina.gov.ar/EIndice-Cholila.html; "Patagonia River Guides" http://www.patagoniariverguides.com/prg-info/rivers/, accessed 24 Jan 2018
  7. Jameson, W. C. (2012), Butch Cassidy: Beyond the Grave, Taylor Trade Publishing, p. 97
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