Paso Garibaldi
The transition happens gradually at first, and then all at once. Route 3 climbs into the Fuegian Andes through dense stands of lenga beech and ñire, following a stream for a stretch before the valley narrows and the gradient steepens. Waterfalls appear on the rockfaces above. The road reaches its high point at Paso Garibaldi — the only paved crossing of the Fuegian Andes, and the highest point on all of Ruta Nacional 3 — at around 450 metres (roughly 1,480 feet) above sea level. The views from the summit look north over Lago Fagnano and south toward Lago Escondido, the latter tucked into a mountain bowl and easily missed by drivers who don't stop. There is a trail here — the Sendero Valle del Hambre, a moderate out-and-back of about 6.6 kilometres — for those with time and energy. Most will find the viewpoint itself sufficient: rocky walls, snow on the higher peaks, and the abrupt sense of having crossed something real.
The pass was built in 1956. Before that, the two halves of the Argentine island had no paved connection. Below Paso Garibaldi, the road descends south through the Tierra Mayor valley — a wide, marshy expanse with peat bogs on either side, the occasional husky kennel or ski facility visible from the road — before the Cerro Castor ski centre marks the final approach to the city. Snow is possible here even in summer.