Northern Patagonian Ice Field, Glacial field in Aysen Region, Chile

The Northern Patagonian Ice Field is a remnant of the Patagonian Ice Sheet, covering about 4,200 km2 (1,600 sq mi) within Laguna San Rafael National Park in Chile's Aysén Region. It runs roughly 120 km north to south and 50 to 70 km east to west, at elevations of 1,100 to 1,500 m. Its 28 outlet glaciers include San Rafael, whose tidewater snout lies near sea level, and San Quintín.

The ice field formed during the Quaternary period as part of the extensive Patagonian Ice Sheet that once covered Chile and Argentina. This ancient glaciation left behind the glacier landscape that remains visible today.

The ice field lies entirely within Laguna San Rafael National Park, and its best-known attraction is the San Rafael Glacier, the closest tidewater glacier to the equator. The Leones lake and glacier were briefly a tourist draw but have almost completely melted, partly through tourist exploitation, and now sit in a closed sector of the park. Expeditions have crossed the ice: Eric Shipton with Miguel Gómez, Eduardo García and Cedomir Marangunic went from the San Rafael Glacier into Argentina in the summer of 1963–64.

The ice field lies entirely within Laguna San Rafael National Park in the Aysén Region, and the usual access to its western margin is by boat or plane from Puerto Chacabuco or Coyhaique toward the San Rafael lagoon. The eastern side drains into the Baker River basin via the Colonia, Nef and Ventisquero rivers. Weather changes quickly, so build spare days into any itinerary.

The ice field is the second largest continuous mass of ice outside the polar regions, after only the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. It survives thanks to elevations of 1,100 to 1,500 m and a cool, moist oceanic climate. Its 28 outlet glaciers drain west toward the Pacific and east into rivers feeding the Baker basin.