Última Esperanza Sound (Last Hope Sound) is an inlet

Inlet

An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...

 stretching from the mouth of Eberhard Fjord

Eberhard Fjord

Eberhard Fjord is an arm of Seno Ultima Esperanza in the Patagonian region of Chile. This surface water body was named for Hermann Eberhard, the first European to explore this region. Eberhard used the fjord to find the Cueva del Milodón, where he discovered remains of the extinct Giant sloth;...

 to the outskirts of Monte Balmaceda

Monte Balmaceda

Monte Balmaceda is a heavily glaciated mountain located in the Magallanes Region of Chile. It stands at the head of Última Esperanza Sound, in the south portion of Bernardo O'Higgins National Park and near the mouth of the Serrano River...

, within the Magallanes Basin

Magallanes Basin

The Magallanes Basin is a major geological basin reaching as far north as upper Patagonia in Chile. Rocks within it derive from the Jurassic period and includes the Cerro Toro formation...

. This inlet, known within Chile as Seno Última Esperanza, has the characteristics of a tidewater river and drains an extensive basin. It receives the waters of almost all the surface waters of Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine National Park is a national park encompassing mountains, a glacier, a lake, and river-rich areas in southern Chilean Patagonia. The Cordillera del Paine is the centerpiece of the park. It lies in a transition area between the Magellanic subpolar forests and the Patagonian Steppes...

 through the Serrano River

Serrano River

Serrano River is a river located in the Magallanes Region of Chile. Its main tributary is Grey River. The Serrano Glacier is an attraction on the river. The waters of the Serrano River eventually reach Seno Ultima Esperanza.-Area prehistory:...

. The sound occupies a valley carved by glacial

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

 action.

Last Hope Sound along with the Señoret Channel

Señoret Channel

The Señoret Channel is a navigable surface water body in the Patagonian region of Chile. One of the major towns along the channel is Puerto Natales. Hermann Eberhard, the first European to explore the interior of northern Patagonia, used the Señoret Channel to navigate northward in order to access...

 forms a navigation route, which connects Puerto Natales with several protected areas of the region. The Turbio River

Turbio River

The Turbio River rises in a mountainous region of the Argentine Andes and discharges to the Última Esperanza Sound in Chile. Río Turbio headwaters are in a part of the Andes where there is no central valley, or gap between the eastern and western ridges...

 is a tributary to the Ultima Esperanza Sound.

In the vicinity of the Eberhard Fjord is located Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument

Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument

Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument is a Natural Monument located in the Chilean Patagonia, northwest of Puerto Natales and north of Punta Arenas. The monument is situated along the flanks of the Cerro Benitez Mountains...

, where remains have been recovered of the extinct Giant sloth along with a settlement of prehistoric man.

See also

• Cerro Toro
  Cerro Toro
  Cerro Toro is a Cretaceous landform of the Magallanes Foreland the Patagonian region of southeastern Chile. The Cerro Toro is an element of the southern Andes Mountain Range. The Andes fundamentally are the result of plate tectonics processes, caused by the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath...
  
  
• Cordillera Riesco
  Cordillera Riesco
  The Cordillera Riesco is a mountain rangelocated in the Chilean Patagonia to the west of Puerto Natales. It extends in north-south direction on the eastern shore of the Fjord of the Mountains and parallel to the Cordillera Sarmiento. The rock towers of the "Grupo La Paz" are the centerpiece of this...
  
  
• Cordillera Sarmiento
  Cordillera Sarmiento
  The Cordillera Sarmiento is a mountain rangelocated in the Chilean Patagonia to the west of Puerto Natales. It extends in north-south direction on the western shore of the Fjord of the Mountains and parallel to the Cordillera Riesco. The highest mountain in this range is La Dama Blanca , with an...
  
  
• Fjord of the Mountains
  Fjord of the Mountains
  Fjord of the Mountains, also known as "Channel of the Mountains", is located to the west of Puerto Natales, Chile and inside the boundaries of the Alacalufes National Reserve. It stretches 66 km from north to south and is flanked by two mountain ranges, the Cordillera Sarmiento to the west and the...
  
  
• Lago Porteno
  Lago Porteno
  Lago Porteño is a lake in Patagonian Chile. Current scientific analysis indicates this surface water body was considerably more extensive in the early Holocene.-References:* C. Michael Hogan, * Christy Harvey L. Smith. 1977...