Alerce Costero National Park

The park protects a stretch of the coastal range where alerce survives - Fitzroya cupressoides, a conifer that grows extremely slowly, was logged almost to nothing for its rot-resistant timber, and has been a protected natural monument in Chile since 1976. Its centrepiece is the Alerce Milenario or Gran Abuelo, a tree of around four metres diameter usually cited at about 3,600 years from a partial core count; a modelling study published in 2022 suggested it could be considerably older, potentially the oldest living tree known, and that estimate is disputed because the trunk is hollow and cannot be fully cored. A boardwalk leads to it.

History

The park began as the Alerce Costero Natural Monument, created by the Chilean government on 3 January 1987, and in 2010 it became a national park, joining the monument with the Valdivia National Reserve, the Quitaluto estate and land given by The Nature Conservancy, which also owns the neighbouring Valdivian Coastal Reserve (Wikipedia, Alerce Costero National Park).

What you'll find

• Alerce forest on the coastal range - a species logged almost to nothing.
• The Gran Abuelo - about four metres across, usually cited at 3,600 years.
• A contested age estimate - a 2022 model suggested far older, and is disputed.
• A boardwalk to the tree - built to keep roots from being trampled.

When to go

December to March; the roads are difficult in the wet season. A full day.

What to expect

The tree's record claim is not settled and should not be repeated as fact. Access roads are rough gravel. This is one of the wettest parts of Chile and rain is close to constant. Facilities are minimal.

Nearby

Valdivia and Corral are north; the coast is west.

Key facts