Huerquehue National Park

Huerquehue sits in the coastal-facing hills above Lake Caburgua and its main route, the Sendero Los Lagos, climbs about eight kilometres through forest to a plateau holding the small lakes Chico, Toro and Verde, with araucaria standing among coigue and lenga on the upper slopes. The climb is steady rather than steep and the reward at the top is a set of quiet lakes and, on a clear day, Villarrica volcano across the valley. It was protected in 1967 and is the walking counterpart to Villarrica's volcano climb - the other thing people based in Pucon do. Numbers on the trail are capped in high season.

Background

The park lies in the Andean foothills, within the Valdivian temperate rainforest, 33 km east of Pucón and 145 km southeast of Temuco. To its west is the Villarrica National Reserve and to its east the Hualalafquén National Reserve. Its 125 square kilometres of mountains east of Caburgua Lake range from 720 to 2,000 m. The name is a Mapudungun word meaning the messenger's place. It was created on June 9, 1967, though its origins go back to 1912 and the Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna Park, also called Colico, which covered 265,000 Ha. The wettest months run from May to September, annual rainfall is 2,045 mm, and the park holds 20 bodies of water.

Source: Wikipedia, "Huerquehue National Park"

What's there

• Araucaria among coigue and lenga - on the upper slopes.
• A chain of small lakes - Chico, Toro and Verde on the plateau.
• Villarrica across the valley - visible from the top in clear weather.
• A steady eight kilometre climb - the park's main route.

When to go

November to April; snow closes the upper trail in winter. A full day.

Before you go

Trail numbers are capped in summer and entry closes early in the day. The last road is gravel. Rain here is frequent and the trail gets muddy. Facilities are camping and basic.

Nearby

Lake Caburgua is below; Pucon and Villarrica are south-west.

Key facts