Parque Nacional Alerce Andino Carretera Austral, Patagonia, Chile

Introduction

Access: Puerto Montt

The trees of Alerce Andino National Park come from an old and storied lineage. This regional ecosystem remained isolated from the glaciers that covered the area 12 thousand years ago.

Today, its forests are a global icon of endemic fauna––one in three species in this forest is not found anywhere else on the planet. Vertical walls of granite surround the park’s fifty or so lagoons, and its rugged geography has long protected millennia-old Alerce (Fitzroya) trees that grow over more than half of the park’s surface. This priceless ecosystem can be found south of Lake Chapo and is classified as a Biosphere.

Brief details
  • Open: Year-Round
  • Area: 97,001 acres
  • Climate: Rainy and mild
  • Rainfall: 157 inches annually
  • Ecosystem: Temperate Rainforest
  • Founded: January 3, 1982
Suggested Places of Interest and / or Activities
  • Visit the ancient Alerce (Fitzroya) trees in the Sargazo sector of the park––which are around 2,500 years old––or in the Las Chaicas sector of the park, where they’re nearly 3,000 years old
  • See the Las Chaicas waterfall
  • Cross the suspension bridge on the Lake Sargazo trail
  • Visit a few of the lakes you can reach via the trail network, such as Sargazo, Chaiquenes, Triángulo, Chilco, Fría, or Gaviota

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