Puyehue National Park is located in the Andes mountain range in the Los Ríos and Los Lagos regions of Chile, which was previously called the 10th region. The park has 220,000 acres of natural thermal springs, volcanoes, and evergreen forests. It was expanded in 1950 and again in 1981. Puyehue National Park is Chile's most visited national park, with about 400,000 people visiting each year. The park is part of the Reserve of Temperate Rainy Forest Biospheres of the Southern Andes. Chile Route 215 runs through the park and connects to Argentine Route 231 through the Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass.

Location

The park is located in the Osorno Province, in the town of Puyehue. The park is 118 miles northeast of Puerto Montt or 50 miles east of Osorno.

Destinations

The park has a main feature of Puyehue volcano, Cordón Caulle, and the Antillanca Group. The park is divided into three main areas: Aguas Calientes, Anticura, and Antillanca. Each area has activities that match its natural features. Aguas Calientes has natural thermal baths and hiking trails. Anticura has the Puyehue volcano, El Puma lookout point, Cordón Caulle, hot springs, a volcanic area, and a strawberry field known as Pampa de Frutilla. It also includes Salto de la Princesa, a waterfall near the Golgol River, and an 800-year-old forest of coigüe trees, along with recreational trails. Antillanca has crater Raihuén and Mirador hill, the Las Gaviotas River (río Las Gaviotas), and Rupanco Lake (lago Rupanco). There is also skiing at the Antillanca ski center, located on the slopes of the Casablanca volcano.

Water and waterways in the park

The Golgol River and the Las Gaviotas River are the main rivers in the park. The Chanleufú River also flows through the park. Two branches of the Golgol River are the Anticura River and the Pajaritos River. Both of these rivers flow into Lake Puyehue, which is located outside the park. Five lakes are found within the park: Constancia, Gris, Paraíso, Lake Berlin, and part of Rupanco Lake.

Administration

Puyehue National Park has warden stations in each of its three areas. The main office is located in the Aguas Calientes area. Puyehue National Park has a Center of Environmental Information that gives information about animals and plants in the Aguas Calientes and Anticura areas. The Anticura area includes a CONAF guard station and a campsite. The Antillanca area has a ski center and a hotel that is open all year round. Entrance is free. The Anticura area costs 800 Chilean pesos to enter, which is about $1.60 USD.

Facilities

Puyehue National Park has a hotel with a hot springs area, a lodging house, cabins, and campsites.

Activities

The park offers many activities, such as hiking, trekking, fishing, watching plants and animals, swimming in a heated pool, photography, climbing, taking trips, horseback riding, snowboarding, mountain bike riding, skiing down hills, skiing across open areas, and bird watching.

Trees and foliage

The plants in the lower areas are similar to those found in the Valdivian temperate rain forest and resemble the vegetation in the nearby Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park.

Temperate evergreen forests grow at lower elevations. Tree species include coigüe (Nothofagus dombeyi), common ulmo (Eucryphia cordifolia), olivillo (Aextoxicon punctatum), and tineo (Weinmannia trichosperma). The undergrowth is filled with bushes, ferns, moss, and lichens, creating a rich and diverse forest environment. At higher elevations, coigüe forests include tepa (Laureliopsis philippiana) and mañío (Saxegothaea conspicua), which become the main tree species. Areas with only Nothofagus betuloides and Nothofagus pumilio grow just below the tree line.

Forests of coigües de Magallanes (Nothofagus betuloides) have dense undergrowth with Nothofagus pumilio, a tree with deciduous leaves that turn reddish in autumn. Marsh areas called "mallines" are covered in thick moss. Other tree species in the park include Nothofagus antarctica, a type of law brushwood, and cypress of Guaitecas (Pilgerodendron uviferum).

Animals

Mammals found in Puyehue National Park include the puma, gray fox (Pseudalopex griseus), the quique (Galictis cuja) or ferret, the coypu (Myocastor coypus), the güiña (Felis guigna) or wild cat, and the chingue (Conepatus chinga), skunks, and vizcachas.

The park is also a place for birdwatching, where visitors may see the torrent duck (pato correntino), the Magellanic woodpecker (carpintero negro), the Chilean pigeon (torcaza), the hued-hued (huet-huet), the Andean condor, the great grebe (huala), the Southern house wren (chercán), and the buff-necked ibis (bandurria).

Trails

• An excursion trail to Berlín Lake is 6.8 miles long and takes about 5 hours for a round trip. The trail follows part of the old road from Aguas Calientes to Antillanca, ending at Berlín Lake, where there is a rustic shelter for six people.
• The El Pionero recreational trail is 5,905 feet long and takes 1 hour and 20 minutes for a round trip. It leads to a viewpoint.
• The El Recodo recreational trail is 1,246 feet long and takes 15 minutes for a round trip. It connects to the Aguas Calientes area, where visitors can eat.
• The Chanlefú Rapids educational trail is 3,937 feet long and takes 1 hour and 30 minutes for a round trip. It leads to waterfalls and river rapids.
• The Los Derrumbes recreational trail is 1,902 feet long and takes 45 minutes for a round trip.
• The pools at Aguas Calientes reach up to 42 °C (108 °F) and are a good place to relax near the Rio Pichilanleufu.

Anticura Area (Sun stone)

• An excursion trail to Puyehue volcano is 9.9 miles long, and the volcano is 2,240 meters high. This trip takes 2 or 3 days for a round trip. It is a self-guided trail that reaches the volcano, sulfur deposits, and hot springs in the Caulle mountain range. A rustic shelter for 12 people is located on the volcano’s slopes. During the 1960 earthquake, lava from the volcano turned large areas of forest into sand dunes and lava spillways.
• An excursion trail to the strawberry field, or Pampa de la Frutilla, is 12.4 miles long and takes 2 or 3 days for a round trip. The trail starts at the 1.8-mile marker of Anticuar. An old road continues from the Último Puesto area, crosses the forest, and reaches an Andean prairie. A rustic shelter is located at Seca Lagoon (Laguna Seca).
• The Salto de la Princesa recreational trail is 2,329 feet long and takes about 30 minutes for a round trip. It leads to Salto de la Princesa, a waterfall on an inlet of the Gol-Gol river, which is usually dry in summer.
• The Salto del Indio recreational trail is 3,116 feet long and takes 40 minutes for a round trip. It is a self-guided road that shows the evergreen forest, passes by 800-year-old coigüe trees, and leads to a waterfall on the Gol-Gol river.
• The Repucura educational trail is 3,608 feet long for a round trip.
• The EL Puma lookout point trail is 4,593 feet long and takes 1 hour and 30 minutes for a round trip. It crosses the Anticuar River on a hanging bridge and goes to a viewpoint facing Puyehue volcano to the north and the valley of the Gol-Gol river.

Antillanca Area (Sun jewel)

• A trail to Cerro Mirador is 2.4 miles long. In summer, a road from the hotel leads up to the Raihuén crater and Cerro Mirador. This area is the starting point for an excursion trail that follows the Las Gaviotas River and reaches the shore of Lago Rupanco. The lake’s beaches are suitable for water sports and fly fishing. Visitors can explore the native rainforest and see deer on its islands. Puntiagudo and Osorno volcanoes are visible from this area.
• Skiing is also available at the Antillanca ski center, located on the slopes of the Casablanca volcano.

Weather

It rains in the park throughout the year, but the heaviest rainfall occurs from March through September. Snow covers the ground during the winter and spring seasons. The average yearly temperature is 8°C (46°F), increasing to between 10°C and 18°C (50°F and 64°F) during the summer months. The average yearly rainfall is 450 mm (18 inches).

Energy project

In 2008, the government approved a hydroelectric project in the park. This decision was controversial because a private company would carry out the project, and the resource is located in a public park. People also worried about how the project might affect the environment.