Hornopirén National Park is located in the Andes Mountains, in the Palena Province of Chile's Los Lagos Region, also called Region X. The park covers an area of 482 square kilometers (186 square miles) and includes rough mountains and untouched Valdivian temperate rainforests. It shares a border with the northern part of Pumalín Park. The Carretera Austral highway passes near the park. Nearby, the volcanoes Hornopirén and Yate are located.

Geography

The park is part of the Andes mountain chain. It covers 22 hectares of mountains, glaciers, and volcanoes. The park has mountains shaped by glaciers and active volcanoes. Glaciers in the park cover an area of 30 square kilometers (12 square miles). The Yate volcano rises 2,187 meters above sea level, and the Hornopirén volcano rises 1,572 meters above sea level. From the southern slope of the Yate volcano, at 1,500 meters above sea level, visitors can see wide views of the park's mountains, forests, a lake, and the Pinto Concha Hornopirén fjord.

Water

The park has three main lakes: Pinto Concha Lake, which is 4.75 km (2 sq mi) in size; Cabrera Lake, which is 1.55 km (1 sq mi); and Inexplorado Lake, which is 1.5 km (1 sq mi). Pinto Concha Lake is the most visited place in the park. There are six major rivers in the park. Inexplorado Lake is part of a group of paternoster lakes that belong to the Blanco River drainage basin. These lakes have unique blue and green colors because of rock flour that is suspended in their water, which makes the river look milky. The Negro River is another important river system in the park.

Forests

These areas are partially or completely surrounded by very old alerce trees, also called larch forests. The Alerce tree is the second oldest tree species in the world. Fitzroya trees grow mostly in large groups. The untouched alerce forests cover an area of about 97.41 km (38 sq mi), which makes up about 35% of the park's total plant cover.

Biology

The park includes about 25 types of mammals, such as both native and non-native animals. These include the cougar, kodkod, lesser grison, chilla fox, American mink, coypu, pudú, and Chilean huemul. There are 18 species in the park that are considered threatened.

Administration

The park is managed by CONAF in the city of Hornopirén at the central square, and all trips to the forest begin here. Entrance to the park is free. One part of the park can be reached by motor vehicle, but the other part must be traveled on foot. To reach the park from Hornopirén, travel 11 kilometers north on Av. Lib. Bernardo O’Higgins. Then, continue 7 kilometers on a rough gravel road through private land to reach the park entrance. The park is 107 kilometers away from Puerto Montt. Two bus companies operate between Puerto Montt and Hornopirén National Park. The trip takes about 5 hours. There is a shelter in the park that is only for the use of the CONAF ranger. It is located on the southwest side of Pinto Concha lake and provides information to tourists during the summer months. There is a designated camping area, but it has no services, such as no barbecue or drinking water. Campfires in and around the park are illegal.

Weather

The average annual rainfall is 2,500 mm and can reach up to 4,000 mm. Temperatures vary from 9 to 12 degrees Celsius. There are between 50 and 150 days with frost each year. The park is closed to the public from July to November because snow and ice more than one meter thick build up in the recreation area.