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Chile's Huerquehue National Park, a day's drive from Santiago and near the town of Pucón, offers pleasant hiking and spectacular views.

Huerquehue National Park, Chile by Susan Ranney

Hiking in Huerquehue National Park offers spectacular views of Lake Tinquilco and the Villarica Volcano.

As the November rains and snows are sending causal hikers indoors in the Pacific Northwest, springtime weather is blossoming in the topographically similar Araucanía Region of Chile. Departing from the tourist- friendly town of Pucón, you will transition from well-paved roads to more rustic travel on your twenty-mile drive to Huerquehue National Park. After checking in with the forest ranger and paying your fee, you can drive a little further to the trailhead to Lago Verde (Green Lake). Soon you will be hiking the gentle switchbacks, with changing views of Lake Tinquilco below and the volcano Villarica in the distance offering ample excuses for rest and water breaks. If you didn’t dawdle too long over breakfast, you should arrive at Lago Verde in plenty of time for a picnic lunch and exploration around the lake. The jagged snow-capped peaks of the Andes will beckon, but sitting on a log to admire may well suffice before heading back down, again taking in the picture perfect lake-and-volcano scenery as you go.