Magellanic Woodpecker Male (Campephilus magellanicus)

Alerce Costero National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Alerce Costero, ) is a protected wild area in the

Cordillera Pelada Cordillera Pelada (Spanish for Bald Range or Barren Range) is a mountain range in southern Los Ríos Region, southern Chile. It is located along the Pacific coast and forms part of the larger Chilean Coast Range. It got its name ''pelada'' from the ...

about from

Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau R ...

and from La Unión. ''

Fitzroya ''Fitzroya'' is a monotypic genus in the cypress family. The single living species, ''Fitzroya cupressoides'', is a tall, long-lived conifer native to the Andes mountains and coastal of southern Chile, and only to the Andes mountains Argentina, ...

'' trees grow inside the protected area and give the area its name, with ''Alerce Costero'' translating as ''Coastal Fitzroya''. The Natural Monument has a total area of .

History

Alerce Costero National Park has its origins in the

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

Alerce Costero, created on January 3, 1987, by the

Chilean government Chile's government is a representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Chile is both head of state and head of government, and of a formal multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the president and by their cabinet. Leg ...

. In 2012 the area was elevated to national park status and was renamed Alerce Costero National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Alerce Costero). The new national park is the result of a public-private collaboration that united the state-owned Alerce Costero National Monument, Valdivia National Reserve and Quitaluto estate with land donated by

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

, which also owns the adjacent Valdivian Coastal Reserve.

Details

The park is administered by

CONAF The National Forest Corporation or CONAF (Corporación Nacional Forestal) is a Chilean private, non-profit organization, through which the Chilean state contributes to the development and sustainable management of the country's forest resources. C ...

(the Chilean National Forest Corporation), has a total surface area of , and rises to a maximum

altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...

of . The geography of the park make it suitable for many species of endemic birds and mammals with very specific habitat requirement. One of the goals of the park is to protect the

Valdivian temperate rain forest The Valdivian temperate forests (NT0404) is an ecoregion on the west coast of southern South America, in Chile and Argentina. It is part of the Neotropical realm. The forests are named after the city of Valdivia. The Valdivian temperate rainforest ...

and help maintain Chaihuín river basin, an important watercourse in the region, while also protecting the Chaihuín community that depend on the river. The unique ecosystem of the southern

Chilean Coast Range The Chilean Coastal Range ( es, Cordillera de la Costa) is a mountain range that runs from north to south along the Pacific coast of South America parallel to the Andean Mountains, extending from Morro de Arica in the north to Taitao Peninsula, ...

and

makes this a priority site for biodiversity conservation. The mountainous area served as a refuge from the devastating effects of the last glaciation which occurred during the

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...

Period, and more recently from the effects of volcanic activity. It has not, however, been kept safe human activity and is today classes as a threatened area. From about 1750 to 1943, when the land between

Maullín River Maullín River( es, Río Maullín) is a river of Chile located in the Los Lagos Region. The river originates as the outflow of Llanquihue Lake, and flows generally southwestward, over a number of small waterfalls, emptying into the Gulf of Coronad ...

and

was colonized by Spain and then Chile, numerous fires of ''Fitzroya'' woods occurred in

. These fires were initiated by Spaniards, Chileans and Europeans. Earlier, from 1397 to 1750 the ''Fitzroya'' woods of Cordillera Pelada also suffered from fires that originated from lightning strikes and indigenous inhabitants.

Climate

The area of

and the

Los Ríos Region The Los Ríos Region (Spanish: ''Región de Los Ríos'', , ''Region of the Rivers'') is one of Chile's 16 regions, the country's first-order administrative divisions. Its capital is Valdivia. It began to operate as a region on October 2, 2007, ...

has a rainy temperate climate, with rains all year round. The park is slightly warmer than the rest of the region, with an average annual temperature of 12°

Celsius The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius scale (originally known as the centigrade scale outside Sweden), one of two temperature scales used in the International System of Units (SI), the other being the Kelvin scale. The ...

and temperatures ranging from being in January and the in July.

Location and access

The park is part of the

, and located in the Coastal Range of the

communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

Corral A pen is an enclosure for holding livestock. It may also perhaps be used as a term for an enclosure for other animals such as pets that are unwanted inside the house. The term describes types of enclosures that may confine one or many animal ...

and La Unión. There are works in progress to improve access to the park but the use of four wheel drive vehicles is currently recommended. ; Access from Corral The main access is route T-80 that runs from

to the seaside village of Hueicolla. The road consists of of gravel and of dirt road, suitable only for off-road vehicles or mountain bikes. There is an alternative route for standard vehicles via the road joining La Unión and Santa Elisa in the Cumleufu area. Other ways of accessing the park from Corral (all suitable for four wheel drives and mountain bikes only) include: * 1C Access: West entrance, approaching from the town of Chaihuín in Corral commune, towards the Catrileufu zone that used to be part of the former Valdivia National Reserve. * 2C Access: North entrance from Corral, following route T- 470, to the Quitaluto-Catrilelfu zone. * 3C Access: North entrance from the town of Morro Gonzalo Corral in the commune of the Quitaluto. * 4C Access: Entrance from route T-60 via the Valdivia – La Union Highway (Route T -640) in the Tres Chiflones zone, toward La Romaza by a dirt road. ; Accesses from La Unión * 1U access: South entrance from the town of Santa Elisa in the commune of La Unión to the La Romaza area,. The road is in good condition and suitable for all vehicles. * 2U Access: Entrance via route T-80 from La Unión to the Alto Mirador area. The gravel road is in good condition and is suitable for all vehicles. There is also a river access from the Chaihuín river and a four wheel drive route that runs from the coast via route T-470 to Hueicolla, and from there to route T-80.

Main features and activities

Entry to the park is free, and it is open daily from 9:00 to 20:00. As its name suggests, one of the main features of the park are the ancient

trees, some of which are thousands of years old, especially in the southern area of the park. The evergreen forest has burnt out patches where forest fires have left their mark, which have given the area its alternative name: "Cordillera Pelada" or "Bald Mountains." The park is suitable for

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

and

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

, and has several viewpoints and places to observe the flora, fauna and landscapes. The park is a particularly popular site for mountain biking. In the north area (Catrilelfu, Las Romazas) there is a

office with park rangers, tourist information and safety advice. Toilets and trash cans are located around the park. The park has two short official trail routes, both located in the southern part, although more than of further trails are being explored and equipped for visitors. * The 1,800 "Alerce Milenario" (Ancient Fitzroya) route leads to a 3,000-year-old, Fitzroya tree. * The "Piedra del Indio" (Indian Stone) route leads to an area with views of the mountain range and river. Here can be found examples of “Ciprés de las Guaitecas” or (

Pilgerodendron ''Pilgerodendron'' is a genus of conifer belonging to the cypress family Cupressaceae. It has only one species, ''Pilgerodendron uviferum'', which is endemic to the Valdivian temperate rain forests and Magellanic subpolar forests of southern Chil ...

). There is a camping zone with some equipment such as tables, a wooden shelter, and information.

Flora and fauna

Among the many species that can be found in the Alerce Costero National Park are: ;Flora * Alerce (''

'') * Canelo (''

Drimys winteri ''Drimys winteri'', the winter's bark or canelo, is a slender tree in the family Winteraceae, growing up to tall. It is native to the Magellanic and Valdivian temperate rain forests of Chile and Argentina, where it is a dominant tree in the coas ...

'') * Ciprés de las Guaitecas (''

'') * Tineo (''

Weinmannia trichosperma ''Weinmannia trichosperma'', the ''tineo'', is an evergreen tree in the family of Cunoniaceae, it is native to Chile and Argentina: 35 to 47°S. endemic to laurel forest habitat. Description ''Weinmannia trichosperma'' grows up to 30 m (1 ...

'') * Coigüe de Chiloé (''

Nothofagus nitida ''Nothofagus nitida'' (Chiloé's coigue) is an evergreen tree, native to southern Chile and Argentina. It is found from latitude 40° S to Última Esperanza ( 53° S). Description Up to 35 m (115 ft) height and 2 m (6.5 ft ...

'') * Two kinds of carnivorous plants: “rocio del sol” ('' Drosera uniflora'') and “violeta del pantano” ('' Pinguicula chilensis'') ;Fauna * Güiña (

kodkod The kodkod (''Leopardus guigna'') (), also called guiña, is the smallest felid species native to the Americas. It lives primarily in central and southern Chile, as well as marginally in adjoining areas of Argentina. Since 2002, it has been liste ...

) * Puma ( ''Felis concolor'' or cougar) * Quique (

lesser grison The lesser grison (''Galictis cuja'') is a species of mustelid from South America. Description Lesser grisons have a long, slender body, short legs, and a bushy tail. They have a long neck and a small head with a flattened forehead and rounded ea ...

) *

Pudú The pudus (Mapudungun ''püdü'' or ''püdu'', es, pudú, ) are two species of South American deer from the genus ''Pudu'', and are the world's smallest deer. The chevrotains (mouse-deer; Tragulidae) are smaller, but they are not true deer. The ...

* Carpintero negro (

Magellanic woodpecker The Magellanic woodpecker (''Campephilus magellanicus'') is a very large woodpecker found in southern Chile and southwestern Argentina; it is resident within its range. This species is the southernmost example of the genus '' Campephilus'', which ...