Huerquehue National Park () is located in the foothills of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, in the

Valdivian temperate rainforest 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 ...

of the La Araucanía

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. It lies 145 km southeast of

Temuco Temuco () is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune, capital (political), capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The city is located south of Santiago de Chile, Santiago. The city ...

and 33 km east of

Pucón Pucón (Mapudungun: "entrance to the cordillera") is a Chilean city and commune administered by the municipality of Pucón https://www.mipucon.com/ sitio web. It is located in the Province of Cautín, Araucanía Region, 100 km to the south ...

, between the Villarrica National Reserve to the west and the Hualalafquén National Reserve to the east. The park encompasses 125 square kilometres (12,500 ha) of mountainous terrain east of

Caburgua Lake Caburgua Lake () is located 23 km northeast of the city of Pucón, in the La Araucanía Region of Chile. Huerquehue National Park lies to the east of the lake. Like Villarrica Lake, it is part of Toltén River basin. During summer the outflo ...

, and has an elevation range of 720 to 2,000 m asl. The national park was created on June 9, 1967 in order to protect the area. However, its origins date back to 1912 and the creation of " Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna Park", also known as "Colico", which encompassed 265,000 Ha. Today, that land is divided into various different parks and reserves. Huerquehue is a Mapudungun word (the language of the

Mapuche people The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who sha ...

) that means "the messenger’s place". One of the most noteworthy features of Huerquehue National Park are its ancient '' Araucaria'' (''Araucaria araucana'') forests, the tree commonly known as "monkey puzzle". These are the backdrop for the clear lakes and lagoons that dot the park, including Tinquilco Lake, which lies in the lower portion of this protected area.

Access

The park main entrance lies 2 kilometres from Tinquilco Lake on Kilometre 20 of the road to Caburga Lake. The park ranger’s cabin is located at this main entrance. The park is open all year round.

Climate

The park experiences two main seasonal climates throughout the year: a warm summer with less than four dry months, and a cold, icy winter caused by the high altitude. The wettest months are from May to September, with an annual rainfall index of 2,045 mm (80 in).

Hydrography

Most basins in this area are

exorheic Open and closed lakes refer to the major subdivisions of lakes – bodies of water surrounded by land. Exorheic, or open lakes drain into a river, or other body of water that ultimately drains into the ocean. Endorheic basins fall into the c ...

(open and closed lakes), both lentic (still waters) and lotic (flowing streams). The largest water courses are the rivers Renahue Blanco and Quinchol. There are also several permanent minor water courses. There are 20 bodies of water, most of which are smaller than 7.5 ha. The most important water sources are the lakes (27.5 ha) and Verde (32.5 ha), and the ponds, Los Patos, Huerquehue, Escondida, Seca, Clara, Las Avutardas, Angelina and Los Cóndores, among others. Those water bodies belong to the hydrographic basin of

Toltén River Toltén River is a river located in the La Araucanía Region of Chile. It rises at Villarrica Lake, close to the city of the same name. Its major tributary is the Allipén River. From its confluence with the Allipén, the river follows a braided ...

Flora

Located in the region known as

, the forest can be more specifically described as Andean-Patagonian forest, and lies in a sub-region called the Araucanía Mountain range. The park also belongs to the region of

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

forests, and within it, to the sub-region of the Andean deciduous forests. The first sub-region features the High-Andean deciduous forests with ''

Araucaria araucana ''Araucaria araucana'' (commonly called the monkey puzzle tree, monkey tail tree, piñonero, pewen or Chilean pine) is an evergreen tree growing to a trunk diameter of 1–1.5 m (3–5 ft) and a height of 30–40 m (100–130 ft). ...

'', while the second has the mixed Andean deciduous forest. The araucaria, which is currently considered a vulnerable species, is one of the most notable features of Huerquehue National Park. ROSWO Huerquehue1

Fauna

Some of the protected species that can be found in the park are:CONAF - Park Information
CONAF. Corporación Nacional Forestal 2014, retrieved on December 15, 2014 ;Mammals: *

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 ...

or Güiña (''Leopardus guigna''; endangered) *

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 ...

- The world's smallest

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

(Vulnerable) *

Geoxus ''Geoxus'' is a genus of South American rodents in the tribe Abrotrichini of family Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and ...

or Long-clawed mole mouse (''Geoxus valdivianus''; rare) *

Culpeo The culpeo (''Lycalopex culpaeus''), also known as culpeo zorro, Andean zorro, Andean fox, Paramo wolf, Andean wolf,Comparative ecology of two South American foxes, 'Dusicvon ariseus' and 'culpaeus' by Warren E. Johnson. Doctoral dissertation. Io ...

or Andean Fox (''Lycalopex culpaeus'') - similar to the red fox, the culpeo is the second largest

canid Canidae (; from Latin, '' canis'', " dog") is a biological family of dog-like carnivorans, colloquially referred to as dogs, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a canid (). There are three subfamilies found withi ...

of the continent (Least concern) ;Birds: * Peregrine falcon (

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

) *

Chilean pigeon The Chilean pigeon (''Patagioenas araucana'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Chile and Argentina. Taxonomy and systematics The Chilean pigeon is monotypic. It, ring-tailed pigeon (''Patagioenas caribaea''), and ...

( Vulnerable) *

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 ...

( Vulnerable) *

Condor Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. They are: * The Andean condor (''Vu ...

(Rare) *

Black-necked swan The black-necked swan (''Cygnus melancoryphus'') is a species of waterfowl in tribe Cygnini of subfamily Anserinae.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the bir ...

(

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

) *

Slender-billed parakeet The slender-billed parakeet, also called the long-billed parakeet (''Enicognathus leptorhynchus''), is a medium size South American parrot. It belongs to the smaller long-tailed Arinae (macaws and parakeets). It is known by the local common name ...

or Choroy Parakeet (

) ;Amphibians: *

Darwin's frog Darwin’s frog (''Rhinoderma darwinii''), also called the Southern Darwin's frog, is a species of Chilean/Argentinian frog of the family Rhinodermatidae. It was discovered by Charles Darwin during his voyage on voyage on HMS ''Beagle''. on a ...

or southern Darwin’s frog ( Vulnerable) Image:Rhinoderma darwinii.jpg , Darwin's frog (Rhinoderma darwinii) Image:Leopardus guigna.jpeg ,

- Leopardus guigna, or Güiña Image:Black-necked Swan Cygnus melancoryphus Swimming 1965px.jpg , Black necked swan Image:Colca-condor-c03.jpg , Andean

condor Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. They are: * The Andean condor (''Vu ...

Image:Pudupuda hem 8 FdoVidal Villarr 08Abr06-PhotoJimenez.JPG ,

References

External links

Photo Gallery

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070930113416/http://www.unep-wcmc.org/wdpa/sitedetails.cfm?siteid=9418&level=nat World Database on Protected Areas entry {{DEFAULTSORT:Huerquehue National Park National parks of Chile Protected areas of La Araucanía Region Protected areas established in 1967 Environment of Chile Water in Chile Araucanía Region Valdivian temperate rainforest