Sendero de Alerces: Pumalín's Ancient Forest Walk

The Sendero de Alerces is a short, flat boardwalk loop that puts you face-to-face with alerce trees up to 3,000 years old, roughly 15 minutes by road from the Caleta Gonzalo ferry dock in Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park. The walk takes about 40 minutes at an easy pace, covers 1.3 km, and gains only 40 m of elevation — making it the most accessible ancient-forest experience on the entire Carretera Austral.

A quarter of all remaining alerce in Chile grows inside this park. That statistic reframes the trail: it is not a scenic detour but a walk through one of the last significant stands of a species that was logged almost to collapse across its range.

Where the Alerce Trail Fits in Pumalín

Pumalín sprawls across 402,392 hectares between the Reloncaví fjord and the Andes, and it is easy to underestimate the distances involved. The Sendero de Alerces sits in the northern sector of the park, a few kilometres south of Caleta Gonzalo along the gravel Carretera Austral. Most visitors arrive either by ferry from Hornopirén or by road from Chaitén, and the trail functions as an ideal first stop — short enough to fit into a transit day, rich enough to justify the whole trip.

The Caleta Gonzalo trailhead

If you come off the Hornopirén ferry, you will reach the trailhead in about 15 minutes by car. The parking area is small — perhaps a dozen vehicles — and fills quickly on sunny January mornings. I would aim to arrive before 10:00, both for the light and for the silence. By midday, the boardwalk can feel like a queue.

From Chaitén and the southern sector

Driving from Chaitén takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour on ripio, depending on road conditions. The park administration office at El Amarillo, in the south, handles registration and camping payments; hours are 08:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:30, and trail access closes at 14:00. Plan your day around that cutoff — arriving at 15:00 means walking nowhere.

Parking, ferries and the practical geography

There is no fuel inside the park and no public transport to the trailhead. The Caleta Gonzalo sector offers a café that accepts cards and a paid campsite (around 8,000 CLP per night, cash preferred). Treat the trail as one stop on a longer Carretera Austral day rather than a standalone destination.

Walking Among Three-Thousand-Year-Old Trees

Alerce — Fitzroya cupressoides, the Patagonian cypress — grows so slowly that a trunk one metre across may be a thousand years old. The boardwalk protects the roots, and you will understand why the moment you step onto it: the forest floor is a sponge of moss, and the trees' flared bases sit in shallow, waterlogged soil.

What you actually see on the boardwalk

The path loops gently through a grove where several alerce exceed 2,000 years, with the oldest estimated near 3,000. Trunks are reddish, deeply furrowed, and often hollow at the base — a natural fire scar that the tree has simply grown around. Understory is dense: nalca with its giant rhubarb-like leaves, filmy ferns, and moss covering every surface. On a wet day the boardwalk is slick; on a clear one, light filters down in shafts.

Why the forest is here at all

Logging across the 19th and 20th centuries removed most accessible alerce, and the steep, high-altitude stands survived mainly because extraction was too difficult. Pumalín's protection — first as a private reserve assembled by Douglas Tompkins from 1991, then as a national park in 2018 — secured a quarter of Chile's remaining alerce. The grove you walk through is not pristine wilderness; it is a survivor.

Wildlife you might notice

The understory is loud with chucao tapaculo, a small bird whose ratcheting call is the signature sound of Valdivian rainforest. Pudu, the world's smallest deer, shelter here but are rarely seen. Listen more than you look — the forest rewards patience.

Planning Your Visit: Rules, Weather and Timing

Entry to Pumalín is free, but you must register with CONAF — at the El Amarillo office in the south or with rangers at sector entrances. Trail access closes at 14:00, and you must be off the trails by 16:00. Fees and procedures change; check conaf.cl before you go.

Best season and what to wear

December to March is the dry window, though "dry" in Pumalín means rain is possible any day. February is warmest, with daytime temperatures around 15–18°C. The trail is open year-round subject to weather. Wear shoes with real grip — slick lenga roots and wet boardwalk punish trail runners. A rain shell is non-negotiable; I have been soaked in February and sunburned in the same week.

How long to allow

Forty minutes covers the loop at an unhurried pace. Add 20 minutes if you stop to listen, which you should. Most visitors combine the trail with Cascadas Escondidas (1.5 km boardwalk) and the Ventisquero Colgante viewpoint (4 km round trip, 250 m gain) in a single day from Caleta Gonzalo.

Combining trails and where to sleep

Camping is first-come, first-served — no reservations — at roughly 6,000–8,000 CLP per person per night depending on sector. Chaitén has hostels and a park-run hostel with breakfast; Caleta Gonzalo has the paid campsite. Allow two days in the park if you want the volcano crater and the forest walks without rushing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the Sendero de Alerces and how hard is it?

It is a 1.3 km loop with about 40 m of elevation gain, taking 40 minutes at an easy pace. The boardwalk is flat and suitable for most fitness levels, though wet surfaces require care.

Do I need a reservation or ticket?

No ticket is needed — entry to Pumalín is free — but you must register with CONAF, and trail access closes at 14:00. Camping is paid separately and cannot be reserved in advance.

How do I get to the trailhead without a car?

There is no public transport; the trailhead sits about 15 minutes by road from the Caleta Gonzalo ferry dock. Most visitors arrive by rented vehicle or organized tour along the Carretera Austral.

When is the best time to see the alerces?

December to March offers the most stable weather, with February temperatures around 15–18°C. The forest is green year-round, but the boardwalk is safest in the drier summer months.