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

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

, 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 rainfores ...

of the La Araucanía

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. 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 cit ...

and 33 km east of

Pucón Pucón (Mapudungun: "entrance to the cordillera") is a Chilean city and commune administered by the municipality of Pucón. It is located in the Province of Cautín, Araucanía Region, 100 km to the southeast of Temuco and 780 km to ...

, 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 out ...

, 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 Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna (August 25, 1831 – January 25, 1886) was a Chilean writer, journalist, historian and politician. Vicuña Mackenna was of Irish and Basque descent. Biography Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna was born in Santiago, the ...

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 Mapuche ( , ; from 'land' and 'people', meaning 'the people of the land') or Mapudungun (from 'land' and 'speak, speech', meaning 'the speech of the land'; also spelled Mapuzugun and Mapudungu) is either a language isolate or member of the s ...

word (the language of the

Mapuche people The Mapuche ( , ) also known as Araucanians 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 ...

) that means "the messenger’s place". One of the most noteworthy features of Huerquehue National Park are its ancient ''

Araucaria ''Araucaria'' (; original pronunciation: .ɾawˈka. ɾja is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. While today they are largely confined to the Southern Hemisphere, during the Jurassic and Cretaceous they were glo ...

'' (''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 ...

(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 brai ...

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 Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

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, pewen, pehuen pine or piñonero, is an evergreen tree belonging to the family Araucariaceae and growing to a trunk diameter of and a height of . It is native to ...

'', 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 güiña, 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 listed ...

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

Pudú The pudus (Mapudungun ''püdü'' or ''püdu'', , ) 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 name i ...

- The world's smallest

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

(Vulnerable) * Geoxus 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 family (biology), biological family of caniform carnivorans, constituting a clade. A member of this family is also called a canid (). The family includes three subfamily, subfamilies: the Caninae, a ...

of the continent (Least concern) ;Birds: *

Peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...

(

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, inv ...

) * Chilean pigeon ( Vulnerable) *

Magellanic woodpecker The Magellanic woodpecker (''Campephilus magellanicus'') is a species of 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'', ...

( 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 language, Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. One species, the And ...

(Rare) *

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

(

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

) * Slender-billed parakeet or Choroy Parakeet (

) ;Amphibians: *

Darwin's frog Darwin's frog (''Rhinoderma darwinii''), also called the Southern Darwin's frog, is a species of frog of the family Rhinodermatidae. It was discovered by Charles Darwin during his voyage on HMS ''Beagle''. on a trip to Chile. In 1841, French ...

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 language, Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. One species, the And ...

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 Araucanía Region Protected areas established in 1967 Environment of Chile Valdivian temperate forests 1967 establishments in Chile