An Early Spring Trip to Volcan Lonquimay

This weekend I got to join a quick trip back down to Volcan Lonquimay, the site of a previous trip to do some skiing. This time our intended objective was hiking in the Conguillío National Park, for Graeme and Yara’s last trip to the park before moving to Santiago and also for them to show something of the south of Chile to their friend Audrey who was visiting.

The Drive

We left a bit before midday on Friday and began the drive south, enjoying a sunny spring day. Along the way we stopped by a river to eat our picnic lunch and enjoy some sunshine.

On the way we stopped in Curacautín to check on the open status of the parks and trails in the area. Unfortunately, there was still enough snow that our primary objective would not be accessible, but there seemed to be plenty of other options on and near Volcan Lonquimay. We continued to the cabaña, dropped our things off and drove up to the Corralco ski resort to walk through the araucaria forest before dinner.

Our chosen dinner location happened to also be the site of a outdoor adventure guide service, so we asked about trails, for ideas and to clarify confusing distance labels on the map we had. After some discussion and questions, we settled on a route to the south of Volcan Lonquimay which would potentially have us climbing over a pass between the volcano and a neighboring ridgeline. Since it is still early spring, snow was a high probability and we were advised to rent snowshoes.

Volcan Lonquimay

Saturday morning dawned a beautiful day, with only a few clouds in the sky. After a tasty breakfast (thanks Yara and Audrey!) we went to rent snowshoes and get on the trail. At the rental shop, we were advised by the employee that there was not much snow up there, so we might not need snowshoes at all. Yara and Audrey were keen to use snowshoes, so they rented some while Graeme and I drove to the nearby town of Malalcahuello to buy sunscreen (which all four of us had apparently forgotten to bring).

After a fruitless search, we were returning to the rental shop to pick up Audrey and Yara, when we passed our intended trailhead, today featuring a locked gate and a sign saying “senderos cerrados” (trails closed). So, plan B. We decided to instead go back up to the ski area on the volcano, take the road towards Crater Navidad (a new crater formed during a 1988 eruption) as far as we could, and the continue the rest of the way on foot/snowshoes.

After Graeme and I also rented snowshoes, we piled back in the car and headed up the volcano. On the way we spoke with the CONAF employees at the entrance to the volcano area; they said the trails were all snow-free, but were closed because they hadn’t yet been cleared of debris. But, we could still try our luck with Crater Navidad. So, after a quick stop at the ski center to buy sunscreen, we pointed the car up the road.

We did not get very far up the road before a some erosion on the road stopped our low-clearance vehicle. So we parked the car beside the road and start up on foot. For the first portion we were able to walk along the edge of the road, which was exposed due to snowmelt. We steadily gained elevation at a reasonable rate, with the road’s snow cover increasing as we moved up the road. Along the way we saw a group of people skinning up the slope above the road; we never saw them ski down, but the hill looked like it would be a fun one to ski

Eventually we got to a point where the snow covered the road completely and we were forced to start walking through the snow. We were angling across a fairly steep slope, so we initially didn’t put on showshoes, preferring instead to just sink ankle-deep into the snow. My wearing only approach shoes (and no gators) plus the wet snow quickly made for wet feet.

After a bit, the angle of the slope eased up and we put snowshoes on. It was welcome at first, to keep our feet a bit more dry, but eventually the slope turned steep again, and kicking snowshoes into the snow to get purchase became a bit of work.

The relatively clear skies made for nice views and we were able to several volcanoes in the distance, some with impressive lenticular clouds above them (consistent with the weather forecast for a rainy Sunday). The clear skies and the reflection of the Sun off the snow confirmed that stopping for sunscreen had been the right move.

Around two hours into the hike we gained the ridge from which we could finally see Crater Navidad and the lava field it had spawned. There we had a choice: continue along the ridge for nice views of the lava field from above, or descend towards the lava field. We decided to stay high, eat lunch, and then reevaluate.

We continued along the ridge for another 45 minutes before stopping near the top of a knoll overlooking the lava field, where we ate our lunch. It was a nice, relaxing stop, and we stayed there for about an hour.

Afterwards, we decided to return to the car, because we had plans of soaking in termas (thermal pools) that evening and didn’t want to push dinner too late. The hike back went quickly, with only minor slips on the snow, which had become even softer over the course of the day.

After returning to the car, we made a quick stop at the cabaña to change into our swim trunks for the termas. We then dropped of our snowshoes and drove up the valley to a termas which we had been assured was new, rustic, open, and would stay open until 22:00. The drive up the valley was nice; we passed many quiet farms along a dirt road which seemed to be the only way in or out of the valley.

After half an hour we arrived a the termas and were greeted with a large “cerrado”, despite the smaller sign with open hours encompassing the present time. As we were preparing to turn the car around, the owner of the termas appeared, beckoning us to park the car and come into the gates. “We open at 1900h” (it was 1910h).

Then he took us on a short tour, showing off the thermal pools with varying temperatures, the changing stalls, and showers. We decided to take the plunge and spent an enjoyable hour or so, soaking in one of the outdoor pools. Eventually, hunger got the best of us and we left the valley in search of food.

Waterfall Stops and Return To Concepción

We had a leisurely start on our final day. I woke to the sound of rain, as the expected storm had arrived. We had another nice breakfast and loaded up the car for the trip home.

Before passing through Curacautín, we stopped at two waterfalls along the way, for quick walks and pictures. They both had quite nice flows, likely resulting from the spring snowmelt. Fortunately the rain was fairly light in the morning, so we stayed mostly dry on our mini-excursions.

The rest of the return trip was uneventful, and we arrived back in Concepción in the late afternoon. It was a fun, quick weekend trip to the mountains and I am looking forward to getting back out again.