GPT15 - Curarrehue
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Recent Alerts and Suggestions
- "Trail closure" on option 01PN Huerquehue. When leaving the Eco termas Rio Blanco hot springs there is a sign saying the "Huerquehue trail, camping renahue and the dome" are closed "indefinitely". The park itself is open but supposedly that section on the trail is closed. We continued bcs we were not sure which trail they were exactly talking about but we're prepared to turn around if we saw something blocked off. The trail was fine except for a lot of blow down up until the lake Huerquehue. If you want to avoid this closure there is a trail in good shape coming from lake Caburgua to camping renahue. We met a horse guide coming from there and said it is fine.
Season Section Log
- 20/02/23-21/02/23 / Natalie & Tomáš/ SOBO Option 01 PN Huerquehue / 2days
Hitched from the end of GPT14 to the start of the trail to Laguna Isolda (option 01). The start is gated (easily passable) and says private property but we continued. Sign said to call bosquesnalcahue (45) 91 06 59. We anticipated a bushwack but the trail was in surprisingly good conditions and we managed to meet the women responsible for the upkeep later in the park, she guides horse tours through those trails and clears as much as she can. The trail however is "so so" and you cannot access the lake easily, if you need water there is running water here;-39.10352, -71.54720. The trail turns into a road sooner than it is shown on the map, it turns into a road here;-39.10477, -71.54474 (about 5 km in). The road to the hotsprings has lots of water sources but it is not very interesting and I personally wished I just hitched all the way to the hotsprings to spend more time there. However, there was an interesting deserted logging operation along the way (-39.12617, -71.55411), we learned from the horse guide that the company went bankrupt and just left everything there.
Camping at the hotsprings; Evo Thermas Rio Blanco and San Sebastian, are 15mil/person. We chose to stay at Rio Blanco because of the pools and a better variety of camping spots. We camped above the booth where you pay and the man who we payed showed us a hidden super hot (adjustable with cold water hose) bath not too far from our camp spot. Tomáš was surprised there by a family at 10 PM so keep some makeshift swimsuits ready. Both campings sell some basic food items but not much.
There is a sign saying the trail to Huerquehue is closed "Indefinitely" and so is camping Renahue. Quite alarming but since the website said the park was open we continued with the mindset we would have to turn back. The trail was pretty good from the termas to camping renahue and it is here where we met the horse guides that were doing the trail maintenance near Laguna Isolda. The horse guides came up through the trail from lake Caburgua and they said it was an easy trail. This could be a good option if you wanted to avoid any trouble with CONAF and the section closure. However we were still curious about Huerquehue so we continued option01 thinking we would turn back if we saw another sign or anything saying the trail was closed, to our surprise there were no more signs. Between camping renahue to lake Huerquehue there is a lot of blow down but after lake Huerquehue the trail is pristine. We started seeing people after Lago Toro so obviously the park was open. With the combination of having a late morning at the hot springs and all the indecisiveness about closures we ended up walking through the park at a great time ( 530-7pm). There were very few people and we really got to enjoy how beautiful it was there. CONAF website said they close at 530pm but there are no gates and attendants so no problems leaving the park later. Unfortunately at the lake the camping El Rincon was closed and camping Olga was 18mil a night with a minimum of a two night stay so we managed to get a hitch to Pucón. If needed, you can illegally camp at the CONAF station as that is what others were doing or ask "Alicia" at the old El Rincon campsite if you can pay privately and take care of your washroom needs- supposedly they had to shut down due to washroom problems.
- 5 Feb 2020 Southbound Frank
I combined GPT15, 16 & 17. It's easy to resupply in Curarrehue & Liquine. 2 short days for GPT15 & continued to GPT16 on 2nd day. Got the bus from Pucon to Reigolil via Currarehue. Didn't go to the lake but continued straight on the main road to Curarrehue. This option is quicker but there are not many places to camp.
- Northbound / feb 2020
1.5 easy days. We took the dirt road on the west side of river. There is a small coffee about 7km from Currarehue. Very nice with good atmosphere. No particular interest in this section. Hitch if you can, there are quite some people living along this road so it should be easy. There is a bus doing Currarehue/Reigolil every day. Currarehue is nice to resupply with restaurants, supermarkets and accommodation. There is also an ATM. Reigolil there is only one very small shop with not much.
- 2020-Jan-30 / Martina & Ivo / (Main road) southbound
We started to walk on the road on the Western side of the river just to see what will happen. After 2 hours a bus to Curarrehue came ;-)
- 2019-Nov-26 / Shaun C / South bound / Regular Hiking Route
Straightforward. Took a short 2 days. Rained incessantly, but still very pleasant, especially the misty Laguna Hualalafquen. Water readily available throughout. Only a few patches of snow (above 1200m).
- 15-Jan-2020 / Matus & Anna / Regular SOBO
We combined sections 14 and 15. It took us 3 days and nero. GPT14 - there are signs that someone tried to clear overgrown part of the trail on the begining and end but middle is still nicely overgrown. Though we didn't have problem to follow. Part of minor road on regular trail is under construction. They are putting a huge pipe under it. It was evening and workers were not there se we managed to sneak through but I don't think they will let you pass during working hours. It's just before descending to the river before National reserve Villarrica. In the Conaf campsite was food truck (it was weekend) with churasco, sopapillas, drinks... pure heaven. We paid 4000 per person at conaf. They are building a dorm at Lodge. It will be ready for next years hikers ;) Resuply in Reigolil - mini shop on trail seemed abandoned. We found best supplies in shop-4. There is one other shop directly after bridge. GPT15 - road and trail in good condition. On the climb to the lake bit before last settler there are some wild cherry trees on the left. We stuffed ourselves and left for others too. Enjoy. Multiple shops, accomodation options and restaurants in Curarrehue.
19-Jan-2020 Tom & Maddie
Regular route SOBO, 1.5 days. Easy walking, road in good condition. Would recommend hitching if you have limited time, but worth doing otherwise to connect sections 14 and 16. Really good resupply in Curarrehue (restaurants, grocery stores, clothing stores, pharmacy etc).
Summary Table
| GPT15: Curarrehue | Hiking | Packrafting | |||||
| Group | C: Zona Pehuenche | Total | 51.1 km | 15 h | 51.0 km | 15 h | |
| Region | Chile: Araucanía (IX) | Trails (TL) | 9.3 km | 18.3% | 7.7 km | 15.1% | |
| Start | Reigolil | Minor Roads (MR) | 32.2 km | 63.1% | 32.2 km | 63.2% | |
| Finish | Currarehue | Primary Roads (PR) | 9.5 km | 18.6% | 9.5 km | 18.6% | |
| Status | Published & Verified | Cross-Country (CC) | - | - | - | - | |
| Traversable | Nov - Apr (Maybe: Sep, Oct, May) | Bush-Bashing (BB) | - | - | - | - | |
| Packraft | Deployable | Ferry (FY) | - | - | - | - | |
| Connects to | GPT14, GPT16 | Investigation (I) | - | - | - | - | |
| Options | 82 km (2 Options & Variants) | Exploration (EXP) | - | - | - | - | |
| Hiking | Packrafting | Total on Water | 1.5 km | 3.0% | |||
| Attraction | 2 (of 5) | 2 (of 5) | River (RI) | - | - | ||
| Difficulty | 1 (of 5) | 1 (of 5) | Lake (LK) | 1.5 km | 3.0% | ||
| Direction | Both ↓↑ | Both ↓↑ | Fjord (FJ) | - | - | ||
| Comment | - | ||||||
| Character | Forest, Farmland, Pehuenche | ||||||
| Challenges | - | ||||||
Satellite Image Map
Elevation Profile
Elevation Profile of Regular Hiking Route
Section Planning Status
Recommended Travel Period
The Regular Route is best hiked from November to April. The primary obstacle is likely to be snow early in the season. The maximum elevation of the section is 1300m.
Benefits of Hiking and Packrafting
Recommended Travel Direction
Northbound and southbound hiking is feasible and recommended.
Section Length and Travel Duration
The 51km of this section can be comfortably hiked in a day and a half.
Suitable Section Combinations
Section Attractiveness
The section is pleasant, if unspectacular. The southbound route initially runs alongside a nice river as it passes through farmland and a valley. Laguna Hualalafquen nestled up in the hills is a highlight, and has several good camping spots.
Section Difficulty
The section is clear and relatively easy throughout. There are stretches where it is tricky to find camping spots due to fenced properties. But there are good sites at Laguna Hualalafquen.
Resupply
Resupply Town
Pucon has a few big supermarkets & several shops with hiking gear. One of the supermarkets has a hardware section where you can buy camping gas. Regioli at the northern start of the section has only one limited shop. Curarrehue, at the southern end, is a decent-sized town with numerous restaurants and shops.
Shopping: Food
Shopping: Fuel
Shopping: Equipment
Services: Restaurants
Services: Laundry
Services: ATM and Money Exchange
Accommodation: Hostals and Hotels
Accommodation: Cabañas
Accommodation: Camping
Transport: Ground Transport
Regioli has limited options. Curarrehue is much better connected.
Transport: Ferries
Transport: Shipping Services
Resupply on the Trail
Location, Names, Available Items and Services
Access to Route and Return
Access to Start
Timetable January 2020: File:Regolil.jpg Bus goes from Pucon to Curarrehue then Reigolil
Return from Finish
Escape Options
Permits, Entry Fees and Right-of-Way Issues
Regular Route
Regular Hiking Route
The southbound route follows a dirt road alongside a river through farmland. It ascends on a woodland trail to a scenic lake then descends to the town of Curarrehue. The last 9km are on primary road.
