Alerce Costero National Park

Alerce Costero is a national park in the Coastal Range preserving over 13,000 hectares of temperate rainforest. The protected area offers extensive networks of walking trails that pass through landscapes dominated by ancient Fitzroya trees.

The area was declared a National Monument in 1987 and was later upgraded to National Park status in 2010. This change reflected growing recognition of the need to protect the forest and its delicate ecosystems from further damage.

Indigenous communities historically maintained deep connections with the Fitzroya trees, integrating them into their daily life and practices. Walking through the old forest, you can sense this long relationship between people and these remarkable trees.

You can reach the park via route T-80 from La Union, with trails clearly marked for different ability levels. Wear sturdy footwear and be prepared for wet conditions, as the rainforest stays damp throughout the year.

One of the Fitzroya trees here reaches a diameter of about 4 meters and is believed to be over 3,000 years old. Despite its enormous size, this tree grows less than a millimeter per year, which explains how it has survived for such an extraordinary length of time.