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Nacional Monument Alerce Costero

Walk overview

Walk details

La Union to Mashue

  1. La Union buses and route information
  2. Trumao Junction
  3. Pilpilcahuin to Mashue
  4. Mashue: start of the Alerce Costero section of the hike

Mashue to the Pacific

  1. First water source after Mashue
  2. Nacional Monument Alerce Costero
  3. Road conditions and lack of camping spots
  4. Campspot north of Hueicolla on the Pacific
  5. Hueicolla - the coastal getaway town for La Union
Nacional Monument Alerce Costero hike map First water source on the route to Alerce Costero National Monument La Union buses and route information
Time of year December to April
Getting to La Union

La Union is one of the main stops off Highway 5. If unable to find a bus directly to La Union, stop in Rio Bueno first. The Lonely Planet mentions a boat from here to the coast, allowing one to walk the route backwards after reaching Hueicolla. There are also kayaking companies ( inquire in Rio Bueno ) who take groups down this river to the beginning of this alternative hike. It is also possible to take the train to La Union.

Getting to Mashue

From La Union: While we chose to walk out of La Union, the farmland road section of this hike may be skipped by catching a bus in La Union that goes to Mashue - the Carabineros base at the beginning of the forest section and approximately where the map shows 'El Mirador'. If you miss this bus, hitching is possible for much of the road with the logging trucks that frequent the route. Taxis are another option for travel from La Union to Mashue.

Options from Hueicolla

Continue to Corral - Ford the river to a road that heads up the headland and through tree plantations towards Corral and the ferry to Valdivia. After a few hours of natural woodland, the scenery turns into eucalyptus farms and logged areas. The area of natural beauty is short lived, there are few views of the ocean, and the road only descends to the beach at and after Chaihuin where the bus service to Corral begins. There is the occasional derelict logging camp and water is available at streams but the land is farmed rather than natural. Traffic on this road is minimal.

Continue to the Rio Bueno - Past Hueicolla the road continues along the coast to the Rio Bueno, from there it may be possible to catch a boat upriver towards Rio Bueno - check Lonely Planet for availability details on this section of their Rio Bueno to Valdivia route.

Head back - reverse the route taken to get here.

There is no public transport to or from Hueicolla so hikers must continue on foot or by hitching. Most of Hueicolla's visitors are from La Union and on a Sunday afternoon almost all head back to town, offering some chance of a lift. The rest of the week the road is little traveled.
Food availability There is a supermercado in La Union that is large and well stocked with a variety of food - it is best to purchase all of your food for the hike here, as there are no other markets on the route. The only other food along the route is in Hueicolla where Maria's hospedaje offers a small restaurant with tasty food; they require notice to prepare some of the items on the menu.
Maps
Front cover of JLM map 14 - Lagos Andinos		 Even by JLM's low standards this is a pretty bad map. The junction shown splitting before Pilpilcahuin and Traiguen is just plain wrong. The road to the right is the one that runs through to the pacific and Hueicolla, the one to the left is a logging route running to Llancacura 18 km south of Mashue. The Nacional Monument Alerce Costero is also shown in the wrong location, it is placed much too far to the east. Otherwise the contours are fairly accurate.JLM 14 Lagos Andinos - Temuco a Bariloche ( ISBN none shown )
Money The only place to change money or use an ATM is La Union, there is nothing available along the road to the pacific or along the coast until Corral.