ENG:Laguna Azul
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 Not to be confused with Laguna Azul near El Bolsón, Argentina
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General Description
An excellent trek for the day. Ideal for vacationers of Pucón nuances the holidays with a different day. It includes a walk through the coigüe forest, araucarias, a walk over the limit of the vegetation at the foot of the Quetrupillán Volcano, a sublime view of the Villarrica Volcano and a very good view of the Lanín Volcano ] The final destination is compensated with a waterfall on the edge of a little-visited mountain lagoon.
Appropriate time
- Trekking: November to April. Although in November and December there will still be enough snow in some sections. In January, the problem will be annoying coliguachos, which at times can be really uncomfortable.
- Randonnée: June to September. Only in the middle of winter will it be possible to find Hidden Paradise with snow, thus dispensing with loading the skis.
Description of the route
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The route starts at Fundo Porvenir (1040 masl), from the side of the Ulloa family's house, the owners of the property. You must start the walk in direction E (the volcano is seen in the background). A few meters from the start of the walk, immediately after crossing the barbed wire that closes the Ulloa garden, there is a sign: to the right, by a narrow path, it is towards Blue Lagoon. If you continue straight, you will go to the summit of Quetrupillán Volcano and Quetrupillán Circuit - Laguna Blanca - Blue Lagoon
The route loses part with a little slope advancing towards the southeast, and runs parallel to a stream. A few hundred meters, however, the vegetation becomes denser and the slope greater.
At km 1.51 (1160 masl) the path turns almost 90º to the south, faces the slope of the slope and becomes steeper. At 1270m there is a map of the route (although it is very unclear to indicate the essential "you are here"). At km 3.38 (1460m) you come to the confluence with the Villarrica Traverse. There is a sign indicating that there are 12 kilometers of walking to the nursery of CONAF to the right (down). For Blue Lagoon, you must instead turn left, and continue ascending.
It passes next to a sign of "Km 46". There is no other option but to follow the path, because without it it is almost impossible to advance through the dense understory of the Araucanía. It passes under beautiful araucaria forests. Above, the forest is squat, with small lengas crushed by the meters of winter snow.
Immediately after leaving the forest, at 1600m, there is a camping site, marked with a sign. After this, the trail continues to the east. You pass by a sign that says "Vista al Quetrupillán" (thanks for the warning!). After that, the rura turns progressively towards the south, to cross the wide flat zone that conforms the southwest slopes of the Quetrupillán Volcano.
An estuary is crossed immediately after which it passes next to a sign indicating "A Blue Lagoon". At 1660m, a few meters above that last sign, the route turns sharply towards the southeast. It is then passed through a steeper ascent zone and subsequently next to a "Km 50" sign. Laguna Azul appears on the right (south), but much lower. Just before the pass (the highest point of the route), there is a small vulcanological station on the right (south) of the trail. The highest point is reached at the pass located at 1920m, kilometer 8.87. Now it remains to descend 320 meters to the shore of the lagoon. At this point, the Lanín Volcano appears to the east, while the Villarrica Volcano is left behind.
Then begins to border the Blue Lagoon in the east. The view of the Lanín Volcano is spectacular throughout this sector. If the path is covered in snow, which will happen at least until the beginning of December, it may be somewhat complex to intuit the location of the footprint in this section, so a GPS is welcome (although not essential). This section is completely devoid of vegetation, with characteristics of half mountain.
The trail continues descending, always on the east of the rocky spur that crowns the slopes that come from the lagoon (reason why the lagoon is normally out of sight). At 1790m, there is a flat sector with an extraordinary viewpoint of the lagoon with the Villarrica Volcano in the background. You pass next to a sign of "Km 52", and then the trail goes down with more slope. Just before reaching the south bank of the lagoon there is a pronounced zig-zag.
After the zig-zag you reach the south bank, an excellent place to rest, eat and bathe if the weather invites.
Expected Time
Consider 4.5 to 5 hours of promotion, and 3.5 hours of return. Plantilla:Quetrupillan Permits
Recommendations
- Checklist: Aunque sepas perfectamente lo que debes llevar, es preferible chequearlo al empacar. Esta ruta ha sido clasificada como Type 1 equipment checklist: low altitude route, without camping, snow or cold.
- For much of the year, the route is covered in snow. It is much more challenging to make this route when the path is not visible. Special attention should be paid to the sharp turn to the southeast.
Revisa la lista completa de 622 rutas de trekking y las 345 rutas de montaña en Chile
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