On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Thanks to everyone for all the ideas this week! I read all the comments in real time last night and then read them again today. After this lovely road trip to Southern Chile is complete, let’s go with Parks After Dark for our next series. National parks and state parks are good – that gives more people an opportunity to submit their photos.
Parks After Dark will start in just over a week, so
start your enginesstart sending in your photos! Also, I don’t know how long that series will last, so please also start sending in your photos for Fall Colors and for New Orleans.We’ll have another powwow in a couple of months to figure out where to go after that.
lashonharangue in Chile
We drove off the ferry in Caleta Gonzalo and arrived in a temperate rainforest. Thick wet vegetation closed in on both sides of the gravel road. A few miles after disembarking we arrived at the Sendero Cascadas Escondidas campgrounds. This is at the northern end of the million acre Parque Pumalín. It was early season and there was only one other camper there. We set up our tent and started hiking up a wet trail that left from near our campsite.
The trail up to this waterfall was a series of wet wooden stairs. This rainforest is known for its endangered old growth Alerce (fitzroya) trees. They can live for three thousand years and the park has about a quarter of those remaining in Chile.
At the base of the waterfall looking downstream.
My spouse was dealing with a chest cold so we drove to the town of Chaitén and checked into a hotel. The next day I drove back north a few miles and hiked up the trail to the volcano. It erupted in 2008 and lahar flows and ash damaged the town. The government offered to move the town further south away from the volcano but the residents didn’t agree.
It was a steep trail without much shade. This is at the top looking out toward the Pacific. The town of Chaitén is down the coast to the left.
Some of the summit of the volcano and the debris/ash below in the caldera. There are bits of steam/gas coming from the top.
Heading south from Chaitén we arrived at a lovely campground with a view of the Yelcho glacier (ventisquero is glacier in Chilean spanish). It is also part of Parque Pumalín. This was the view from our campsite. The developed campgrounds all seemed to have manicured lawns.
We hiked out from the campground toward the glacier. The trail had lots of fallen trees and it became more like a marsh as we made our way. This photo was from a few miles away. We gave up and turned around. Information online says they have recently opened an improved trail to the face of the glacier.
This plant is known as giant rhubarb or Chilean rhubarb. It is not actually related to rhubarb but it is used in food in a similar way in Chile. The leaves are about 3 feet across. This one was next to our campsite in the campground but we saw them frequently in the wetter regions of Patagonia.
WaterGirl
The first picture calls to mind the Garden of Eden. That would make it pretty old. :-)
Fair Economist
Always wanted to go to the southern part of South America – both Patagonia and Chile. Very inspiring pictures; what a great trip.
J R in WV
WOW, wonderful photos. Always love volcanic mountains, was going to ask if the wisps of cloud were meterological clouds or volcanic fumes — but you answered that question up front.
Thanks for sharing with us, one more item added to my bucket list… which is growing longer much faster than we can knock items off the list, given the Drumpf plague and the need to stay isolated as much as possible.
SiubhanDuinne
What beautiful pictures! And now I want to visit Chile.
Goku (Amerikan Baka)
I especially like the the one of the glacier. The starkness between the white glacier and the dark mountain is beautiful and striking
Omnes Omnibus
Mmmmm… July and August there with skis….
lashonharangue
@Omnes Omnibus: That would be the middle of winter.
Omnes Omnibus
@lashonharangue: Hence the skis.
Benw
wowee zowee
lashonharangue
@Omnes Omnibus: I think you might need cross country skis. I wouldn’t try driving on the two lane gravel roads in that season. However, not sure how much of the precipitation near the coast is rain or snow at that time of year.
Yutsano
@lashonharangue: Oh he’s dedicated. He’ll get to those hills. Trust me. Although I wonder why Chile has never bothered to groom some of their peaks as ski resorts. I could see that bumping up tourism immensely. Plus a possible bid for the Winter Olympics.
Everyone should see cascade type waterfalls in their life. I love to go over the mountain passes here in Washington and see these tiny little waterfalls everywhere next to the road. It’s very relaxing.
lashonharangue
@Yutsano: The ski resorts are further north.
https://chile.travel/en/chile-the-ski-paradise-at-the-end-of-the-world
J R in WV
@Yutsano:
After a lot of rain we have those around here on hillsides.
Wag
Holy mackerel, that first photo is stunning. What a great shot! Another addition to the bucket list.
VeniceRiley
Lovely! You know what else would be very cool in every series? Tags on whether the site in the picture is in a female or gay or race or whatever unfriendly locale. I forgot to mention that before. I keep showing my wife potential honeymoon spots… with a lovely but NOPE.
Mike in Oly
I love that you saw gunnera in their native environment. I had one I the garden for years and it was always such a fun and fascinating plant to grow. People call them ‘dinosaur plant’ around here. Such amazing garden specimens. I am so enjoying your tour of Chile!
randy khan
A volcano *and* a glacier in one park. Wow.
Dagaetch
@WaterGirl: to submit photos for Parks After Dark, we just use the regular form? Should we tag it in any way?
WaterGirl
@Dagaetch: Good question.
Yes, just use the usual form. If submissions are part of one of the three series that are coming up – Parks After Dark, Fall Colors, or New Orleans – I imagine it will be obvious from what you submit.
Otherwise, send me a note at my watergirl email (check contact us for format of email address if you don’t already know).