Dayhike from Santiago-Rio Clarillo

If you’ve got several hours to spare and were just itching to go for a hike near Santiago, but don’t want to deal with tour companies or high elevations, Chile’s CONAF-run National Park Rio Clarillo might just fit your needs.

Rio Clarillo entrance from JF10 on flickr.

Pirque is an outlying area of Santiago, to the southeast of the city center, and easily accessible by a combination of metro and bus, or bike for the more intrepid (it’s slightly uphill the whole way). The park is part of the pre-Andean river basin, and has a river that runs through it. It’s about 45 km from the center of Santiago, and comprises more than 10,000 hectares of land, with stands of holly-like trees that are now rare in the region, several endangered birds and small mammals and an interpretative trail (Quebrada Jorquera) to orient you to the flora of the area. And another short-ish hike, (90 minutes) called Aliven Mahuida, which has some smaller uphills, but is not particularly challenging. Giant cactus appear as well, and bloom with yellow flowers in the spring.

Cacti in Rio Clarillo by avodrocc on flickr.

There are many sites for picnicking, and this is a family-friendly spot that’s just a bit out of the way of Santiago for a relaxing day. The presence of the swiftly-flowing river (which you can wade or splash around in) keeps it much cooler than the rest of Santiago, with temperatures topping out at about 80 or 85 (though with strong sun), even on really warm days. Camping is not permitted, but if you double back on the road, several campsites nearby have spots for tents or vehicles, and some of them have pools as well.  Many websites say that the last 4 km before the park are unpaved. This is not true, and has not been true for several years. A few stores just a couple of km from the park entrance make picking up supplies for a picnic or an evening meal a cinch.

Rio Clarillo by avodrocc on flickr.

Access to the park costs 2,500 pesos (around $5.00) for adults and just 700 pesos for children. You can get here by taking the green line (5) metro to Bellavista de La Florida and taking the MetroBus 74 or 81 (MET-ro BOOS) specify that you want to go to Río Clarillo (RE-o clar EEY-o) when you get on the bus. Drivers make change, but do not accept the BIP card. You can also get off the blue line metro at Puente Alto (more convenient if you’re in Las Condes or La Reina) and pick up a Metro bus from there. The park closes at 8 PM and there is transportation from this point until at least 9:15, but you can check with the Guardaparques (park rangers) to make sure.

And if you make an early day of it, stop in to Concha y Toro’s winery on the edge of Puente Alto (the bus goes by it, on the way out it’s on your right immediately after taking a right from the main street in Puente Alto) for a tour.