41 km from Santiago · straight line
Río Clarillo
Native forest and clear water in the foothills above Pirque.
- Validating
- A day
Photograph: Gabriel.nolopez · CC BY-SA 4.0
Why it's worth the trip
Because it's the slow one on the route. There is no summit to conquer: you go to walk among trees, put your feet in the water and talk.
Landscape
It went from reserve to national park in 2021, and the care shows in the forest: it is one of the best places near Santiago to see Chilean sclerophyll woodland working as a system rather than as a fragment. The river runs clear over stones and the trail follows it for much of the way.
- Forest
- Water
What the trip could look like
A Saturday with no agenda: an easy walk, a long picnic by the river and an early return.
A possible format, not yet a trip with a date.
Who this destination is for
A good fit if
- Anyone who prefers walking without pressure
- Groups with mixed fitness levels
- Summer in Santiago
Maybe not if
- Anyone looking for climbing and effort
Worth knowing
- A national park managed by CONAF: access, capacity and hours are regulated.
- Weekend demand rises sharply in summer.
Sources
Other destinations
Aguas de Ramón
The ravine that starts where the city ends, with a waterfall at the far end.
- Validating
- A day
- Moderate
Yerba Loca
A whole glacial valley an hour from the city. The gate of the Andes.
- Validating
- A day
- Moderate
El Morado
Real high mountain in Cajón del Maipo: a glacier, a lagoon and silence.
- Idea
- A day
- Demanding