Last weekend, we went on a short camping trip to Parque Nacional La Campana, which is about an hour and a half outside of Santiago. We went up Friday night and stayed through Sunday afternoon. We mainly wanted to test out some of the fixes and alterations made by Drew and his Dad in the van over the last few weeks. We were also meeting a Dad friend and his two kids, who joined us on Saturday and camped in a tent Saturday night. We went for a nice hike on Saturday, which was decently long, about 8 miles, a new record for the boys. It had very moderate elevation gain and ended in a waterfall.
The National Park is known for having enormous palm trees in it, the biggest I had ever seen for sure. Below is the AI explanation about why the trees are special.
The palm trees in Parque Nacional La Campana are particularly special because they constitute one of the last and largest natural forests (palmares) of the Chilean Wine Palm (Jubaea chilensis) left in the world.
This species has several unique characteristics and ecological significance:
1. The Chilean Wine Palm (Jubaea chilensis)
Endemic and Vulnerable: The palm is endemic to the Mediterranean zone of central Chile, meaning it grows nowhere else naturally. It is currently classified as Vulnerable due to threats like forest fires, herbivory in its early stages, and the historical commercial exploitation of its sap and fruits (known as coquitos).
A "Living Fossil" and Megafauna Survivor: The Chilean Palm is considered a "living fossil" that has survived for over 10,000 years, dating back to a time when mastodons roamed the area. It is believed that the seeds were once dispersed by these giant animals.
Impressive Size and Longevity: It is one of the largest palm species in the world, capable of reaching heights of up to 30 meters.It also has a remarkably long lifespan, with some individuals estimated to live for over 500 years.
The Most Austral Continental Palm: It holds the distinction of being the most southern continental palm species in the world.
The waterfall at the end of the hike wasn't super spectacular, but the rocks that formed the cliff that it went over were very interesting. Very jagged and stair-steppy.
View of the valley with the large palm tree grove. The terrain felt very similar to Colorado except with these giant palm trees!
Because our friends were sleeping in a tent, we actually camped at a private campground just outside the park. These private campgrounds are very common throughout Chile, more common than official government run ones. Imagine a mom and pop KOA campground. This one actually had three pools of various depths, a playground, a soccer field, lots of tables and grills for cookouts, bathrooms with showers, and a few cabañas available for rent. Very family friendly space, and the boys and their friends had a blast. And the view was lovely. The largest mountain in the picture below is why the National Park is called "La Campana," aka The Bell!
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