Volcán Chaitén

Short, steep trail to the rim of the volcano that reshaped Chaitén in 2008.

The Volcán Chaitén trail is short by Patagonian standards but not gentle. It climbs through recovering forest to the edge of the caldera, where you look into the pale, raw landscape left by the 2008 eruption.

On a clear day the view reaches back toward the coast and over the broken volcanic slopes. Take waterproof layers and proper shoes; the track is exposed near the top, and the payoff depends heavily on weather.

things to do sight volcano hiking
A story
Chaitén erupted in 2008 after lying quiet for thousands of years, forcing the evacuation of the town below. Lahars and flooding changed the settlement so completely that the government considered abandoning it before residents pushed life back into place.