Hiking in Chile is characterized by a wide range of environments and climates for hikers, which largely results from Chile's unusual, ribbon-like shape, which is 4,300 kilometres (2,700 miles) long and on average 175 kilometres (109 miles) wide. These range from the world's driest desert, the Atacama, in the north, through a Mediterranean climate in the center, to the glaciers, fjords and lakes of Patagonia in the south.

The longest hiking trail in Chile is the informal 3,000 km (1,850 mi) Greater Patagonian Trail that was created by a non-governmental initiative.

National trail network

The Sendero de Chile (“Chilean Trail”) project was launched in the year 2000 by the Chilean government to celebrate the country's 2010 bicentenary of independence from Spain.Chile: a mega trail for eco tourism ipsnews.net. Retrieved 18 March 2013. It aimed to provide access to “Chile’s most awe inspiring landscapes and cultures, from the heights of the altiplano, with its volcanoes and salt flats, to the end of the American continent.” The Trail Sendero de Chile, retrieved 23 February 2013. It was announced that the national trail network Sendero de Chile (“Chilean Trail”) will provide signposted paths through the length of Chile covering approximately 8,500 km of trails.

The trail divides the country into nine hiking zones:

Iquique and Tarapacá Calama Atacama Coast Central Andes Alto Bío Bío Andean Araucanía Valdivian Forest Patagonia Aysén Última Esperanza

The ambitious plans suffered substantial setbacks and no continuous longer trail was created. The foundation "Sendero de Chile" focuses now on environmental education.

Iquique and Tarapacá Iquique is an important port city in the far north of Chile and is the capital of the country's Tarapacá Region. Terrain in Tarapacá includes the Pacific coast, the dry Atacama desert and the salt flats and volcanoes of the Andean altiplano.

There is currently one Sendero de Chile trail in this zone, the Kala Uta trail.

Kala Uta This trail stretches 26 km south from the small town of Colchane, just outside the Volcán Isluga National Park, to the village of Cariquima. The trail reaches altitudes of 3,700 meters above sea level and points of interest include the church of Achauta, dating from the start of the 20th century; historic Aymara architecture at Kalcachu, the Cariquima River and :es:Nevado Cariquima volcano.Kala Uta Guide Sendero de Chile. Retrieved 23 February 2013.

Calama Calama is an inland city in the Antofagasta Region in the north of Chile, lying to the south of Tarapacá. It is surrounded by the Atacama Desert and lies approximately 100 km from the popular tourist town of San Pedro de Atacama.Cómo Llegar sanpedrodeatacama.com. Retrieved 23 February 2013.

There is currently one Sendero de Chile trail in this zone, the Pukará Lasana – Puente Del Diablo trail.

Pukará Lasana – Puente Del Diablo This trail stretches 30 km from the pukará monument, north-east of Calama, via the village of Chiu Chiu to the Puente del Diablo (“devil’s bridge”), a natural bridge stretching over the Salado River. The trail passes several tourist attractions: the Pukará Lasana; petroglyphs dating from 3000 BC; the Laguna Inca Coya, an aquamarine lagoon considered sacred by indigenous communities; and the Puente del Diablo, stretching over a 20 meter deep canyon.Lasana – Puente del Diablo Guide Sendero de Chile. Retrieved 23 February 2013.

Atacama Coast

This zone covers the coastal stretch of Chile's Atacama Region, where the Atacama Desert meets the Pacific Ocean. One popular attraction in the region is the Desierto Florido (“Flowering Desert”), where occasional higher-than-average rainfall in July and August can bring up to 200 kinds of desert plants into bloom between the months of September and November.The Desert in Bloom: A Natural Wonder ThisisChile.cl (official website of Chile), 12 July 2010. Retrieved 23 February 2013.

The Sendero de Chile currently has one trail in this zone, the Morro de Bahía Inglesa.

Morro de Bahía Inglesa This trail, which translates as Bahía Inglesa Headland, is a collection of one long 20 km walk and three shorter walks on various parts of the headland. The four trails pass several viewpoints – the Quebrada Chorrillos viewpoint, the Isla Grande viewpoint, the Portada Sur viewpoint and the Portal Norte viewpoint – as well as a variety of beaches. It is possible to see a wide range of local wildlife, including guanacos, kelp gulls, grey gulls and cacti.Morro de Bahía Inglesa Guide Sendero de Chile. Retrieved 23 February 2013.

Central Andes The Central Andes zone centers on the Chilean capital, Santiago, stretching up to Limarí in the north and down to San Fernando in the south.

There are currently eight Sendero de Chile trails in this semi-arid Andean zone: Samo Alto, Orolonco, Rio Olivares, Parque Mahuida, Parque Aguas De Ramón, Sendero de las Grandes Travesías, Reserva Río Clarillo and Reserva Río Cipreses.

Samo Alto The Samo Alto trail, located between Ovalle and Andacollo, is divided into two parts: the first covers 15 km between the villages of Samo Alto and San Pedro de Pichasa; the second covers 12 km from Samo Alto to the traditional village of Las Minillas. The first part offers views of the Cerro El Reloj, whose name (“Clock Hill”) comes from the laborers who used to use the sun on the mountain to tell the time, and extends north east via the El Espinal village and the Hurtado River up to the Pichasa Natural Monument, an area of protected natural landscape. The second part runs south east and takes in the Las Tinajas pre-Columbian archeological site.Inland Valleys – treasures just waiting to be discovered ThisisChile.cl (official website of Chile). Retrieved 23 February 2013.

Orolonco The Orolonco trail is found near the towns of San Felipe, Chile and Los Andes and close to Chile Route 60, which leads to the Paso Internacional Los Libertadores border crossing between Chile and Argentina. The trail extends 25 km from the Parque Escultórico Cementerio las Carretas (Las Carretas Cemetery Sculpture Park) to the Meseta de Jahuel viewpoint. Points of interest along the trail include the sculpture park itself, the Parque de Huasos Sahondé (Sahondé Cowboys park), the Santuario de Cristo de Rinconada de Silva, where the traditional Virgen del Carmen festival takes place, views of Cerro Orolonco and its many small waterfalls, Cerro Zaino, with its olive plantations, and the pre-Columbian architectural zone of Jaheul. ThisisChile.cl calls the area a “typical rural ‘’huaso’’ zone.”Orolonco ThisisChile.cl (official website of Chile). Retrieved 25 February 2013.Orolonco Guide Sendero de Chile. Retrieved 25 February 2013.

Río Olivares

The Rio Olivares (Olivares River) trail runs through the Parque Río Olivares, located in the Andes due east of Santiago, and extends 27 km from the Bocatoma Río Olivares to the 200 m high Salto Grande waterfall and back again. There are several viewpoints on the hike overlooking mountains such as Cerro El Plomo, which, at 5,424 meters, is the highest peak visible from Santiago on a clear day.Río Olivares Guide Sendero de Chile. Retrieved 25 February 2013.

Parque Mahuida Mahuida municipal park is located on the southeastern edge of Santiago, where the commune of La Reina meets the foothills of the Andes. The entrance to the park is marked by a Sendero de Chile sign and the trail runs in a 5 km circuitous track.Parque Mahuida Guide Sendero de Chile. Retrieved 25 February 2013.

Parque Aguas de Ramón

The Aguas de Ramón Natural Park is also located on the eastern edge of Santiago, slightly to the north of Mahuida park. There are two main hikes in the Parque Aguas de Ramón: the 6.2 km circuitous Los Peumos hike and the 17.2 km circuitous Salto de Apoquindo hike. The Los Peumos trail runs from the park entrance around the edge of the Quebrada de Ramón (Ramoón Canyon) and back to the park entrance. The Salto de Apoquindo hike starts and ends on the same trail as the Los Peumos hike, but takes a steeper and more arduous detour to the 30 meter Salto de Apoquindo waterfall. Points of interest include native peumo tree forests, views of the waterfall and the 3,253 meter Cerro de Ramón mountain, and the opportunity to view condors, eagles, chimango caracaras and occasionally foxes and viscachas.Parque Aguas de Ramón Guide Sendero de Chile. Retrieved 25 February 2013.

Sendero de las Grandes Travesías (Cerro San Cristóbal) This trail leads through Santiago's Parque Metropolitano, which contains the well-known Cerro San Cristóbal that rises 800 AMSL in the center of this city. The 9.5 km trail begins on the southwest side of the hill, circles below the summit to the eastern side of the hill and then runs north to the exit in the Mirador el Sauce sector, near the Camino La Pirámide. Points of interest include the National Zoo, two public swimming pools and a funicular which dates from 1925.Sendero de las Grandes Travesías Guide Sendero de Chile. Retrieved 25 February 2013.

Reserva Río Clarillo The Río Clarillo National Reserve lies 45 km southeast of Santiago in the valley of the Clarillo River. The 10 km Sendero de Chile trail runs from the reserve's El Maitén sector to the Corral de las Yeguas sector. Points of interest include a viewpoint overlooking the Clarillo valley and stands of native cacti, soap bark trees, peumo trees and Lithraea caustica trees. It is also possible to view culpeos and South American gray foxes.Reserva Río Clarillo Guide Sendero de Chile. Retrieved 25 February 2013.

Reserva Río Cipreses

The Río Cipreses Reserve is located southeast of the city of Rancagua and approximately 140 km south of Santiago. The 35 km trail runs from the park administration center to the Sector Agua de Vida, via the Sector de Ranchillo, with campsite and refreshment facilities, the Vuelta de la Guardia viewpoint, and the El Indio sector, with its nearby refuge and campsite. Points of interest include petroglyphs dating back to 1400 AD in the El Indio sector, views of the Cipreses Glacier and El Palomo Volcano, and the opportunity to see guanacos, condors, burrowing parrots and austrocedrus trees, also known as the Cordilleran cypress.Reserva Río Cipreses Guide Sendero de Chile. Retrieved 25 February 2013.

Alto Bío Bío South of the Central Andes, the Alto Bío Bío area covers the Andean surroundings of the upper Bío Bío River, Chile's second largest river, in the Bío Bío Region. The area is a center for the indigenous Pehuenche people and currently contains two Sendero de Chile trails, as well as other important parks such as Ñuble National Reserve.

Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja

The trail comprises four sections, with three shorter hikes (Los Pangues – Los Tatas, 5 km; Circuito Las Chilcas – El Torbellino, 2 km; and El Toro – Laguna del Laja, 4 km) and one longer hike (Laguna del Laja – Los Barros, 24 km). It starts from the Control Hut in the Los Pangues section of the park and runs round the north-east base of the Antuco Volcano and the south-west shore of the Laguna del Laja lake down to the lake's southernmost point. Highlights include panoramic views of the lake, the volcano and Sierra Velluda, the highest peak in Chile's Bío Bío Region. The trail can be traversed either on foot or on horseback.Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja Guide Sendero de Chile. Retrieved 10 March 2013.

Reserva Ralco