The Lake and the River
From Talca 145km to the east, lies Laguna del Maule. A lake with a volcano in it!
Laguna del Maule is a natural lake, at the top of the Andes at about 2200 m altitude. This lake is the starting point of the Maule River, which is 240 km long. Upon reaching the central valley, the Maule is dammed in the lake of the Colbún reservoir that feeds the hydroelectric power station of the same name. Along the way, many other rivers flow into the Maule to reach its end point in the city of Constitución, flowing into the Pacific Ocean.
The trip
Luckily enough the 145 km of road are paved besides a little stretch of dirt road reaching to the end. Is almost a straight road starting from Talca, passing San Clemente, sightseeing the Colbun Lake, crossing the Maule Bridge and then, a steady climbs begins until reaching the top. TThe landscapes that will be seen on the way are beautiful and ever changing. From tall trees and mighty rivers, becoming surrounded by the Andes.
The lake
The lake “Laguna del maule” is of natural origin, but its water level has been raised by a damn. Below the lake an active volcano lies. The lake has a surface of 5.6e+7 m² and a volume of 1.420 Hm³. The lakes remains frozen a great part of the winter, being that’s located in a high altitude zone and the temperatures drop quickly in the winter.
Towards the shore
The route itself is straightforward, but when reaching the lake itself you have to check for different access point to drive down to the lake shore. Currently the are not signed whatsoever, but they are distinguishable from the main road and you can often pin point the location from cars o people in it.
Photography
Maybe the biggest reason to travel to this lake is the variety of landscapes that one can see until reaching there. Just an examples of that is illustrated in this page.
If you are close to the area you must make the trip. It’s an excellent experience and you have a lot to known and see in the area.