Cerro Pachón is a mountain in central Chile,[2] located east of the city of La Serena in the Coquimbo Region.

[6] The mountain site has arid, desert conditions with cacti, shrubs, and wildflowers dotting the landscape.

It is host to fauna that include Andean condor, viscachas, and the occasional fox, as well as typical desert species such as lizards, snakes, spiders, and scorpions.

[11] The Andes Lidar Observatory was constructed on Cerro Pachón by the University of Illinois and saw first light in 2009.

It uses ground-based remote sensing instruments to study the atmosphere, particularly between altitudes of 80 to 110 km.