The 10 Best Other Outdoor Activities in Valparaiso Region, Chile

Reviewed By Spokanic - Spokane, United States

Americans and Canadians will recognize this as a familiar type of excursion: a four-mile, 4500'-vertical rocky trail to a view-spangled summit, starting from a low trailhead, so altitude is no issue. (Seattleites might compare this to Mt. Si, although this trail is steeper and rougher for the last mile). You'll see an outstanding view of Chile from a peak that stands far removed from others. Catch a clear day and you can see a half-dozen of the tallest High Andes summits to the east, with Aconcagua reigning supreme among them. To the west, the Pacific and Valparaiso. We drove from Valpo to the parking lot at the base in about two hours, with much of that just getting out of Valpo in rush-hour morning traffic. It cost 4 mil each to hike. Parking is easy. The road is great until the last few hundred meters, and then just bumpy; our rental sedan did fine. You'll be asked to leave by 5:30, so you don't have time to dawdle. It's four hours to the summit at a steady pace, if you're in shape, and then about three coming down. It's a steep, rocky scramble up boulders near the top, with some handholds. No dangerous exposures, but rough on the knees on descent. The trail is extremely well marked, and the route is pretty direct: switchbacks working up to the right (east) side of the summit block and then up from there. The views are outstanding once you gain the ridge crest. The office will give you a rough map, but we found it helpful to download a couple from online as well. On a mid-April autumn day the temps were perfect and the trail uncrowded. Four liters of water were plenty for two. Day packs, good hiking shoes and socks, lunch, and a jacket for the summit were all that we needed. We encountered only seven other parties on the trail, and as many cows. The parking lot at the base is by the park office, so car prowls don't look likely. I believe the bus stop is just a short distance down the road, in the residential neighborhood of El Granizo. Note: a sign in Olmue directs you to the second park entrance at El Cajon, a bit east, from which there is no trail to the summit. Instead, you want the El Granizo trailhead and the Andinista Trail (Sendero Andinista), which you'll reach by continuing straight up the valley to El Granizo. Do everyone a favor and don't cut switchbacks or leave used toilet paper along the trail, as too many do on this well-used route. It's a classic trail with great rewards near the summit!