Over Easter, we made our first trip across the border into Argentina (for tips on making the drive, head over here and for more info on our weekend in Mendoza, check out this post). The drive itself is beautiful, but I highly recommend taking the time to get out of the car and into the mountains.
We did a little pre-research on different hiking trails along the road from Santiago to Mendoza, but decided to scout out a trailhead along the way. There are two major parks near the road. Parque Provincal Aconagua is located to the north of the road, and Parque Provincal Tupungato to the south. You could spend an entire trip within either of these parks, but there are also lots of great options for a shorter day hike that are easily accessible from the road.
After passing through customs, we located a trailhead just off the side of the road. Located roughly between Puente del Inca and Los Penitentes, you will see a small dirt parking area on the right side of the road, that leads down toward Rio Mendoza and toward the mountains. We could see from the map that it was a relatively long trail (an out and back, about 7 miles each way), and saw a couple groups of campers head out as we pulled off the road. It seemed like a nice place to stretch our legs, breathe in some fresh mountain air and eat some lunch.
After parking the car, packing our day bags and making some sandwiches for the hike, we headed toward the river, where the trail begins. The first part of the trail is perhaps the most frightening, as we had to cross a small, rickety bridge to get to the other side of the Rio Mendoza. The handholds along the bridge were quite secure, and we weren’t high enough above the river to be in any real danger, but we took it slow nevertheless.
Once we were safely across, we set out across a large flat area and toward the mountains to the south of the highway. The trail is relatively well cut, and in case you have any doubts, there is a huge archway with an arrow pointing in the right direction.
Once you cross the clearing, the incline begins. There is no climbing or scrambling involved, but the ascent was definitely a little challenging. It was well worth it for the views along the way though, and we didn’t mind taking a few breaks to catch our breath and take in the scenery.
The trail continued through a mountain pass, and curved around to follow the Rio de Vargas toward some cool rock formations in the distance. We followed the trail a bit further until it took us back down toward the river bank. The rocky river offered some great views and looked like a nice stopping point for lunch. After trying unsuccessfully to find a spot to rig up our hammock, we settled for a flat river rock and unpacked our picnic lunch.
Here is a time lapse video Matt took while we were scouting out a place to eat. Such a relaxing place to soak in some sun along our hike.
After lunch, we decided it was time to head back to the car and continue onward toward Mendoza. Wine country beckoned, and we wanted to make one last stop to see the Potrerillos dam on our way into the city, but we were definitely sad to say goodbye to this trail. We can definitely see ourselves coming back for an overnight camping trip and to explore more of that trails this area has to offer.
Here are a few more photos from our hike and drive. For more info on our weekend in Mendoza, which included sampling some delicious steak and taking a winery tour through one of the world’s most iconic wine regions, head over here.
And a few from the Potrerillos dam, about an hour outside Mendoza…
Cool! I really like your blog by the way 🙂