Altos de Chicauma - Laguna Del Inca

Dogs Off-leash

Features Lake · Views

The beginning of this hike starts at a closed gate by the side of the road which you must climb under. There is usually only space for a few cars to park by the side of the road, though there are less visitors than the average trail.

The first 5.3 kilometers follows an old dirt service road which slowly but steadily climbs elevation. At this point, the same dirt road starts gaining elevation quickly until roughly the 6 km mark, at which point the road comes to an abrupt stop and a proper narrow singletrack trail begins.

The narrow trail which switchbacks along the forested ridgeline continues gaining elevation at a high rate and continues like that all the way to the summit.

At around the 8.7 km mark the trees end and there is no longer shade; however, at this point it should only take 15 more minutes to reach the summit.

At the summit there is a plateau with no real trail but you must make your way around the boulders for a few meters where you'll come upon a small lagoon.

There are many roads and trails that may cause confusion, however, the most direct way is to simply follow the big dirt road all the way to the end and then follow the narrow trail always in an upward direction.

During the initial low steepness dirt road the plant life is very typical of arid Mediterranean climates with small Sclerophyllous bushes and trees. Once the narrow trail starts, so does the oak forest that reaches almost all the way to the summit.

Although you can usually find rabbit and fox tracks, the animals themselves will rarely come into contact with humans.