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Glaciar del Juncal (english)



Glaciar del Juncal English

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Season

Trekking and Mountain Bike: September-May. Although the valley is high, its orientation does not allow for the accumulation of snow, making it a bad destiny for randonnée.

Access

Vehicle Access

Map of Access to the Juncal Glacier. Imagen: Dirección de Vialidad

From Los Andes, you should take the international road to Mendoza CH-60. Continue on this road for approximately 50 km and exit immediately before the 20-curve slope that ends in Portillo, here begins a dirt road that penetrates the same valley that the railroad used to travel to Mendoza, you can still find traces of its tracks and installations. This road, is generally in good shape. After approximately 8 km you will see two houses, a summer residence for the valley muleteer. This is where the trek begins.


Access by Public Transportation

Perfil de alturas del trekking. The vertical scale is increased
  1. You can take a bus in Santiago (at Los Heroes subway terminal) that goes to Mendoza. You have to pay the price of the total trip and negotiate a special price, since you will not be going to Mendoza. Ask to be left at Curva Cero (Curve Cero), or at the Galpon de Vialidad Juncal. From there, the walk is about 2 hours long.
  2. From Los Andes, take a "colectivo" to Rio Blanco. Ask to be taken either to Curva Cero or Los Hornitos. Walk for about 2 hours.
  3. From Los Andes take a bus to Rio Blanco. Hitchhike to the gas station to curve cero. Walk for 2 hours.

Route Description

Juncal Glacier Trek, Google Earth Image
After parking at the houses, start walking on the path toward the southeast, after about 5 minutes you will reach a bridge that crosses the river, the path slowly ascends for about 25 minutes reaching a lookout that reveals the valley almost in its entirety, and the beauty of the peak Alto de Los Leones. The path descends lightly until reaching the valley, starting here, the walk is relatively flat with a few occasional ascents and descents. Immediately after passing some fertile lowlands, you will reach a zone of large rocks (Boulders), that can be used as a campsite. Here the road will open in a fork of different paths, you should keep going south until reaching the river Monos de Agua, this river is 7 mts wide and it usually does not exceed knee-height, but during the months when the glaciers thaw (December), it can be the greatest obstacle of the trek. To cross the river, it is recommended to take shoes to get wet, because of the low temperatures, and a rope in case it is carrying too much water.
Route to Juncal Glacier
. It is also recommended crossing Monos de Agua as early as possible to avoid the a rise in the volume of water. Once having crossed, continue on the valley of the Juncal river (the same valley you have been walking up the path), and not the Monos de Agua Valley, the later would take you to the Glaciar Francisco Moreno described under the trek with the same name. Fifteen minutes from the river the path begins to ascend and after going around a mountain the road turns
View of the Alto de Los Leones Peak
left revealing little by little the glaciers of Mount Juncal, at the curve the moraines of the glacier will start to appear as the path gets lost. Here a decision must be made as to when to turn back. You should keep in mind that when you reach the moraine you will be on top of the glacier, and these tend to have large
Landscape Juncal Glacier Trek
crevices that could be hidden under the snow.

Estimated Time

  • Trekking: 4 hours to the the glacier and 3 hours back.
  • Mountain bike: 2 hours to the glacier, 1 hour back.

Also consider 30 minutes of a car ride from the fork to the beginning of the trek.

Permits

View of the Juncal Glacier

This place is private property. It costs $1.500 CLP per person per day. There are no installations, and no signaling. For more information go to Parque Andino Juncal.

Leave no trace

Ask for permission to Catherine Kenrick:

  • ckenrick@terra.cl
  • 09 337 6336
  • 02 228 8534

Kenrick Lyon Community


Ascending the Juncal

Waypoints on Google Earth and Map Source

To download the file right-click and then select "Save file as" (IE) or "Save link as" (Firefox, Chrome). By trying to open it directly, some browsers will show the raw code with the coordinates.


Hiring Guides

Hiring guides is possible for this trek:

MONTAÑA NATIVA.jpg
Montaña Nativa: Tailored tours, 2 day treks, hot springs, Glaciers, ascents and road trips. Experienced guide with a degree from Escuela Nacional de Andinismo Chileno and ornithology. Ethical and ecological vision. TripAdvisor certificate of excellence 2015.
Turismo Flecha Extrema
  • Flecha Extrema: Private Hiking Tours / "High Mountain" Expeditions around Santiago - Experience the Andes
    • Contact: contacto@flechaextrema.com, +56 9 65 61 72 77
    • Facebook Turismo Flecha Extrema
    • Phone: +56965617277 (Whatsapp)
  • AndesBrown: Hikes and excursions in Chile's central mountains. Guided tours, certified guides
    • Phone +56988382014.
  • Cajonoutdoor: Treking, horse back, and excursions in all of Cajón del Maipo. Passenger transport to and from the hotel/airport/chosen destiny. Bilingual local guides.
    • Contact: contacto@cajonoutdoor.cl
    • Phone: +56991940429 - +56975275503.
Última modificación el 5 feb 2019, a las 14:47