ENG:Glaciar San Francisco / Monumento Natural el Morado
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 Attention: do not commit the usual mistake of mixing-up this rout with the “GLACIAR DEL MORADO” located just a little to the east. The path shown here is located in the “Natural el Morado” and also appreciates the south side of the “CERRO MORADO” (origin of the mix-up) but the “San Francisco” is the glacier that can be seen.
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Best season
- Trekking: The best season for this trek is between the months of october and may, although the ideal is from november to december
- Randonnée and skiing: Between June and late September. Even then, depending on the year and the last snowfall, is quite possible that it will be necessary to load the skis along the first part.
Access
Car
From Santiago you must take the G-25 to “Cajón del Maipo.” From the intersection at “Vizcachas” (0 km), its 47 kilometers of pavemented road until you reach the police control in “San Gabriel” (phones +56228611008 y +56228612290, in case you want to confirm the conditions of the road farther ahead, although the answers tend to be excessively “conservative”
The detour at “Baños Morales” the mountain village located at the north side of the “Volcán” river is found at the 65.1km mark (the pavement ends at 66.3 kilometers just before the plaster mine of “Lo Valdés.” between june and september this route may not be in the right conditions in there has been recent snow. If this is the case you must take the road to the left, cross the river and ascend a rough but brief uphill road to the village. Once there, you must park (the bus parking lot is a recommended place) and walk to CONAF, located west of the village crossing the creek. Plantilla:Public transportation Cajon del Maipo
Route description
From CONAF the route ascends abruptly for about 45 minutes. The road entrees the valley, crossing on many occasions an old road that zig-zags. Close to an hour later, once the trail has already remounted the initial moraine, the valley stretches and “Aguas Panimávida” appears, a patch of half-flooded grass with mineral water ponds. From now on the slope decreases and the trail continues to the north, with the imposing south face of “El Morado” as the background. After about two hours from mineral waters, the “Laguna de Morales” is reached (commonly confused with “Laguna del Morado,” for this lagoon see Glaciar del Morado). It's a nice destination but it is recommendable to continue another hour to the north, approaching the bottom of the glacier “San Francisco” (2.800 meters above sea level.) The trail is a little less clear, the slope increases and it's more likely to find snow on this part if you go during late spring or early summer.
Estimated Time
At a normal pace, this trek should take about 5 hours between CONAF and the viewpoint of the glacier. However, what is meant by "lookout" is not a well-defined point, but rather an area where you can appreciate and photograph the impressive ice caves formed by the glacier.
Authorization/Fees
This trekking requires an entree fee to the “Monumento Natural el Morado” (March 14th 2015) Adults: $2.000 per person Children: $1.000 Seniors: free
The people who enter must register when paying the entrance and then must notify their departure in the same place. It is not allowed to spend the night inside the Natural Monument, although it can be done in many places nearby.
Schedules
From October to April: Entrance from 8:30 to 13:00 hrs exit until 18:00 hrs From May to September Entrance from 8:30 to 12:30 hrs exit until 17:00 hrs
Tips
- There are bathrooms in access. Inside the monument rocks can be used to hide, but it is very important to carry a bag to take the toilet paper used, because it is a busy place and seeks to prevent small landfills to form inside.
- Do not try to climb on the glacier as it’s possible that an accident might occur especially if you don't have the right equipment.
Excursions near by
- Cerro San Francisco: This route runs along the north side of the hill, which doesn't belong to the Morado Natural Monument.
- Cerro Morado: This route also runs along the visible face from the Natural Monument El Morado, but the face that is reached following the Morado glacier trek.
Hiring Guides
Hiring guides is possible for this trek:
- Contact: guia@montananativa.com
- Phone: +569 6477 8461
- Social Media: Facebook Montaña Nativa
- Ecotrekking Santiago de Chile Ecotourism and "High Mountain" activities in Cajón del Maipo and Farellones. Logistics, guides, and passenger transport.
- Contact: ecotrekkingchile@gmail.com
- Facebook: Ecotrekking Santiago de Chile
- TripAdvisor: Ecotrekking Chile
- Phone: +56966028918 (WhatsApp)
- Ecochile Travel: Regular and private trekking trips in the Andes.
- Contact: info@ecochile.travel, (56- 02) 25708826
- 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.
Glaciology observation station
In August 2012, the USGS installed a glaciological station to measure the behavior of the glacier San Francisco. It is located at 3200 meters. Press release.
Photo gallery
Glaciar San Francisco by Mario El Russo
Aguas Panimávida by Mario El Russo
Aguas Panimávida at the end of the summer. On the background Retumbadero and Cerro Diablo
Weather
To see the full list of 691 routes of trekking and mountain climbing in Chile in spanish, click here
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Trekkings: | ▲ ENG:Gran Salto del Río Olivares ▲ ENG:Glaciar San Francisco / Monumento Natural el Morado ▲ ENG:Glaciar del Morado | ||
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