Cofre de Perote National Park

A National Park (1937) Around The Extinct Volcano Of About 4,282 M That Looks Over Veracruz And Xalapa, Named For The Rectangular Rock That Crowns Its Summit. Pine And Fir Forest On The Slopes, A Good Climb In Clear Weather And A Radio Mast Road To The Top, With Snow Some Winters. Cold And Often In Cloud · Perote, Veracruz

Cofre de Perote is an extinct volcano of about 4,282 m in the Sierra Madre Oriental, named for the rectangular rock, the cofre or chest, that crowns its summit. The national park was created in 1937 and covers pine and fir forest on the slopes that look down over Xalapa and the Veracruz lowlands. A road climbs to the radio-antenna summit area when conditions allow, and walkers can also climb from the Xico side or from Los Pescados on a long day. It is cold at the top, often in cloud, with fog, wind and occasional snow in some winters, and the altitude is real. It suits campers, hikers and drivers who like big views and quiet. It is worth the detour on a clear day in the dry season, when the horizon opens to the Gulf; it is not worth the trip in a cloudy week, when you may see only white, or for anyone unprepared for the cold. The town of Perote nearby has its own old fortress, a useful fallback when the summit is clouded in.

Cofre de Perote volcano, reached by road from Perote or Xico in the Sierra Madre Oriental of Veracruz; coordinates approximate, Perote, Veracruz, Mexico

The park is open all year with no fixed hours inside, but any ranger post or gate is usually staffed only in daylight and not every day, so confirm before you drive. The summit road to the antenna area can be CLOSED or impassable after rain, snow or ice, and the antenna compound itself is a working installation, CLOSED to casual entry. Walking the forest and the lower trails and enjoying the views are FREE apart from any small park or ejido charge at an entrance. Set out early because afternoon cloud and storms are common, and plan to be off the high ground before dusk, when temperatures drop quickly.

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