Pico de Orizaba
The Highest Mountain In Mexico And The Third Highest In North America At 5,636 M, A Dormant Volcano With A Glaciated Cone And A National Park (1937), The Objective Of High Altitude Climbers Who Train On The Lower Volcanoes. A Technical Glacier Climb In The Standard Route, With A Base Hut At Piedra Grande At About 4,200 M. The Summit Is A Serious High Altitude Mountaineering Objective · Coscomatepec, Veracruz
Pico de Orizaba, known in Nahuatl as Citlaltepetl, rises to 5,636 m on the Puebla-Veracruz border and is the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It is a dormant volcano with a glaciated cone, visible on clear days from Puebla, 120 km to the west, and from the Gulf lowlands. Most climbers start from Tlachichuca, a small town at the foot of the mountain, where local operators arrange 4x4 transport up a rough track to the Piedra Grande hut at about 4,200 m. The standard route crosses the Jamapa glacier and needs crampons, an ice axe, a rope and real fitness, so it is a serious mountaineering objective and a guide is strongly advised. Climbers usually spend days acclimatising on lower volcanoes first. It suits experienced hikers and mountaineers, and it is not a casual outing. Walkers without climbing skills can still visit Tlachichuca, drive to the hut area and enjoy the huge cone from below. The best months are October to March, and afternoon storms and altitude sickness are the main hazards.
Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltepetl), on the Veracruz-Puebla border about 120 km east of Puebla city, climbed from the huts at Piedra Grande above Tlachichuca or from the Veracruz side near Coscomatepec; coordinates approximate, Coscomatepec, Veracruz, Mexico
The mountain has no gates or opening hours, and visiting the lower slopes is FREE. Climbers use the Piedra Grande hut and the track to it, which are open all year at the discretion of the operators and hut keepers, but the track can be CLOSED by snow, rain or landslides, and some operators close in the wet months from June to September. The hut has no fixed schedule, so book a bed with an operator in Tlachichuca and confirm it a week ahead. Summit attempts start around 1 or 2 am so that climbers are off the glacier before midday, when the snow softens and storms build. The small museum or guide offices in town keep daytime hours and may be closed on Sundays.