National park
Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park
Home of Iztaccíhuatl, the Sleeping Woman, Mexico's third-highest mountain and a sacred mountain for Indigenous communities, with well-marked trails guarded by park rangers.
At a glance
- Kind
- National park
- Getting there
- 2 hours from Mexico City
- Time
- Full day
- Season
- Year-round
What to bring
- Sturdy shoes with a good grip
- Layers for the altitude and the wind
- Water and a snack for the trail
- A downloaded route for when there is no signal
The Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park is where almost every hike we run begins. Private transportation leaves Mexico City in the morning and reaches the park entrance in about two hours, where your guide handles registration and the entrance fees.
Inside, the trails are official, well marked and monitored: park rangers and police aren’t just at the trailhead, they’re stationed along the trail too. The bigger factors up here are altitude and weather rather than anything else, several trails sit above 3,000 meters, and conditions can shift fast once the afternoon clouds roll in.
What you’ll find
- Routes for first-timers and for hikers going to 4,700 meters
- Views of Iztaccíhuatl, the Sleeping Woman, and Popocatépetl smoking across the valley
- Entry to the park, registration and a certified guide on every trip
Going with a local guide takes the logistics off your plate: transportation, permits and the plan, so you can focus on the mountain.
More destinations
The rest of the map, from the pass between the volcanoes to the mountains of Oaxaca. Transportation and a certified guide are always included.
All destinations
