Hiking el Cerro Champaqui, Cordoba

[RichardP]

I posted a trip report on another forum about a hike to El Cerro Champaqui in the Sierras Grandes of Corboba that I made recently. This is the highest peak in The Sierra Central and is located near Villa General Belgrano.
Enjoy:
http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=779155#779155

 

[voyagingknoxvillian]

Thanks for the update! It looks like a great trip. Was there any fee to climb Champaqui, ie, is it private land?

I love the Sierras, but it bothers me to no end that it is $40 to climb Mt. Uritorco near Campilla de Monte, which is the 2nd highest peak in the Sierras.

 

[RichardP]

Voyagingknoxvillian,
There is no charge to climb El Champaqui even though the trail passes through private land. Most of the puestos are also albergues for passing hikers. In the end it will cost money one way or another. The remise from Villa general Belgrano (40kms) is a whopping 210 pesos each way if you don't have a car. If you have a car, they charge 30 pesos per day to park in Villa Alpina. If you want to stay in the albergues, it's from 90-110 pesos per night. A meal is 35-40 pesos. To camp near the puestos costs 30-40 pesos per night.
Things ramp up starting in March when huge groups of students from Rosario do the hike as their viaje de egresados. I was told that groups of 80 students can be on the trail after that time.
El Uritorco is the highest peak in las Sierras Chicas at just under 2000 meters. The Sierras Grandes have a number of peaks over 2000 meters.