Machu Picchu Mountain Hike Trail Guide
Machu Picchu Mountain is a great hike for those looking to do some extra hiking while visiting Machu Picchu. This hike is one of two larger hiking options for you. This 1.2 mile out and back provides a great aerial view of the park, but does require about 3 hours and a special ticket to access. Once you summit the mountain you will not be disappointed at the tremendous views that await you. To access Machu Picchu mountain you do need a Machu Picchu park ticket with special access to the mountain. This hike is short but tough and worth every single step with the views you get from the summit.
Machu Picchu Mountain Quick Facts
Machu Picchu Mountain Rating: ★★★★ (4/5 Stars)
Distance: 2.70 miles RT (starting from Machu Picchu park entrance )
Elevation Start: 7,972 ft
Summit:10,111 ft
Total Elevation Gain: 2,150 ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 3 Hours (2 Up ,1 Down)
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult What does this mean?
Class: Class 1
Season: Year Round (Admittance Hours Daily 7AM – 11AM)
Directions to Machu Picchu Mountain
Trailhead: Sun Gate
Getting Here: Once you are in Machu Picchu park itself, head up to the sun gate (enter the park and take two lefts to begin climbing up a set of stairs). As you approach the sun gate, there will be signs that lead you to the mountain checkpoint.
Fee: You do need a special ticket to hike Machu Picchu mountain which as of 2016 was 140 soles. Be sure to check visitor information here for the latest price.
Parking: If you happen to have a car, I would strongly recommend taking the bus up to Machu Picchu as there is no parking for cars at the park summit.
Summary
Make it a Loop: This trail is not a loop, but if you would like to add another hike try neighboring Huayna Picchu. The Huayana Picchu hike is slightly less difficult, about the same distance and offers similar views of the ruins.
Trail X Factor: Incline
The hike up to Machu Picchu mountain is extremely steep on rock stairs that can be difficult to grip at times. If you are not a fan of stairs, this hike is probably not for you. While the hike is only a little over a mile long, almost the entire trek is at a steep and steady incline. This summit will test the strength of your legs and lungs.
Hike Tip(s): I learned the hard way that hiking up to Machu Picchu (instead of taking the bus) and then hiking up Machu Picchu Mountain is not a good combination for your legs, especially when you skip breakfast. While the hike up to the park is okay, it really is not worth it. Hiking down on the other hand is nice if you want to to skip the bus line or spend some additional time in the high rain forest. In either case, start your hike up to Machu Picchu mountain as early as possible (opens at 7AM) and bring lots of water!
Best Views: While the summit of the mountain has great views down into Machu Picchu, I found that some of the vantage points on the way up to the summit had far better views. Take advantage of the wide open clearings on the way up to snap some beautiful shots of Machu Picchu. Once you are at the summit, enjoy the stunning views of the snow capped Andes in the distance. A landscape friendly lens will be your best friend on this trek.
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Booths (Women’s)
- Backpack
- Food & Water
- Extra Layers – the hike can get cold on top
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Camera and Lens
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Our Trip to Machu Picchu Mountain: June 2016
Our second morning in Aguas Calientes started at 3:30AM in hopes to catch the sunrise in Machu Picchu. As we made our trek into the park in the pitch black of the early morning, we quickly realized that the gates at the bottom did not open until 5AM. Due to this, I would recommend against hiking into the park and instead get in line for one of the first buses (which depart at 5AM). The trek up to the park via the 2 or so mile trail is fairly difficult and provides nothing but views of other tourists’ headlamps for the majority of the time.
Once we arrived to the park there was already a line to get in and we had about 10 minutes to kill before Machu Picchu opened. I was sweating like an animal and was asked by several people why I was so hot while they were shivering under their sweatshirts…tourists. As the park opened, we were able to explore and snap pictures of the ruins we had skipped on our first day without tourists which was very nice. We did not head up to the sun gate which is a popular destination for people looking to catch the sunrise. Any sunrise (or sunset for that matter) is very hit or miss so if you are not able to see it, do not kill yourself. It was probably not that good anyway.
We started our walk towards Machu Picchu mountain entrance around 7:30 and there was a line of about 5-10 people waiting to sign in. TIP In order to access the park, you do need to purchase an add on to the standard park ticket (about 128 soles) which is about 14 soles. You must start your climb from 7AM-11AM and only 400 hikers are admitted each day. Once we signed in to the station, the hike began with stairs that became the theme of the entire hike. These rock stairs can be quite shallow and very steep at times so having footwear that can grip smooth surfaces makes your life a lot more enjoyable for those three hours. The weather was quite perfect (not too hot) but we were exposed to the sun for almost the entire hike up.
The summit of Machu Picchu mountain is known for beautiful views down into the park, but I found that some of my favorite views were on the hike up to the mountain. I would recommend taking advantage of the many clearings along the way to snap pictures down into the ancient city.
As we neared the summit, those aforementioned stairs became a lot steeper and shallower and really tested our mental fatigue since we had been up for about 6 hours at this point. Upon reaching the summit, however, the views of the snow capped Andes were beautiful and made all of those damn stairs very much worth our time. There was about 20-30 people at the top when we arrived and a steady stream continued to show up until we made our way back down about 30 minutes later.
We enjoyed the beautiful views, snapped way too many pictures and eventually made our way back down to Machu Picchu. There was about 20-30 people at the top when we arrived and a steady stream continued to show up until we made our way back down repetitive about 30 minutes later. In most cases, the trip down is much faster than the way up. Unfortunately, because of the worn out steep stairs, the hike down did take about the same amount of time as the way up.
While this mountain is only 2.5 or so miles round trip, it is a fairly difficult hike given the steep terrain especially if you are not used to working out in a high altitude environment. However, the views from the top of Machu Picchu mountain are quite breathtaking and make the arduous stair journey 100% worth it.
