Pico de Orizaba (5,636 m, 18,491 ft) is the highest mountain in Mexico, the highest volcano in North America and the third highest peak on the continent after Denali and Mount Logan. Its Nahuatl name, Citlaltépetl, means "Star Mountain". The snow-capped cone rises on the border of Veracruz and Puebla at the eastern end of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, about 110 km from the Gulf of Mexico, and ships approaching the port of Veracruz see it on the horizon. With 4,922 m of prominence it ranks seventh in the world, and among volcanoes only Kilimanjaro stands more prominently above its surroundings.
The volcano is dormant, not extinct: its last eruption is usually dated to 1846. For climbers it is the classic first big glacier summit: from the town of Tlachichuca a 4×4 track climbs to the Piedra Grande hut at about 4,260 m, and the normal route continues through a rocky maze called the Labyrinth to the Jamapa Glacier and the crater rim, about 1,380 m higher, in a single long night and morning. The mountain is protected as Pico de Orizaba National Park.
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Pico de Orizaba holds several titles at once. It is the highest point of Mexico, the highest volcano in North America and, after Denali (6,190 m) in Alaska and Mount Logan (5,959 m) in Canada, the third highest mountain of the continent. Its prominence of 4,922 m puts it seventh in the world, and among volcanoes only Kilimanjaro has more, which is why it belongs to the Volcanic Seven Summits, the list of the highest volcanoes on each continent.
The headline figure of 5,636 m comes from GPS measurements. The Mexican national mapping agency INEGI gives a lower value (5,610–5,611 m), which is the one quoted by the national park authority CONANP, and some older sources go as high as 5,675 m or more. At dawn the summit catches the sun while the port of Veracruz still lies in shadow.
Pico de Orizaba is a stratovolcano built in three stages over the last 650,000 years: the older Torrecillas and Espolón de Oro cones lie buried beneath the present summit cone of Citlaltépetl, which has grown over the last 16,000 years from andesite and dacite lavas. Eruptions were recorded several times in the 16th and 17th centuries, including 1566, 1613 and 1687, and the last one, a small event of VEI 2, is usually dated to 1846; some Mexican sources treat 1687 as the last major eruption. In 2010 fumaroles were observed again. The summit crater is elliptical, about 478 by 410 m across and up to 300 m deep, and can be seen from the rim on the normal route.
Orizaba is one of only three Mexican volcanoes that still carry glaciers, and it holds the largest glacier in the country, the Gran Glaciar Norte. This ice cap covers about 9 km² of the gentle north-western slopes between roughly 5,650 and 5,000 m and feeds several outlet glaciers, the best known of which is the Jamapa Glacier, the source of the Jamapa River and the highway of the normal route. The ice is shrinking: the snow tongue that once led climbers straight from the scree onto the glacier has melted out, leaving the mixed rock-and-ice ground now known as the Labyrinth.
The volcano stands on the border between the states of Puebla and Veracruz, about 200 km east of Mexico City and 110 km west of the Gulf of Mexico. The city of Orizaba, which gave the mountain its Spanish name, lies about 25 km from its south-east face. The nearest airport listed by the park is Puebla's Hermanos Serdán International; most international visitors fly into Mexico City.
Climbers almost always start from Tlachichuca, a small town in Puebla at about 2,600 m, roughly three hours' drive from Mexico City airport. Local family businesses there have hosted climbers for generations, offering lodging, gear rental, guides and, above all, the 4×4 trucks that drive the rough track of about 20 km up through pine forest to Piedra Grande, usually in about two hours. CONANP lists five access routes into the park: from Tlachichuca in the north, from Coscomatepec in the north-east and east, from Atzitzintla in the south and from Orizaba in the south-east. There is no public transport into the protected area.
Piedra Grande hut (about 4,260 m). The large three-level stone hut at the end of the track is the base camp of the normal route. Inside are tiers of wooden sleeping platforms for some 40–50 people and big tables for cooking; there is no warden, no food, no water and no heating, and pit toilets stand outside. Staying is free, but before a good weather window the hut fills up, so many guided groups pitch tents nearby. Most teams spend at least one night here and take an acclimatisation walk towards the glacier the day before the climb.
Summit day. Climbers leave between midnight and 2–3 am. The route first follows a concrete water channel, known as the aqueduct, for about the first 100 m of height, then zigzags up steep scree and moraine to a gully at around 4,500 m. Between roughly 4,750 and 5,000 m lies the Labyrinth, a maze of rocky gullies that can be dry rock, frozen snow or bare ice depending on the season; this is the crux of the route and where many parties lose their way in the dark. Above it a moraine leads to the foot of the glacier at about 5,000–5,050 m, where teams rope up. The Jamapa Glacier is a long, even slope with few crevasses, steepening to 35–40° on the upper part; climbers pass a rock island at about 5,350 m and reach the crater rim at about 5,580 m, then follow the rim to the right to the highest point.
The Alpine Club section of Linz gives 1,380 m of height gain, about 6 hours up and 3¼ hours down, and grades the route II with slopes of 35°; other guides rate it PD to AD−. In practice summit days take 8 to 14 hours from hut to hut, depending on fitness, acclimatisation and conditions. Crampons, ice axe and rope are required on the glacier, and in icy years a few ice screws for the Labyrinth.
Other routes. The south side, approached from Atzitzintla and the Valle del Encuentro, is shorter but steeper and has no glacier. On the north and west sides there are more serious lines on ice, such as the Serpent's Head, about ten pitches of grade 3 ice, and routes on the north face that are rarely guided. Some climbers place a high camp at around 4,900 m near the foot of the glacier to shorten summit day.
Without a summit. Non-climbers who arrive at Piedra Grande can walk up the scree towards the moraine at the foot of the glacier, a few hours' outing, but should turn back at the ice. Even this needs acclimatisation, because the hut itself stands higher than most summits of the Alps.
Pico de Orizaba National Park was decreed by President Lázaro Cárdenas on 16 December 1936 and covers 19,750 hectares; it is managed by CONANP, Mexico's protected areas commission. As of 2026 the official entry fee is MXN 125 per person per day. Mexican nationals and foreign residents of Mexico pay half, students and teachers get 75% off, and children under 12, older adults, pensioners and people with disabilities are exempt. Visitors receive a conservation wristband, which should be worn in the park, and are asked to register on entry and say what they plan to do. Transport operators stop at the payment point on the way up.
There is no summit permit or quota system, and a guide is not compulsory: CONANP recommends hiring a guide authorised by the agency. Climbers without glacier experience should take one. Local outfitters in Tlachichuca sell anything from a 4×4 transfer to all-inclusive trips with guides, gear, purified water and park fees; one climber reported a quote of MXN 5,500 per person (about USD 320) for guides, transport, lodging and fees in December 2023, while international guiding companies charge around USD 1,900–2,600 for short programmes in the 2025–2026 season. Mexican rescue groups have called for certification of guides after several accidents involving cheap, poorly equipped tours.
The climbing season follows the dry season, roughly from October or November to March, when days are most often clear and stable; the rainy season runs from about May or June to September, with thunderstorms and fresh snow, and tropical storms from the Gulf can bring heavy snowfall high up. CONANP itself recommends mountaineering from January to May and hiking all year. Above 4,300 m the mean annual temperature is below −2 °C; on summit day temperatures well below −15 °C with wind are common, and storms with winds of up to 90 km/h can stop all attempts for days.
There is no drinking water at Piedra Grande or anywhere on the route. Climbers bring water up from Tlachichuca, where outfitters supply purified water with their transfers, or melt snow at the hut on their own stoves, treating or boiling it. Tap water in Mexico is not considered safe to drink, so use bottled or treated water in town too. On summit day carry at least 3 litres, in insulated bottles or bottles kept inside your pack, because water freezes quickly above 5,000 m. Waste, including toilet paper, should be carried back down.
Mobile coverage is generally good in and around towns such as Tlachichuca and Orizaba, and Tlachichuca has an internet café; on the mountain there is no Wi-Fi and no reliable signal at the Piedra Grande hut. Do not rely on a phone: guided groups carry satellite phones and radios, and independent parties should consider a satellite messenger. The emergency number in Mexico is 911. Cold drains batteries, so bring a power bank.
The main difficulty is altitude. The hut is already at about 4,260 m, and climbers who drive up from sea level or from Mexico City (2,240 m) and try the summit the next night often fail or fall ill. Guided programmes usually spend several nights at intermediate heights first, often climbing La Malinche (about 4,460 m) or Iztaccíhuatl before Orizaba. Altitude sickness, including pulmonary oedema, is a real risk.
On the glacier a fall on the 35–40° slope can be fatal without a quick self-arrest, especially on hard morning ice or on the descent, when tired climbers slip. Whiteouts, wind and cold cause frostbite and disorientation, and the Labyrinth is easy to get lost in. There is no official register of accidents. In February 2024 three climbers died when an expedition was caught in extreme weather, and in February 2025 another died after a fall during the descent. In 1959 an avalanche killed members of a team from Puebla; in 2015 climbers found mummified remains on the mountain, believed to be two of them, exposed by the retreating ice.
The Spanish name means "Orizaba's peak", after the city below it. Citlaltépetl comes from the Nahuatl words citlalli (star) and tepetl (mountain); a legend from Coscomatepec links it to Venus, the morning star, which on autumn and winter evenings seems to set into the crater. Linguists believe the name may have been coined by a Spanish speaker, since Nahuatl speakers around Orizaba call the mountain Istaktepetl, "White Mountain". An older name, Poyauhtécatl, is also recorded. In colonial times it was known as Cerro de San Andrés, after the town of San Andrés Chalchicomula, today's Ciudad Serdán.
The volcano was sacred to the Nahua and Totonac peoples. Hernán Cortés passed its foothills on his march to Tenochtitlan in 1519, and the mountains around it delayed him for days; and later the Spanish used the peak as a landmark for ships heading to Veracruz. The botanist Henri Galeotti explored it in 1838–1839 without reaching the top. The first confirmed ascent came during the US occupation at the end of the Mexican–American War: on 10 May 1848 Lieutenant William F. Raynolds, F. Maynard and a few others from a party of nearly fifty soldiers reached the summit, which may have been the highest summit reached by Americans for the next fifty years. Mexicans doubted the claim until the Frenchman Alexandre Doignon reached the top in 1851 and found their flagpole carved with the year 1848; some Mexican sources still name Doignon as the first. In 1873 Martín Tritschler raised the Mexican flag on the summit.
The park spans forests of Hartweg's pine, which grows here between about 3,000 and 4,000 m, fir forests in the ravines, alpine grassland with juniper and lupins, and bare rock and ice above. More than 710 species of plants and animals are recorded, among them bobcats, coyotes, grey foxes, white-tailed deer and the volcano mouse. Several species are found almost nowhere else, such as the dwarf sandwort Arenaria bryoides, the snow draba Draba nivicola and the dusky rattlesnake.
How high is Pico de Orizaba? 5,636 m (18,491 ft) by GPS measurement, which makes it the highest point in Mexico and the third highest in North America. INEGI and the national park give 5,610–5,611 m.
How long does it take to climb Pico de Orizaba? Typical trips last 4–5 days from Mexico City: a night in Tlachichuca, one or two nights at the Piedra Grande hut and a summit day of 8–14 hours, with about 6 hours up and 3–4 hours down for fit, acclimatised climbers. Longer programmes add acclimatisation climbs on La Malinche or Iztaccíhuatl.
How difficult is the normal route? Technically moderate (II, PD to AD−): a scree approach, the rocky Labyrinth and a glacier slope of up to 35–40°. You need crampons, an ice axe, rope and the skills to use them, and the altitude makes it hard for everyone.
Do I need a permit or a guide? No summit permit is needed. As of 2026 you pay the CONANP park fee of MXN 125 per person per day (half price for Mexicans and residents) and wear the wristband. Guides are recommended but not compulsory.
Is there water on the mountain? No. Bring purified water from Tlachichuca or melt and treat snow at the hut, and carry at least 3 litres on summit day.
Is there mobile phone coverage? In Tlachichuca and other towns, yes; at the Piedra Grande hut and on the route it is unreliable, and there is no Wi-Fi. The emergency number is 911; a satellite messenger is the safer option.
When is the best time to climb? In the dry season, from about November to March, with the most stable weather in December–February; CONANP recommends January to May. The summer rainy season brings storms and fresh snow.
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