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El Yeso - Termas del Plomo (english)
- ==FOREWORD==
(updated as of January 2011) The hotsprings consist of only three small pools of lukewarm water, and there a no facilities such as bathrooms or dressing rooms
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Season
- Trekking: May to November. Since December, when usually clears the vehicle track, and until the first snow of winter,
the road is passable by vehicles, so that is not an alternative trekking.
- Mountain Bike: Between November and May. In November and December, however, it is still possible to find snow patches just before reach the hot springs.
- Randonnée: June to September. In the middle of winter and soon after Snow is possible that the vehicle is forced to be fairly
away from the dam. For that reason, unless there are several days not a good idea since shortly after a snowfall. From September, it may be necessary to remove the skis in some sections that border the reservoir.
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Access by car and the road status
From Santiago, you should take Route G-25 at Cajon del Maipo. From the Vizcachas crossing, 47 kilometers are paved in good condition to the control of police of San Gabriel (phone 8611008 and 8612290, if you want to check the status of the road, although the responses tend to be too "conservative"). Then are 1.1 miles of pavement to the confluence of the Maipo Gypsum. Immediately after the bridge starts on gravel, on a slope the river back Gypsum. 1.1 kilometers below (2.2 kms from Carabineros San Gabriel) is Romeral, with some houses and mining facilities. At this point you turn right and continue on the path G-455. There are about 18 kilometers of gravel in regular state to the dam of the reservoir the Yeso which is the maximum you can go by car. This item is a 2520 meters, so that between May and October is usually not possible reach by car.
Access by public transport and hitchhiking
The municipal bus line (Turmaipo) conducts tours to Baños Morales. From October until 1 January, the bus departs on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. A count of the first of January until 15 March, a bus leaves every day. The exit is on the Metrobus Terminal Bellavista de la Florida (penultimate station on subway line 5). If you have questions subway guards can help. The return value of the passage to Banos Morales is $ 6,000 (the amount in Turmaipo confirm: 8611518 to 8612450, or their website). There are rates for intermediate lengths. The output bus from the terminal is performed at 8:30 and get a bus a day. You can also take this bus in Puente Alto, outside the station Las Mercedes, where the bus passes close at 8:50. For San Jose de Maipo passes around 9:35 and arrives at Baños Morales about 11 am. You'll recognize the bus by its number, "MB-72".
It is also possible to privately hire the minibus Turismontaña (8500555 / 8500783) or ARPU Tourism (6818475 and 09-9320108) and fix a price to the same starting point. Both made the previous booking service to Baños Morales. Depart from Baquedano Metro Station (Plaza Italia), a Telefonica side of the building. That is, the foot same dam.
Given that the alternative bus permits only reach Romeral (which lies on the road to Baños Morales), from this point you should try the hitchhiking. The road traffic is low, so it is likely that the expected to be a weekend long, and too long on a weekday.
Route description
The route described here starts at the dam, although it is likely that the Snow forced to start a little lower. However, it is only immediately after snowfalls that will fail the Andean water facilities, 1400 m before the dam itself. From this point you should begin to move eastward to the vehicle along the road surrounding the reservoir for its southern shore. Are some 6.7 kilometers along the coast. In winter, the ground is difficult because in many places the snow-laden slope falls steep slope to the reservoir, the road is cut repeatedly by residual snow boards of avalanches.
skis, you should know how to sing well in this area. Once you arrive the east end of the lake, the terrain is much easier. Continue inward toward the northeast by a low slope area, where the valley is quite wide. It will be visible from the towering pyramid somital
Rigging north
kilometers downstream of the dam soon after a monument to Andean waters workers killed on the spot, the road turns almost 90 °, and the walk continues towards the southeast. It should be gaining 5 miles, on the north bank of the river Gypsum, on a stretch of more pending. It is an area which in summer is usually covered with grass and often inhabited by animals.
extends brought many, and appear to the south the glaciers of Marmolejo. Our route turns gradually to the north. Call go 2.9 miles to the west bank of the estuary, the point at which the road turns east to cross the river and reach the hot springs at the foot of a gorgeous warm water upwelling from mid - the rock.
Expected Time
- Trekking: In a normal pace, with snow, this trek should
take about 7 to 8 hours one way. If you do not have snowshoes, and leaves only shoes, this time may be even higher if the snow is deep and unconsolidated. A little less to return.
- Randonnée: Consider 6 to 8 hours. A little less to return.
- Mountain Bike: Between two and three hours. One hour to return.
Permits / Fees
- There is a fee of CLP 3.000 per person to get into the Parque Valle del Yeso. The gate where the fee is charged is located between the Embalse el Yeso and the hot springs. Between late may or june and late november or december, however, the road will be closed for vehicles and there will ne no one to ask for the money.
Recommendations
- The hot springs are not really hot. Only little higher Pozón reaches the temperature "of choice." In midwinter, is desirable a snow shovel to find this deep pools.
- In summer (mountain bike) is ideal to go on a weekday, in order exploit the superior Pozón better.
Waypoints in Google Earth
- Waypoints Termas del Plomo. The route is referencial only. To download the file right-click and then select "Save file as" (IE) or "Save link as" (Firefox, Chrome). By trying to open it directly, some browsers will show the raw code with the coordinates.
