Summit

Cerro Colorados is the northernmost of the Six Thousand Metre Peaks in the Atacama Region. It is on the border with Argentina and is completely isolated, being at least 50 km from the nearest town. Even though the ascent does not present any major difficulties, not many mountaineers climb it and information about it is scarce due to its difficult access route. This means the massif is nearly unknown compared to the other Six Thousand Metre Peaks in the region.

Colorados belongs to a mountain range that runs from north to south along the border and which is known as Sierra de los Colorados. According to some maps, the Colorados Mountain, also known as Cumbre Negra, is located to the south of border marker number 33, which is found at a plateau known as Meseta de los Colorados.

The following access route describes the south-west approach to
Colorados. The base of the mountain can possibly be reached from
the north, but this option is used by the majority of expeditions as
it is the shortest and fastest. The track is only for 4x4 vehicles. It is
in a terrible state, with dangerous lateral inclinations, sandy areas
and narrow deep gullies. Fortunately there are no steep falls on the
side of the road which makes it relatively safe to drive on.

Taking the town of Diego de Almagro (to the north of Copiapó) as
a point of departure, take the road to El Salvador, about 50 km from
Diego de Almagro. From here, continue in an easterly direction on
Ruta C-177 which leads to the road that links the salt lakes of
Pedernales and Maricunga. Follow it in a southerly direction until
a few kilometres south of the La Ola Reservoir which is owned by
Codelco. Here you should take the road east, that takes you to the
Juncalito Reservoir, also owned by Codelco.

From the Juncalito Reservoir (km 0) there is a track along the south
bank of the Juncalito River which crosses a sandy area of approximately
a kilometre in length.

At km 3.5 you arrive at the Juncalito Waterfall (3,900 m). Here you
can see a semi-demolished building, known to the locals of La Ola
and Juncalito as Casa de Piedra (House of Rock). It is possible to set
up camp here for the process of acclimatisation. From here, you
need to cross the river to its northern side but continue using the
riverbed as a road. A little further on there is another sandy area
and then a sandy slope. Just before arriving at one of Juncalito’s
tributary rivers, the Río Negro, you have to enter the main riverbed
of the Juncalito again and follow it until the confluence of the waters
(km 8) where you turn into the Río Negro riverbed. Continue along
this riverbed until you reach a waterfall at km 9. There is a gully full
of rocks here that enables you to ford the river.

The route continues on the left (south-east) edge of the Río Negro.
After a few kilometres you arrive at a crossroads with an exit route
from the riverbed which leads to a plain known as Llano de los
Cuyanos (4,120 m) which is about 100 metres higher than the river
at km 13. This is the only practical exit route to the plain and it is
quite complicated as there are some sand traps, for which it is
necessary to have some experience of driving a 4x4.

Following Llano de Los Cuyanos you continue in a northerly direction
to the Piedra Parada Salt Lake, through a pass that divides the valleys.
At km 35 (4,150 m) you arrive at the salt lake which you skirt round
on its southern, then eastern edges. You must take care with the
sandy areas on the route and with the lateral inclination of the road
in a short stretch on the lake’s eastern edge.

At km 45 you leave the salt lake and start to ascend towards the
north-east using a track which is in a passable condition. You come
to a pass, followed by a plain and then another pass. At km 63 you
arrive at the Lagunas Bravas Plain and, continuing towards the northeast,
you begin to make out the Colorados Massif. The route is
marked and advances, through some plains, without any difficulties
until km 73, where the road enters the bed of a gully. This is very
easy to descend into but it is difficult to exit on the opposite slope
which is sandy.

From here you follow the gully, which narrows as you proceed, until
it opens into a plain at over 4,500 m. You leave the road at km 82,
turning south into a gully whose course you follow for about 3.5
km. The gully has steep slopes and loose stones. Finally you arrive
at a place where you can establish BC (4,970 m) at km 86.

From BC, start the ascent in an easterly direction. The first 100
metres of rise are quite steep though later the ascent becomes more
gentle. It is a sandy slope with lots of stones of variable sizes.

After skirting the massif from the south, continue for about three
km, always to the east. You come to a gully facing south (5,450 m),
which leads to a pass that separates Colorados from its sister summits.
This gully has a snow field which you need to skirt on its southern
edge, while always ascending eastwards on a sandy slope of 30º
until you reach a pass. From the pass the route turns south-east and
the slope becomes rocky with very loose stones and a steeper
gradient. Then, a few metres from the top, it opens into a plateau.

The descent follows the same route as the ascent.

• No special permits are required to climb Colorados but you should
inform the police in the Diego de Almagro station of your expedition,
giving them a letter showing participants, nationalities, passport
or ID numbers, details of activities and specific itineraries, dates,
route and a map of the area. As the mountain is on the border,
foreigners must ask for permission from DIFROL (www.difrol.cl).

• The best transport option is to take a 4x4 vehicle. See appendix
for recommendations. Buy sufficient fuel in Diego de Almagro
or El Salvador as there are no other places to buy it during the
rest of the journey.

• This mountain is difficult to access by vehicle but easy to climb
once you have arrived at its base. The gradient is gentle, except
for a short stretch in the final section. You need to take special
care to always follow the semi-rocky ridge to the west of the
mountain and then the pass that separates the mountain from
the summits further north-east.

• The access route is 86 km with some quite complicated sections.
You need to plan for a minimum of 6 to 8 hours to cross it, taking
especial care with the sections that have steep lateral inclinations
and with the entrances and exits to thin gorges. There are also
two or three places that are very steep with loose rocks that need
to be crossed very slowly with dual control 4x4.

• It is recommended to take equipment and clothing suitable for
high altitude mountaineering. As part of the equipment it is
recommended to take an ice axe and crampons.

• Take sufficient water for the whole expedition. The Juncalito and
Río Negro rivers, as well as other possible sources of water on
the way, should only be considered as an alternative in an
emergency and must be boiled first.

• The area in which Colorados is situated has high precipitation in
winter and summer, when it is slightly affected by the 'Alti-Planic
winter'. The climatic instability can also be accompanied by strong
squalls and wind-storms. It is therefore strongly recommended
to climb during the months of spring and summer, as the winter
presents very low temperatures and abundant precipitation. It is
necessary to keep up-to-date with the weather forecast.