DAY 7 – Getting Ready for Izta
After a successful summit of Orizaba followed by a day of rest and relaxation, our shuttle driver transported us from Servimont to La Joya in the Parque Nacional Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl. This was a 4.5 hour drive as we looped around from the north and then down through Amecameca. I think we could have cut straight across from the east through Puebla, but not sure why we went the way we did.
We would stop at their visitor’s center to pay our entrance fees and then continue on to el zona de campamento. That 4-mile stretch of road to the trailhead was rough but nothing our 15-passenger Sprinter van couldn’t handle at a crawling pace. 45 minutes later, we arrived at La Joya to set up camp.
Everyone stayed in tents at this basecamp. The building structure here could accommodate a single tent in some of its open spaces, but it was mostly a 3-sided shelter for cooking and preparing food.
Popo was just across the way, spitting out dark plumes of smoke. It was eerie to be so close knowing it had seen an increase of activity just a few months earlier, threatening to cancel this trip.
Warm-up Loop
Once we got our tents set up and all settled in, three of us decided to go explore the trail a little ways in. We all wanted to survey the route since, once again, we’d be starting at o’dark thirty in the morning.
We ended up doing a mile and a half loop with 700 feet of gain around Izta’s Pico Suroeste (southwest peak). The back half involved some bushwacking but it was fun to find a way back down to camp!
This day came to a close with another fine meal from Servimont’s camp staff before heading off to bed.
Some have said that Iztaccíhuatl is harder than Citlaltépetl (Orizaba)… we would soon find out.
More Information
Here’s a bit more info if you are planning a stay at this trailhead.
There is another larger shelter right before La Joya called Refugio de Altzomoni. It’s got a killer view of Popocatépetl but it’s been closed since COVID. I’m sure it would be just as noisy as Piedra Grande.
Speaking of Piedra Grande, you might also read on other websites about La Joya having pit toilets too. Nope! No such thing here either. However, you will find less turds and toilet paper on the outskirts of this camping/parking area for some reason. Our group dug a hole and set up a privacy tent this time.
