Pico de Orizaba

Planning snapshot

Pico de Orizaba is a 18,491 ft summit in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (Mexico). PeakAtlas rates it snow / glacier (Snow / glacier climb); best season is Nov–Mar. Permit required. Typical staging is Tlachichuca (18 mi). PeakAtlas lists 3 OpenStreetMap lodging pins near the summit — coverage is often thinner outside well-mapped regions. Use the 3D map and trip checklist before you go.

Elevation

18,491 ft

Prominence

16,148 ft

Difficulty tier

Snow / glacier

Best season

Nov–Mar

Permits

Permit required

Staging

Tlachichuca · 18 mi

Mapped lodging

3 OSM places

Listed trails

2

As of 2026-07-31 · Figures come from the PeakAtlas3D catalog: surveyed elevations and prominence, curated difficulty tiers, best-season windows, permit notes, staging-town distances, trail lists, and OpenStreetMap lodging near each summit. Not live weather, quotas, or prices.

How hard is Pico de Orizaba, and what do you need before you go?

Pico de Orizaba is listed as Snow / glacier climb with a best season of Nov–Mar. Use the difficulty, permit, and staging details below before you commit to a date.

Difficulty

Snow / glacier climb

Best season

Nov–Mar

Access / staging

Tlachichuca, Puebla

How tall is Pico de Orizaba, and where is it?

Location

Puebla, Mexico

Elevation

18,491 ft

Prominence

16,148 ft

Mountain range

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

Difficulty

Snow / glacier climb

What makes Pico de Orizaba notable?

Mexico’s highest peak and the tallest volcano in North America.

Mexico’s highest peak and North America’s third-highest, a massive stratovolcano often climbed via the Jamapa Glacier.

After you check trip readiness for Pico de Orizaba, explore the summit on PeakAtlas3D’s interactive 3D topographic map in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Puebla, Mexico.

Closest places

• Tlachichuca — Puebla via Fed-140

Notable trails & routes

• Ruta Norte
• Jampa Glacier