Volcano·Mexico

Iztaccihuatl

5,230m

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

Cvmontuy · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation: 5,230m
Prominence: 1,560m
Relief: 1,694mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope: 49°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit: All yearSee month by month ↓
First ascent: 1889
Summit: 19.1761°N, 98.6408°W

Volcano in Mexico

Iztaccihuatl is a volcano in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (Mexico). Its summit stands 5,230 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 1,560 m. It was first climbed in 1889.

From the lowest point within 5 km (3,536 m), it rises 1,694 m. The steepest side is the east face: 30° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 49° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Santiago Cuautenco, 12 km away at 2,520 m: 2,710 m below the summit.

Iztaccihuatl for skiers and climbers

Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.

Hiking & mountaineering

6.8/10

Difficulty to the top

Alpine climb

Most path sections around the top are T5 on the SAC hiking scale. Glaciers around the top.

Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.

0.1/2.50 waymarked routes and 2 path sections nearby
1.5/1.510 huts and shelters
2.0/22,710 m of ascent from the valley
1.4/1.51,560 m of prominence
1.5/1.512 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
0.3/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

—

No ski runs within 12 km in OpenStreetMap.

How these scores are made

Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.

Plan your visit

Stay, climb and get there

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Snow

When there is snow on Iztaccihuatl

At the summit, snow all year round. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Summit5,230 msnow all year round	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month	Snow on the ground all month
Halfway up3,875 mno snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow
Santiago Cuautenco2,520 mno snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow	No snow

Snow on the ground all month
Snow some of the time
No snow
This month

Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.

Summit weather

Iztaccihuatl, month by month

Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.

On an average April afternoon the summit reaches about 8 °C; on January nights it falls to about -14 °C. Afternoons at the top are above freezing in every month of the average year. In April the 0 °C line climbs to about 6,490 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, December is the driest month (6 mm) and September the wettest (173 mm).

0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit

Month	Summit high °C	Summit low °C	Santiago Cuautenco high °C	0 °C line (m)	Rain & snow (mm)	Wet days	Sun h/day
January	2	-14	19	5,460	9	2	8.7
February	4	-12	22	5,830	10	2	9.4
March	6	-11	24	6,180	16	4	9.7
April	8	-8	26	6,490	25	7	9.4
May	8	-7	25	6,430	68	17	8.5
June	5	-7	22	5,970	166	24	7.3
July	3	-8	21	5,700	155	26	7.1
August	3	-8	21	5,690	168	27	7.3
September	2	-8	19	5,470	173	26	6.1
October	2	-10	20	5,550	74	16	7.5
November	2	-12	20	5,540	20	6	8.5
December	2	-13	19	5,470	6	2	9.0

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 2,120 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.

Relief

The mountain in profile

Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. Heights drawn 2× taller than lengths, so the shape can be seen.

West – east

South – north

Steepness by direction

Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Iztaccihuatl

Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.

Iztaccihuatl seen from above (Sentinel-2)

N 5 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

10mountain huts and shelters
La Joya, Refugio de los 100 (4,730 m), Las Trancas, Refugio Otis McAllister and 6 more
—cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways
—ski areas
—waymarked hiking routes
—via ferratas
—climbing crags and routes
2named glaciers
Glaciar Atzintli, Glaciar de San Agustín
5viewpoints
Primer Portillo, Tercer Portillo, Segundo Portillo, Portillo 4 and 1 more
1campsites
national Park
2hotels, B&Bs and chalets
Cabaña, Aldea Pachamama
4restaurants and cafés

Towns at the foot

Santiago Cuautenco12 km · 2,520 m
San Rafael12 km · 2,552 m
Santa Isabel Chalma13 km · 2,483 m
San Antonio Tlaltecahuacán14 km · 2,478 m
San Agustín Atzompa14 km · 2,574 m
San Andrés Hueyacatitla14 km · 2,511 m
Amecameca14 km · 2,480 m
San Pedro Nexapa14 km · 2,629 m

Car hire at PBC airport (Puebla)Discover Cars · Affiliate link

OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photos

Seen by climbers and visitors

Atardecer en Puebla con vista a los volcanes 02 — Luisalvaz · CC BY-SA 4.0

Ciudad de México desde Iztaccíhuatl — Alfonso8891 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Recent years

How each month compared at the summit

Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
1991–2020 average	2	4	6	8	8	5	3	3	2	2	2	2
2020	+0.7	+1.4	+2.7	+1.7	+1.0	+2.1	+1.1	−0.4	−0.2	+1.2	+2.1	+0.6
2021	+1.1	+1.1	+1.9	+0.8	−0.6	−2.0	−0.3	±0.0	−0.5	+0.5	+0.3	+1.8
2022	+0.9	+0.4	+1.0	+1.0	+2.5	+1.6	+3.2	+1.1	+0.8	+1.4	+2.3	+0.3
2023	+1.9	+1.7	+1.6	±0.0	−0.2	+5.7	+3.0	+1.7	+3.9	+2.0	+2.0	−0.7
2024	+1.2	+2.1	+2.7	+2.0	+4.6	+3.8	+0.8	+0.9	+0.5	−0.2	+1.9	+0.8
2025	+1.1	+1.6	+2.1	+1.2	+0.4	−2.8	−0.2	+0.8	+1.0	+0.4	+1.4	+0.8

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

Nearby

More mountains nearby

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2,510 mPeña de Bernal

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About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominence	Wikidata (Q664059) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profiles	Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
Climate	NASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain	© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
Images	EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

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