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Vista del Nevado de Toluca

Volcano·MexicoMexico

Nevado de Toluca

4,680m

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

Summit weather

México en Fotos, A.C. · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation
4,680m
Prominence
2,240m
Isolation
118km
Relief
1,282mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
62°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
Jul–MarSee month by month ↓
Summit
19.1086°N, 99.7561°W

Stratovolcano located in central Mexico

Nevado de Toluca is a volcano in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (Mexico). Its summit stands 4,680 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 2,240 m, and the nearest higher ground is 118 km away.

From the lowest point within 5 km (3,398 m), it rises 1,282 m. The steepest side is the north-east face: 25° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 62° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Santa Cruz Pueblo Nuevo (Pueblo Nuevo), 10 km away at 2,893 m: 1,787 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Nevado de Toluca 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

4.8/10

Difficulty to the top

Alpine climb

Estimated from the slope: OpenStreetMap has no graded paths near the top.

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

  • 0.1/2.50 waymarked routes and 1 path sections nearby
  • 0.0/1.50 huts and shelters
  • 1.8/21,787 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.4/1.52,240 m of prominence
  • 1.5/1.512 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 0.0/1via 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

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

Snow

When there is snow on Nevado de Toluca

At the summit, snow from July to March (some years from June to April). Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit4,680 msnow from July to March (some years from June to April)
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow some of the timeNo snowSnow some of the timeSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Halfway up3,786 mno snow
No snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snow
Santa Cruz Pueblo Nuevo (Pueblo Nuevo)2,893 mno snow
No snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo 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

Nevado de Toluca, 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 11 °C; on January nights it falls to about -10 °C. Afternoons at the top are above freezing in every month of the average year. In April the 0 °C line climbs to about 6,380 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, December is the driest month (4 mm) and August the wettest (199 mm).

3,000 m4,000 m5,000 m6,000 mSUMMIT · 4,680 mSANTA CRUZ PUEBLO NUEVO (PUEBLO NUEVO) · 2,893 mJanuary: 5,330 mFebruary: 5,690 mMarch: 6,050 mApril: 6,380 mMay: 6,330 mJune: 5,820 mJuly: 5,550 mAugust: 5,500 mSeptember: 5,390 mOctober: 5,470 mNovember: 5,410 mDecember: 5,320 mJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit
MonthSummit high °CSummit low °CSanta Cruz Pueblo Nuevo (Pueblo Nuevo) high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January4-10165,330828.6
February6-9185,6901319.3
March9-7206,0501329.7
April11-5236,3801349.4
May11-4226,33061148.4
June7-4195,820168257.0
July6-4175,550197296.7
August5-4175,500199296.9
September5-4165,390186275.9
October5-6175,47073167.4
November5-8165,4102058.5
December4-9165,320419.0

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 1,916 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
4,680 m3,202 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
4,680 m3,219 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 22°NNE: 25°NEE: 21°ESE: 24°SES: 20°SSW: 13°SWW: 19°WNW: 19°NW

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

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Nevado de Toluca

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

Nevado de Toluca 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.

  • —mountain huts and shelters
  • —cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways
  • —ski areas
  • —waymarked hiking routes
  • —via ferratas
  • —climbing crags and routes
  • —named glaciers
  • —viewpoints
  • —campsites
  • —hotels, B&Bs and chalets
  • 5restaurants and cafés

Towns at the foot

  • Santa Cruz Pueblo Nuevo (Pueblo Nuevo)10 km · 2,893 m
  • Cerro La Calera10 km · 3,387 m
  • Santa Cruz Pueblo Nuevo11 km · 2,874 m
  • San Miguel Balderas11 km · 2,857 m
  • Colonia Azteca11 km · 2,928 m
  • San Pedro Tlanixco12 km · 2,858 m
  • Ojo de Agua12 km · 3,020 m
  • Zaragoza12 km · 2,861 m

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

Bello Paisaje en el Nevado - panoramio
Wiper México · CC BY-SA 3.0
Campamento Nevado Toluca
Armando Olivo Martín del Campo · 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1991–2020 average46911117655554
2020+0.6+1.1+2.2+1.5+1.3+2.3+1.1±0.0+0.3+1.3+2.2+0.5
2021+1.6+1.2+1.9+0.7−0.4−1.6+0.3−0.2±0.0+0.1+0.6+1.6
2022+1.2+0.8+1.2+1.0+2.1+0.7+0.8+0.1+1.0+0.6+1.4+0.6
2023+1.7+1.8+1.4±0.0−0.1+5.9+2.8+1.3+2.9+0.7+1.4−0.6
2024+0.6+1.5+1.9+1.8+4.4+4.0+0.7+0.1−0.2+0.5+1.3+0.7
2025+0.5+1.0+1.5+1.2+0.3−2.0+0.1+0.6+0.8+0.8+0.9+0.7

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q673994) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profilesCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX 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.

The family

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