Aconcagua is the highest mountain outside Asia, at almost seven thousand metres, and the provincial park that protects it lies a short way off the main road between Mendoza and Chile. Most riders will not climb it, but you can see enough from the valley to feel its scale. The huge, snow-streaked mass of the mountain rises from a high, stony valley, and on a clear day the summit shows above the nearer ridges, with the colour of the rock changing from red to ochre to grey as the light moves.
The road from Uspallata, Ruta 7, climbs along the Mendoza River through a landscape of rock and scrub, passing a series of small settlements and mountain refuges. The asphalt is mostly good, with long, rising bends and a few steep sections, and the road is shared with a heavy flow of trucks heading for the Chilean border. The altitude rises to around three thousand metres at the park entrance, and the air is noticeably thinner, with cold mornings and strong sun. Wind builds in the afternoon, and storms can bring snow even in summer. In winter, the road may close due to avalanche risk or heavy snow.
A small information post at the entrance gives details of walks and the rules of the park, and a modest fee is charged to enter. A short walk from the roadside leads to Laguna Horcones, a quiet lake with a classic view of the mountain, and it is easily done in an hour. Nearby, the natural stone arch at Puente del Inca, stained yellow and orange by mineral springs, makes a good photograph.
Mountaineers from all over the world come to attempt the summit, which is not technically hard but demands acclimatisation and care, and many fail because of the altitude or the weather. Condors ride the thermals along the cliffs, and guanacos sometimes appear on the slopes. The silence of the valley, with only the wind and the river to break it, is hard to describe. A moment here, looking at the biggest mountain in the Americas, will make the rest of the ride feel smaller.