Baños Morales is a small mountain village in the Cajón del Maipo, the deep valley that cuts into the Andes southeast of Santiago, and it sits at a height of nearly two thousand metres where the road starts to run out. Hot springs bubble from the hillside here, which is where the name comes from, and the village is a base for walkers heading into the nearby El Morado Natural Monument, a glaciated basin of cliffs, lakes and ice that feels far removed from the capital. The landscape is dry and rocky, with scree slopes, stunted shrubs and pale peaks, and the air is thin and bright.
The ride up the valley is one of the best day trips from Santiago. The road follows the Maipo River through narrow gorges and past orchards and small villages, climbing steadily, with tight bends and some rough patches where the surface has worn. Beyond San José de Maipo, the main town, traffic thins and the scenery grows wilder. The final stretch to Baños Morales and beyond to the Embalse El Yeso is partly gravel, narrow and exposed, with a steep drop in places, so take it slowly. Spring and early summer are the best time, with clear skies and snow on the peaks, and in winter the road can be blocked by snow or washed out in a storm.
There is no real fuel here, so fill the tank in San José de Maipo or before you leave the city. A few modest places serve empanadas, grilled meat and simple lunches, and the springs can be visited for a small fee at certain places, although opening hours vary. Bring warm layers, sunscreen and water, since the sun is strong at altitude and the temperature can drop quickly after sunset.
Beyond the village, the road climbs to the El Yeso reservoir, a turquoise lake at about two and a half thousand metres that supplies much of Santiago's drinking water. The dam sits below ridges that rise past five thousand metres, including the great mass of the San José volcano, and the light at the end of the day is spectacular. Condors circle overhead, guanacos sometimes appear on the slopes, and the silence is complete once the engine is off. It is the kind of place a city rider needs, close at hand and impossibly far.