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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Quito to Cotopaxi

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
77 km
Riding-time estimate
1 h 56
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis

The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.

Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.

Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.

Open this ride in CurveScout

Why this ride

A volcanic-landscape approach with exceptional geology and mountain views. It links naturally to Cotopaxi National Park.

Editorial context

Coordinates are curated start-via-end route seeds. They are not a surveyed centreline or navigation geometry. Run road snapping, topology checks, access checks and a live-status review before publication.

Access context

Do not auto-publish. Snap to a routable road network, verify current closures, legal motorcycle access, surface, permits, border controls and local safety information.

Seasonal context

Jun-Sep

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Quito

    Quito sits almost on the equator and almost two miles up, and the two facts together explain a lot. At about 2,850 metres the air is thin, the sun is fierce, and the days are mild whatever the calendar says, so the city lives in a permanent early spring. It stretches for kilometres along a narrow Andean valley, with Pichincha volcano rising on the western side and, on clear mornings, the snow cone of Cotopaxi and other peaks visible to the south and east.

    Read the complete Quito write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Quito sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Cotopaxi.

  2. 2. Cotopaxi gate

    Cotopaxi is the volcano every Ecuadorian child can draw: a near-perfect cone of 5,897 metres, capped with glacier, rising out of high grassland an hour or so south of Quito. It is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, and it last erupted in 2015, sending ash over the surrounding villages and closing the national park for months. The park has since reopened, though access can be restricted whenever the mountain gets restless, so ask locally before you commit to the day.

    Read the complete Cotopaxi write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Cotopaxi comes up 77 km in.

Recorded source links

Source

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