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PAINANI · RUN / LOCAL

62 · San José and Cartago, Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica

Cerro Chirripó

Climb from a village at 1,350 m to the highest point in Costa Rica at 3,820 m: 14.5 km to a 60-bed lodge, 5.1 more to the summit, on a permit that sells out months ahead.

Trail runningMountain runningTrail raceOut and back
34 kmDistance2,050 mElevation gainEpicSite gradeSan Gerardo de Rivas, Pérez ZeledónNearest base

Site grade

EpicFeatured

2,050 m of gain in 17 km to Crestones on a trail SINAC grades extreme, then 5.1 km more to 3,820 m. The 2026 race was run in mud, rain and cold with falls reported; a 3:22 winning time says how steep it is.

The experience

From 1,350 m at the San Gerardo plaza the trail climbs 2,050 m in 14.5 km to the Crestones lodge, then 5.1 km more to the 3,820 m summit, through cloud forest, páramo and glacial valleys, and comes back the same way.

The Carrera Internacional al Cerro Chirripó has run the 34 km to Crestones and back every year since 1989, capped at 225 runners to protect the park. In 2026 the men's winner needed 3:22:14 and the women's, a Cabécar athlete, took her third title.

Chirripó is a Cabécar word SINAC translates as land of eternal waters; the park was created on 19 August 1975 and now covers 50,150 hectares. The Crestones rock spires are a national symbol. Father Agustín Blessing, a Talamanca missionary, is recorded by SINAC as the first outsider on the summit, in 1904. The race is organized by the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de San Gerardo de Rivas; its 39th edition is set for 27 February 2027.

Where the sources disagreeEntry is by SINAC permit only, reserved through the online system, with in-person registration at the park office in San Gerardo the day before, 8:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:00, and entry only between 03:00 and 10:00. The Crestones lodge holds 60 people a night and the permits sell out months ahead in the dry season. SINAC's rules bar sporting activities that disturb the park, drones, pets, alcohol, fires and single-use plastics; the race is the one authorized sporting event. Third-party sources report that the park closes to other visitors on race weekend and for maintenance in late May; SINAC's page states neither, so check. The 34 km headline is the race course to Crestones and back; the summit adds 5.1 km each way, so the full summit run is beyond 44 km by SINAC's own legs. The 2026 race was run in mud and rain with falls.

Trail path

The line
you follow.

StartSan Gerardo de Rivas plaza, 1,350 mFinishSan Gerardo de Rivas plazaDirectionUp the main sector trail to Base Crestones, on to the summit, and back the same way. The race turns at Crestones.
  1. 01San Gerardo de Rivas plaza
  2. 02Park boundary and trail start
  3. 03Llano Bonito refuge
  4. 04Monte Sin Fe
  5. 05Base Crestones (3
  6. 06393 m)
  7. 07Valle de los Conejos
  8. 08Cerro Chirripó summit (3
  9. 09820 m)
  10. 10Base Crestones
  11. 11San Gerardo de Rivas

Route sections

01 · The Three A.M. GateSan Gerardo plaza to the park boundary
The park admits walkers only between 03:00 and 10:00, registered the day before at the office in the village. Runners leave in the dark up the road and the first forest switchbacks.02 · The Cloud Forest LadderPark boundary to Llano Bonito
Oak forest thick with epiphytes, mud on the steps in the green season, the Llano Bonito refuge as the first place to fill a bottle.03 · Monte Sin FeLlano Bonito to Base Crestones
The climb leaves the trees for páramo; the mountain of no faith earns its name in the last third to the lodge at 3,393 m, where the race turns and the beds are.04 · The Last 5.1Base Crestones to the summit
Glacial valleys, the Lago San Juan, and a rock scramble to the sign at 3,820 m. On a clear dawn both oceans show; the wind and frost are the price.05 · The Long Way DownSummit to San Gerardo
Nearly twenty kilometres of descent through everything you climbed. Porters take the bags; nobody takes the quads.

Weather profile

What the sky
is likely to do.

SINAC's dry season is December to April, with strong winds on the high mountain; the green season, May to November, brings 3,000 mm of rain a year. Temperatures run from 20 °C in the valley to 0 °C at the top, with frost and drizzle at any time; Costa Rica's record low, minus 9 °C, was set here.

Season & timing

Managed seasonOpen all year by reservation. Park entry 03:00 to 10:00 daily; office registration 8:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:00 the day before. Fees: residents ¢4,520, non-residents $20.34 per day, camping at Urán $6.78.Best windowJanuary to early March, weekdays, with the permit bought the day it is released. Race weekend is the last of February; the park is closed to others.Race timingCarrera Internacional al Cerro Chirripó, 39th edition, 27 February 2027, 34 km from the San Gerardo plaza to Base Crestones and back, 225 places.SurfaceMud and rock through cloud forest, then loose stone and páramo scrub above the treeline, a boulder scramble at the summitDirectionUp the main sector trail to Base Crestones, on to the summit, and back the same way. The race turns at Crestones.

Signature moments

What you will
remember afterwards.

01

Leaving the plaza at 03:00 with a headtorch

02

First light above the cloud forest

03

The Crestones spires appearing through fog

04

The summit sign at 3,820 m with both oceans below

05

The plaza again, nine hours older

ENTRY

03:00

The park lets you in from three in the morning

SINAC's entry hours for Chirripó are 03:00 to 10:00, every day, with registration done the day before at the office in San Gerardo. The early gate exists because the climb to Crestones is a full day; runners use it to be on the summit by nine.

Access & logistics

AccessSan Gerardo de Rivas is above San Isidro de El General, about three hours from San José by the Cerro de la Muerte road. Sleep in the village; the office registration and the 03:00 start make it necessary.PermitsSINAC permit through serviciosenlinea.sinac.go.cr, up to six months ahead; residents ¢4,520 a day, non-residents $20.34 a day. Register in person at the park office the day before with ID. No guide required on the San Gerardo sector; the San Jerónimo and Herradura sectors are guide-only.BookingsBase Crestones lodge, 60 beds in four-bed rooms, reserved with the permit; lodging, meals and porters are run by the Consorcio Rural Comunitario Chirripó. El Financiero's 2026 budget: ¢20,847 a night, ¢22,166 for three meals, ¢2,461 per kilo carried. Race entry through carrerachirripo.com.WaterPotable water at the refuges and the lodge; carry two litres from the village. Nothing on the summit leg.FoodMeals at Crestones by concession, ordered ahead. Carry a day's food for a one-push run.Mobile coverageVillage only. Do not expect it above the park boundary.DurationSINAC publishes no time; the valley operators quote six to eight hours to Crestones. Race: Sebastián Hernández won the 2026 edition in 3:22:14 for the 34 km.

Key hazards

  • ▲Altitude above 3,000 m for most of the day
  • ▲Frost, wind and sudden weather at the summit
  • ▲Mud and falls on the forest steps in the green season
  • ▲The 10:00 entry cut
  • ▲No entry without the day-before registration
  • ▲Water only at the refuges

SafetyOrientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance. Register the day before, carry a torch, whistle, warm layers and rain shell, and turn around if the weather closes above Crestones.

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Official sources

Last verified 2026-09-16 · Record CETC-RUN-062 · Orientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance.

Photograph: Peter Andersen · CC BY-SA 3.0