Do not plan a visit: CONANP’s total closure covers Nevado de Toluca’s crater, lakes, ascent trails and surrounding trails until further notice, with checkpoints enforcing it. It becomes worth considering only after CONANP explicitly reopens the crater visitor area.
Postpone until CONANP reopens it
There is no legal tourist entry, reservation, ticket, guide, or alternate route during the total closure; authorities turn back visitors at checkpoints.
MoreDo not pay informal operators
No official admission, parking tariff, tour, pass, or visitor permit is currently available, and a guide or tour does not make entry legal.
Recheck official status twice
After a reopening announcement, verify that the crater itself is open, plus road conditions, capacity rules and weather, the evening before and again on departure morning.
MoreTreat altitude and weather seriously
The crater is roughly 4,200–4,300 m high, where fog, hail, ice, wind, sub-zero cold and altitude illness can rapidly make conditions unsafe.
MoreCrater, Lagunas del Sol and de la Luna
Closed until further notice; no legal visitor entry.
Ascent and surrounding trails
Closed until further notice; checkpoints prohibit access by foot, bicycle and off-road vehicle.
Free to enter — no ticket needed.
Volcán Nevado de Toluca, also called Xinantécatl, is a large eroded composite volcano in central Mexico’s Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, southwest of Toluca. Its summit area reaches about 4,680 m, and its broad crater contains the Lagunas del Sol and de la Luna at roughly 4,200 m. It forms the core of the 53,590.67-hectare Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Nevado de Toluca, managed by CONANP and the State of Mexico; protected since 1936 and redesignated in 2013, it safeguards high-elevation forests, grasslands, water catchments, fragile alpine ecosystems, and a crater landscape with documented pre-Hispanic ritual offerings. As of November 11, 2026, the crater, lakes, ascent trails, and surrounding trails are under a total closure until further notice.
When legally open, this is one of central Mexico’s defining high-mountain landscapes: a volcanic caldera with two cold lakes, dramatic crater walls, vast views, and unusually accessible terrain above 4,000 m. It is best for fit, well-prepared hikers and mountain scenery seekers; skip it if you are sensitive to altitude, unprepared for fast-changing cold weather, or need an accessible paved attraction. Everyone should skip it now: there is no legal visitor access during the comprehensive closure, and checkpoints actively prevent entry.
Before you go
No. As of November 11, 2026, CONANP’s formal notice keeps the Nevado de Toluca protected area closed to tourism until further notice. The closure covers the crater, Lagunas del Sol and de la Luna, ascent trails, and surrounding trails. Security checkpoints and patrols are preventing entry on foot, by bicycle, and by off-road vehicle.
No. There are no legal visitor tickets, reservations, permits, official tours, or walk-up entries during the closure. A private guide, social-media tour, informal driver, or alternate trail does not make access legal. Do not pay anyone claiming to offer crater access.
Do not travel to the mountain unless CONANP explicitly announces that the crater—not merely a lower part of the protected area—is open. Check CONANP’s closure notice the evening before and again on the morning of departure: https://www.gob.mx/conanp/prensa/la-conanp-informa-que-continua-con-el-cierre-total-del-apff-nevado-de-toluca. If reopening is announced, also confirm road status, hours, capacity limits, transport requirements, parking authorization, and weather before leaving Toluca.
No current official admission fee or official parking tariff is published for the volcano itself. This does not mean it is free to visit: the visitor area is closed. Do not treat a charge quoted by an informal operator as an official entry fee.
Historically, March–April has been the strongest theoretical period for clearer, drier hiking conditions, although the crater remains cold, exposed, and highly weather-dependent. January–February can bring snow and dramatic scenery but also ice, road restrictions, poor visibility, and closures. June–September is the least reliable period for crater views and footing because of rain, hail, lightning, and afternoon storms.
The crater is roughly 4,200–4,300 m above sea level, with rapid weather changes, strong wind, freezing temperatures, fog, hail, snow, ice, and altitude illness risk. Avoid a future visit if you have un-cleared heart or lung conditions, acute altitude sensitivity, or inadequate cold-weather gear. Turn back for fog, hail, lightning, ice, severe wind, headache, nausea, or dizziness.
