A hike on Cerro San Cristobal with stunning views of the Chilean Andes

The view of the Andes from Cerro San Cristobal above Santiago, Chile. Brian Mann/NPR hide caption toggle caption Brian Mann/NPR SANTIAGO, Chile — It’s autumn in South America and in Chile’s capital, Santiago, that means great hiking weather in the steep hills above the city. Santiago is vast, more than six million people spread over the country’s flat Central Valley. Jutting up from the city’s busy neighborhoods are forested hills of volcanic rock. After a few minutes of climbing, the noise and crowds give way to pine forests, birds and sweeping views. Trees, wildflowers and cacti intersperse the trails on Cerro San Cristobal. Brian Mann/NPR hide caption toggle caption Brian Mann/NPR On Cerro San Cristobal, the dust trail rises past beautiful old stone walls. There are wildflowers everywhere and enough shade under the peppercorn trees to sit on a warm Sunday morning and enjoy the view. The hills above Santiago, Chile, offer a bit of wildness in the midst of a bustling capital city. Brian Mann/NPR hide caption toggle caption Brian Mann/NPR Despite the sun, on this day there was still fog down in the valley. The towers and hills of the city seemed to float on clouds. Sponsor Message Near the summit, two men who turn out to be park rangers ride past on beautiful brown horses. Morning fog shrouds Santiago’s neighborhoods and hills during an autumn hike. Brian Mann/NPR hide caption toggle caption Brian Mann/NPR The top of San Cristobal rises nearly a thousand feet above Santiago. It can be crowded. There’s a towering white statue of the Virgin Mary where people go to pray. But a side path leads into the trees where the forest opens to amazing views of the city and the Andes in the distance. The mountains rise up like a curtain wall, crowned by a long buttress of snowfields and ice against the blue sky. Santiago sprawls over Chile’s Central Valley, but the city is framed by the soaring Andes Mountains. Brian Mann/NPR hide caption toggle caption Brian Mann/NPR