Cajón del Maipo is a

canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...

located in the

Andean The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...

southeastern portion of the Santiago Metropolitan Region,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. It encompasses the upper Maipo River basin, where the river has entrenched itself in a narrow valley. The zone features a series of confluent rivers such as El Volcán River, Yeso River, and

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

, as well as other minor streams, including San Gabriel, Manzanito, Coyanco, El Sauce, El Manzano and San José. The main locality is San José de Maipo, the capital of the commune that includes all of the Andean sector of the Metropolitan Region. The valley ends close to Pirque and begins almost at the border with

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, where it is surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the region, including San José, Maipo, and Marmolejo, the most southerly mountain taller than in the world. Several of the mountains are active volcanoes; San Jose was the most recent to erupt, in 1960. The canyon is a popular tourist destination for hikers and campers. Among the most visited sites are the reservoir Embalse El Yeso, and El Morado Natural Monument which contains the San Francisco glacier.

References

External links

Cascada de las Animas (Nature Sanctuary/Resort/Lodge/Adventure Center)
Landforms of Santiago Metropolitan Region National Monuments of Chile Canyons and gorges of Chile Principal Cordillera {{Santiago-geo-stub