The Provincial Directorate of Roads (DPV) in Mendoza has rescued the road to Valle Hermoso, whose natural earth section on Provincial Route 222 begins after Las Leñas. The road is winding, borders deep cliffs, and runs on steep slopes, so traveling it requires low speed, patience, and caution. The DPV began recovering the section from Las Leñas to Valle Hermoso in the last three years to restore its transitability starting in 2024. The route is open during the summer season but closes when snow definitively settles in the area. For now, the route is open and passable, providing an opportunity given the good weather forecast for the next seven days. Maintenance and improvements made by the DPV included placing preventive signage along the entire stretch due to the increase in daily vehicle traffic and the development of new ventures seeking to transform Valle Hermoso into a new Mendoza tourist hub. The administrator general of the DPV, Osvaldo Romagnoli, stated: “Three years ago we rehabilitated this road. Today we can see with satisfaction that high vehicles and also automobiles are traveling on it, although I recommend that in the case of the latter, they do so with great care.” Due to being a natural earth and mountain route, travel time between Las Leñas and Valle Hermoso is at least an hour and a half, even though it is just over 20 kilometers. The 18-kilometer route leads to a viewpoint located at almost 2,700 meters in altitude, where a unique postcard view can be appreciated: 500 meters straight down, in a panoramic view, is Valle Hermoso, at 2,200 meters above sea level, in Malargüe. Route 222 descends to there, winding another 6 km before continuing another 14 km to the bottom of the valley, where it finds its inevitable end at El Rincón de los Oscuros, a tight mountain range of black rocks through which the Tordillo River passes. The highest mountain that dominates the view with its unique rocky formation is Torrecillas, which can be seen with the naked eye from any point in the valley. A dozen Malargüe herders also stand out, who make the summer migration of their herds of goats, cows, sheep, and horses, a transhumant activity with a strong impact on the economy of the Malargüe department. For these herders, the utility of RP 222 is also key because they use it to access this place, whose nature is generous when it comes to fattening livestock. The valley, which extends 14 kilometers from end to end, near RP 222 contains two important rivers of respectable size and flow: the Cobre and the Tordillo; three lagoons: the main one, known as Valle Hermoso Lagoon; the second, smaller, Esmeralda Lagoon; and the third, the smallest, Hidden Lagoon. It also has large meadows, a striking waterfall a few hundred meters from the road, and a bit further away but within its geography, a petroglyph site and a corner of hot springs. “We considered it vital because this place is a dream.”
