Valles Calchaquíes, Salta · Argentina
Cuesta del Obispo
RP33El Maray, Quebrada de Escoipe to Piedra del Molino
Salta’s fog-wrapped climb to the Piedra del Molino at 3,348 m.
Out of the green Quebrada de Escoipe the RP33 climbs the Cuesta del Obispo in a long ladder of hairpins, condors riding the thermals above unguarded drops. At the 3,348 m pass a tiny stone chapel stands beside the Piedra del Molino itself, a granite millstone abandoned in 1927 after it split on the way up, with the Valle Encantado hidden in a hollow just below. The middle sixteen kilometres are still gravel until the paving works land, fog swallows the top before mid-morning and from late afternoon, and summer storms can cut the road for days: go early, go in the dry season, and give the edge respect.
Scenery
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Cuesta del Obispo on the map12.8 mi · point to point
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Character
Higher than 9 in 10 roads in the catalogue.
Corners
busiest around mile 6Elevation
under 4%4–8%over 8%2,189.9 – 3,365.1 mPoints of interest3 stops
- Valle EncantadoViewpoint12 mi in
- Piedra del MolinoViewpoint13 mi in
- Capilla San RafaelLandmark13 mi in
Hazards
- Dense fog on the upper cuesta before mid-morning and from late afternoon
- Middle 16 km is gravel, slippery when wet and sometimes cut by summer storms
- Long unguarded drops on the hairpins
- Preventive evening closures at the Chicoana checkpoint in the summer rains
See the typical season and live conditions for the high passes ›
Sources
“hundreds of curves, sharp hairpin turns, steep sections, and intimidating drop-offs”
“En la actualidad, la Cuesta, de 20 km, es ancha, enripiada y permanentemente conservada.”
Verified route: mapped from real road geometry and fact-checked by a human editor. How roads get checked
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