The Evolving Trails of Mt. Ugo in Itogon, Benguet

This is Mt. Ugo in Tinongdan, Itogon, Benguet. It was discovered and established as a hiking destination after the tragic crash of a plane near its summit in 1987. All 50 people on board the plane perished from the crash.

Rescuers saw the beauty of the mountain. Word got out among the mountaineering community and people started hiking to the place. 

In the past 5 years or so, the trails of Mt. Ugo have changed. It used to be one of the longest hikes in the Cordillera region. Hikers would start their hike from Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya and exit in Tinongdan, Itogon. So ascending and descending Mt. Ugo used to take two days.

Today, the hiking time has been cut short to a few hours because of the construction of roads both on the Nueva Vizcaya and Benguet sides of the mountain. 

From Nueva Vizcaya, you can ride all the way to Domolpos and hike to the summit from there. If you're taking the Tinongdan route, you can ride all the way to Lusod then start the hike from there. 

#hiking #mountaineering #outdoors