The iron gates
At the entrance since 1909.
MacAllenBrothers — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Aeveraal — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ccarosio — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Micah MacAllen — CC BY-SA 2.0
Parque General San Martín is the green lung of Mendoza, 393 hectares of trees and paths at the foot of the Andes west of the city centre. Work began on 6 December 1896 to a design by the landscape architect Carlos Thays, part of a plan to replant the city and shield it from floods after the devastating earthquake of 1861, and its famous iron gates went up at the main entrance in 1909. The park holds a wide lake dug in 1906 for rowing, a rose garden opened in 1919, a botanical garden, a museum of anthropology and natural sciences, and an open-air amphitheatre where the National Grape Harvest Festival is held each year. At its heart is the Cerro de la Gloria, crowned by a huge monument to San Martín's Army of the Andes unveiled in 1914, with views over the city and the mountains. The park is open and free, and locals come to walk, run and cycle; mornings and late afternoons are pleasantest in Mendoza's hot summer. You can drive up the Cerro de la Gloria or walk the winding road.
At the entrance since 1909.
For rowing and walks.
Views of city and mountains.
West of central Mendoza
Yes. The park is open and free; museums inside charge separately, and you can drive or walk up the Cerro de la Gloria.