The Cajon de Maipo, about one hour drive from Santiago offers a stunning escape from Santiago's smog. Driving up the valley, the main town is San Jose de Maipo, followed by a string of smaller towns which offer empanadas, kuchen, restaurants, camping, picnics and rafting. At the end of the valley a dirt road splits and rises sharply to the left towards Termas del Plomo and Embalse del Yeso, which includes incredibly scenery close to the Argentinean border, and to the right towards the towns of El Volcan and Lo Valdes and the stunning El Morado National Park. Both ends of the Cajon are great for snow adventure, mountain climbing, trekking and nature watching.