Ancon Hill

According to Wikipedia, the hill was used to administer the Panama Canal and was under United States jurisdiction as part of the Panama Canal Zone until Panama regained it in 1977. Its lower slopes held residences and Gorgas Hospital, while the upper areas held the Canal Governor's residences and Quarry Heights, the site of the US Southern Command. The name Quarry Heights comes from a nearby quarry that left a visible cliff face, and an abandoned underground bunker once used by Southern Command remains on the hill.

In 1671, Henry Morgan's scouts climbed the hill to study local defences before he sacked the original Panama City. The hill later became part of the land taken for the canal, and after Amelia Denis de Icaza wrote a poem about its annexation in 1906 it became a national symbol. The first ship to officially transit the canal, the SS Ancon in 1914, took its name from the hill and the township below. Since 1 October 1979, when the Torrijos-Carter treaties took effect, Panama has flown a large national flag from the summit, and a plaque commemorates the Torrijos-Carter Treaties.

The hill is described as a jungle in an otherwise urban area. Visitors may see sloths, white-nosed coatis, nine-banded armadillos, Geoffroy's tamarins and deer, and the vegetation and birdlife vary along the path. The environmental group ANCON, the Asociacion Nacional para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza, takes its name from the hill. Wildlife viewing depends on luck and time of day.

Two broadcast towers stand at the summit, reached by a small road with one-way vehicle traffic during daylight. The hill is popular for jogging and hiking, and Wikipedia gives a 30-minute hike to the top, though the claim is flagged as needing a citation. From the top, views take in the modern skyline, Casco Viejo, the Bridge of the Americas and the entrance to the canal.

Ancon Hill stands beside the township of Ancon and looks over the neighbourhoods built during the Canal Zone era, as well as Casco Viejo, the district where Panama City was re-founded in 1673 after the sacking of the original city. That setting makes the summit a useful place to understand how the old colonial city, the canal works and the modern capital relate to one another. The area also connects to the story of the Panama Canal itself, since the township's name was given to the first ship to transit it, and the hill remains a green landmark that is visible from many parts of the city.

Conditions are hot and humid, so water and sun protection are sensible. Rules on access can change, and the road may be used for vehicles at limited times, so check locally. A private guided visit with a driver can combine the hill with the canal locks and the old town, and a local guide can help spot wildlife and explain the Canal Zone history on the slopes.