Climbing Mount Polis, the stairway to heaven in the Cordilleras

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From the summit, you can see a stunning sweep of Sagada, Bontoc, and Ifugao, especially if you catch it before the clouds roll in

MOUNTAIN PROVINCE, Philippines – We woke up at 4:30 in the morning, still half-asleep but determined to skip the Holy Week crowd that flocks to Sagada every year.

If you’ve ever been to Sagada during the holidays, you know the scene: long lines of vans, overflowing parking areas, and popular tourist spots like Marlboro Country and Blue Soil teeming with selfie sticks and exhausted travelers. Beautiful, yes. Peaceful, not always.

So this time, we took a quieter path.

Just a couple of kilometers past the Sagada–Bauko boundary, in a small village called Barangay Bagnen, sits a trail modestly known to locals as the Stairway to Heaven. It leads up to Mount Polis, a quiet and scenic summit in the northern Cordilleras that rises 1,847 meters above sea level.

‘Welcome to Mt. Polis’ is etched onto the staircase at the trail. Mia Magdalena Fokno/Rappler

The name sounds gentle. The trail? Not so much.

It’s a steep, 20-minute climb through pine-covered ridges and mossy steps. I was breathless seven minutes in, seriously questioning my life choices and whether my lungs had filed for early retirement. But the view at the top made everything — the sweat, the gasping, the early wake-up call — entirely worth it.

A dog rests on Mt. Polis. Mia Magdalena Fokno/Rappler

From the summit, you can see a stunning sweep of Sagada, Bontoc, and Ifugao, especially if you catch it before the clouds roll in. At sunrise, the Cordillera peaks glow with soft gold, and the silence wraps around you like a blanket. It’s the kind of stillness that’s rare in the age of itineraries and itinerant influencers.

View from the top of Mt. Polis. Mia Magdalena Fokno/Rappler

The view from Mt. Polis. Mia Magdalena Fokno/Rappler

Unlike the more popular tourist stops in Sagada, Mount Polis remains largely untouched by mass tourism. There are no souvenir stalls, no built-up viewing decks, no waiting lines. Just you, the trail, and the view — plus a few locals who might offer a warm smile or directions if you look lost.

For travelers coming from outside the region, Mount Polis may not be the first name that comes up when planning a trip to the Cordilleras. But maybe it should be.

Because sometimes, the best places aren’t the ones that go viral. They’re the ones that let you go quiet, go slow, and go home a little more whole than when you arrived. – Rappler.com