Why go
The road story corrects the impression of an isolated city. Routes linked the ridge to the wider Inca world, while nonlocal obsidian found at Machu Picchu points to long-distance movement of materials. Understanding those connections adds purpose to the paths and gateways seen around the site.
The full story
The Inca road system crossed mountains and valleys to connect settlements across the empire. Machu Picchu was part of that network. Paths approached the ridge from the Urubamba valley and other directions, using steps and narrow passages to negotiate difficult terrain. The route through Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, is one of the best-known approaches. Its view of the site helps show that arrival was shaped by the landscape long before modern transport. Finds at Machu Picchu also point beyond the immediate valley. Obsidian recovered there has been linked to sources far away, evidence that materials moved through wider exchange networks. Those objects do not reveal every person who carried them or every stage of their journey, but they challenge the idea that this mountain settlement was cut off. If considering a trail, check the current official route and permit information separately from this historical picture.