The most photographed peak in the park is not actually Machu Picchu but Huayna Picchu. The park itself is set at approximately 7500 ft. sea level. The peak of Huayna Picchu tops out around 8900 ft. sea level. Every day the park only allows 2 groups of 200 to ascend Huanya Picchu. To do so you must stand in line to receive a special stamp to climb. The stamps are given out at 6:00 a.m. To obtain a pass it is advisable to get to the queue before 5:45 a.m. The first morning bus arrives approximately 5:50 a.m. Since we stayed at the only hotel atop the mountain at the entrance we got up at 5:30, threw on a jacket and got in line. People arriving in the queue after us seemed to have taken approximately 1 hour to hike up from Aguas Calientes. They were quite exhausted so they must have been hauling ass up the hill. The early group ascends at 7:00 a.m. and the second group at 10:00 a.m.
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