Category: Countryside

Countryside, GPS, MTBing

North Etla Valley Loop

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The north end of the Etla valley offers some fine scenery and excellent singletrack trail to view it from. This moderately challenging ride will take the rider from San Pablo Etla on the eastern edge of the valley almost to the mountains that form the western rim. Along the way you will follow paved and (primarily) dirt roads, cut across farm fields, and savor some fine singletrack, especially in the rolling hills that characterize the landscape along the western side of the valley. None of the track is particularly technical, but your legs and lungs will surely get a good workout. Accomplished riders can probably knock out this loop in a bit over four hours. Those finding their way around for the first time and less adept bikers should tack on an additional hour or two for good measure.

The ride as shown begins and ends at Carl Silverberg’s San Pablo Etla home (www.MountainBikeOaxaca.com), and he will be happy to offer visitors to Oaxaca a guided tour of the area. The loop covers 25.5 miles (41.0 km), with accumulated gain & loss of 2844 feet (866.8 meters) along the way. Some of the singletrack trail is very narrow and on rather steep slopes. When crossing some farm fields, you will have to create your own path.

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Ride Routes

San Lorenzo Cacaotepec to Jalapa del Valle

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A favorite area for mountain bikers in the countryside around Oaxaca is the western side of the Etla valley. The rolling terrain there is very scenic, with myriad backcountry roads to explore. This particular outing is a ramble on paved and dirt roads – though a very short portion of the route shown actually runs in a creek bed.  The adventurous biker will find many roads and paths diverging from the main track, which can be followed or not, depending on one’s taste for adventure and time frame.

The route as shown is basically an out & back ride, with a couple of loops along the way to make things interesting. It runs for 17.2 miles (27.7 km) and the gentle ups and downs along the way will help you accumulate 1166 feet (355.4 meters) of gain and loss by the time you return to your starting point, which may be either in the village of San Lorenzo Cacaotepec or Jalapa del Valley. This ride is rated “Easy to Moderate” for the amount of physical exertion it requires; there are no technical challenges to be met. (Note: if this ride is begun and ended in San Felipe del Agua, then the distance traveled will be 43 miles (69.2 km) and the gain/loss will amount to 3228 feet (984 meters).  Any way you slice it, this is a very pleasant day ride.

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Photos, Ride Routes

Tlacochahuaya

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The village church in Tlcochahuaya is an artistic surprise. It is elaborately decorated with stenciling and has exceptional paintings and other furnishings, including a remarkable refurbished 17th century pipe organ. Getting there by bicycle is also quite a treat.

The route indicated on the map below avoids main roads and the highway, using side streets, a bike path and dirt roads in the country, instead. It also includes a visit to a marker set atop a steep hill just north of town. The hill requires a hearty climb, but offers a nice view of the surrounding area. You can bypass it, though, for a less strenuous outing. Similarly, you can shorten the overall ride by 7 miles and reduce the amount of climb by 375 feet by starting the ride in downtown Oaxaca rather than in San Felipe del Agua.

The ride out and back as shown covers 31.0 miles (50 km), with a total of 1766 feet (538 meters) going uphill. Other than the steep climb up the hill to the overlook above Tlacochahuaya, which at times is over loose scrabble, there are no technically demanding features. It is an easy ride, but a rather long one.

 

 

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Ride Routes

Tule

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The charming little village of Tule, a few miles east of Oaxaca on the road to Mitla, is famous for its gargantuan cedar tree in the church yard. The tree is reputedly nearly 3000 years old; it is indisputably big enough to house the Swiss Family Robinson and most of their relatives.

From a cyclist’s point of view, Tule is well situated for easy rides into the flat countryside of the Tlacolula Valley. It is a pleasant jaunt from Oaxaca on the bike path in the center of the Ferrocarril (which was extended all the way into Tule in December of 2013), and is a natural jumping off point for rides to Santo Domingo Tomaltepec, Tlacochahuaya, Dainzu, Tlacolula, Yagul, Teotitlan, Mitla, etc. It is also a favorite stopping-off place on the return to Oaxaca to sample a refreshing nieve, have lunch or grab a snack.

The ride from San Felipe to Tule and back clocks in at 19.1 miles (30.7 km), with an elevation change of 1063 feet (324 meters). However, if you start your ride in Oaxaca rather than San Felipe, you’ll cut 7 miles and 750 feet off of those figures. The paved bike path begins at the intersection of Ferrocarril and Norte Cinco.

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Ride Routes

San Juan Teitipac Loop

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This extended loop ride goes east from Oaxaca city out through the Tlacolula Valley; then runs south across the ridgeline into the Zimatlan Valley at Guegorexe, not many miles north of Ocotlan; then returns to the capital via highway 175.  At 46.1 miles (74.2 km), it is a full day’s ride. The elevation gain & loss is 2520 feet (768 meters). The outing is 7 miles less if you begin and end in the Zocalo in downtown Oaxaca, and skip the part from & to San Felipe. Most of the ride takes place on bike paths and dirt roads; but the section from near Guegorexe back to Oaxaca city is on the shoulder of a busy highway. The ride is rated “Moderate to Difficult” primarily because of the distance. The grades are not too demanding, and there are no technical aspects on the route.

The batteries in my GPS died about the time I got to highway 175, so the track and mileage shown from that point on is an approximation. However, as you are riding along the highway and there is good signage, you cannot get lost.