Category: Foothills

Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Southwest Mountain Loop

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Looking for a new off-the-beaten-path route for a challenging mountain bike ride? If you can manage a shuttle, then this scenic loop ride may be just the ticket! Park your vehicle in La Lobera – the destination for many an out & back ride from Oaxaca city – then do the long, demanding 8.7 km (5.4 mile) climb to Santa Ines del Monte, which will take you uphill 580 meters (1904 feet). Stop there to catch your breath, admire the view and perhaps get a drink or a snack before skimming up and (mainly) down a patchwork of dirt roads through a series of small villages scattered in the valley below. Wonderful scenery on the downhill stretch! You can also make the loop ride longer by starting and ending the ride in Zaachila – see second map below – which means you will pedal 50 kilometers (31 miles), with an elevation gain and loss of 1169 meters (3836 feet) along the way. Quite a nice workout!

Cycling through Santa Ines del Monte.
Wide angle view of the Valley of Oaxaca,
with Cerro San Felipe at the far left running past Zimatlan on the right.
We are going to ride that road down yonder!

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Recreation Park In Zautla

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The village of San Andrés Zautla boasts an extensive Parque Recreativo in the hills northwest of that town. There are miles of jeep roads and single track trails in the area, all of them rated moderate in terms of steepnesss and technical challenges. This is a fun area to spend several hours exploring. On the map below the park is the 10.8 km (6.7 mile) loop in the upper left corner. Zautla is located 24 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of Oaxaca city, just west of the cuota to Mexico City. There is a toll-free exit from the cuota at Zautla, making for easy access by vehicle. Those pedaling to Zautla from Oaxaca can choose from several rural unpaved roads to get there.

Today’s out & back ride covered 72.4 kilometers (45 miles), with an elevation gain and loss of 565 meters (1853 feet) along the way. Moving at a leisurely pace, the ride took six hours to complete.

Here is another map of the same area showing a continuous loop ride along the three major trails in the park, with a few detours to explore intersecting trails. This ride took three hours.

A festive wall mural in Zautla.
Pedaling into the recreation park at San Andrés Zautla.
Two gringos on bikes.
Riding through rolling hills in the park.
There are many lovely vistas to be enjoyed.
This being the rainy season in Oaxaca, the trail became a watercourse at this point.
An altogether excellent day and place to be out mountain biking!

Foothills, GPS, MTBing

Hills of San Felipe

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There is a network of newly made roads and older bike trails in the hills above San Felipe de Agua, all accessed from the never-finished Libramiento Norte. This was a favorite playground of local mountain bikers until about 2020 when property owners began stringing fences, putting up gates and declaring the area off limits for recreation. Paradoxically, as new homes were built on the mountainside it was necessary to widen and grade the unpaved roads and the chains strung across the road had to be lowered to allow for traffic. Consequently the area is perhaps more accessible now than before. In any case, it is still a joy to ride in the hills so close to Oaxaca.

Foothills, GPS, Mountains, MTBing, Photos, Uncategorized

San Juan del Estado to San Miguel Aloápam

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This was an exploratory ride to see what lies between these two towns in the hill country north of Oaxaca city. Three riders shuttled to San Juan where they unloaded their bikes and began the long uphill climb to cross a mountain ridge to the next valley. The excursion was a success, though the guys managed to get a bit less than halfway to San Miguel before leg fatigue prompted them to turn around. The little used paved road between the villages made for pleasant pedaling, despite the unrelenting climb, as there were terrific views of the valley below through the pine forest. The riders covered just 13.0 kilometers (8.1 miles) of the 31.6 kilometers (19.6 miles) distance between towns, gaining and losing 654 meters (2146 feet) in elevation along the way. Perhaps some intrepid cyclists will go the whole distance at some point in the future.

It’s a relentless ten-mile climb from San Juan del Estado to the mountaintop.
Keep pushing those pedals!
The higher you go, the more expansive the view.

Foothills, GPS, Mountains, MTBing, Photos, Uncategorized

La Reina Trail

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The La Reina trail is a very steep gravel road which links San Andres Huayapam with the ecotourism camp at La Cumbre Ixtepeji at over 9000 feet in altitude. This is a killer climb and, conversely, a screamer descent. The elevation gain amounts to 2378 feet in the space of 3.7 miles, with a gradient of 20% in some places. Your legs and lungs better be in top condition and your bike equipped with a good granny gear to make it to the top; and your brakes will get a heck of a workout on the way down. The map below shows the way, but note that this ride stopped short of the top of the mountain. Access to the trail is from Martires street. Note: there is a fee of 50 pesos (in 2024) to use the trail, payable at a toll booth at the bottom of the road just outside Huayapam.

It is a steady and steep climb up the mountain from Huayapam to La Cumbre.
Though not far as the crow flies, the uphill grind seems never ending.
From near the top of the mountain there are panoramic views of the entire valley of Oaxaca.