Category: GPS

Items containing GPS data (either the downloadable KML/Z or GPX file) &/or a map that displays such data.

Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Ride Routes

San Pablo Etla

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San Pablo Etla is a small village on the northern outskirts of Oaxaca city. Like all the communities abutting the mountains around here, San Pablo lays claim to communal land rising from the town up the neighboring hillsides. In recent years (2008-2012) various people in the village have worked together to create a park on these shared lands. Volunteers have built a visitor’s center with parking lot, observation deck and zip line, along with several miles of hiking and biking trails in the park.

The map below shows a loop ride beginning in San Felipe del Agua going to the mountain park in San Pablo, with the return trip following a different route into downtown Oaxaca and thence up the hill to San Felipe. The outbound segment takes advantage of some of the many trails in the San Felipe bike trail network, gradually working up and over the hills and down into Viguera, where the the Camino Al Seminario leads up and into San Pablo. The return section follows the main highway connecting the various communities in the northern Etla valley with the capital. Obviously, you can ride the entire loop, or pick either half of the route according to your location and desire.

The entire loop runs 25.2 miles (40.5 km) and has an elevation gain & loss of 3370 feet (1027 meters). If you are leaving from central Oaxaca, you will save yourself considerable climbing by avoiding San Felipe and just riding along the highway to San Pablo. However, this way is not as scenic and has a lot of vehicular traffic.

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Ride Routes

San Sebastian Teitipac

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Bike rides to villages in the Tlacolula Valley to the east of Oaxaca City are generally easy affairs. The terrain is mainly flat, and there is a good network of dirt roads linking the many small communities. It is a simple matter to use the bike path on the old Ferrocarril to get from the center of Oaxaca out to Tule, which then serves as a springboard to other destinations.

The track illustrated below shows the route from my home in San Felipe del Agua to the village of San Sebastian Teitipac. The total distance is 44 miles (70.8 km), with an elevation gain & loss of 1498 feet (456.6 meters). The elevation chart below shows only the track for the return trip; you have to imagine the missing mirror image for the outgoing segment. If you elect to use the Zocalo as the start / end point rather than San Felipe, you can deduct 7 miles and 750 feet in elevation from the figures above.

Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Ride Routes

San Pablo Etla Mountain Park – Loop 1

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There are many trails in the communal park lands in San Pablo Etla that cry out to be ridden by mountain bikers. Shown below is a track utilizing a couple of these trails to form a loop. This loop ride is rated moderately difficult, both in terms of physical and technical challenges. It will give you a good workout and sharpen your bike handling skills. The ride is 12.4 miles (20 km) long and features an elevation gain / loss of 3370 feet (1027 meters). It is rated “Moderate to Difficult” because of its physical and technical demands.

The start / end point is the home of Carl Silverberg, a gringo who lived in the area for many years and worked hard to build this and other nearby trails. Sadly, Carl moved back to the U.S. in 2015. We miss his leadership and enthusiasm for mountain biking.

There is a user fee to access the park lands, which can be paid at the visitor’s center in the park.

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Ride Routes

Rojas de Cuahutemoc

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Visitors to Oaxaca who are looking to explore the area by bicycle may very well enjoy an easy ride into the countryside to get a sense of the rural communities that dot the Valles Centrales.  Bikes can be rented from Zona Bici (Garcia Vigil 406-1 / www.zonabici.com.mx) or Bicicletas Pedro Martinez ( Aldama 418 / www.bicicletaspedromartinez.com) for a reasonable rate, and are perfect for a day’s outing.

Once out in the Tlacolula Valley, there are miles of dirt roads that can take the rider as far as he or she cares to go, with a minimum of climbing and no technical challenges.

The route shown below covers a distance of 23.1 miles (37.2 km), with an elevation gain & loss of 1185 feet (361 meters).  It can be shortened by 7 miles (and the elevation gain & loss reduced by 750 feet) by riding from the Zocalo rather than from San Felipe.

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

Loop Ride: San Felipe / San Bartolo Coyotepec / Zaachila / Cuilapam / San Felipe

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This is a great loop ride through open countryside with very little elevation change. San Bartolo Coyotepec is the village famous for shiny black, intricately incised pottery. There is a very good public gallery there featuring work from regional artisans who are expert craftsman working in ceramic, wood, metal, paint and other mediums. Zaachila is a very ancient, yet thriving community. The Zapotec ruins in the center of town are worth a visit, as is the weekly market on Thursdays. Cuilapam is historically one of the Mixtec villages on the outskirts of Oaxaca city, and features ruins of a never-finished Dominican convent.

The route takes you on city streets through Oaxaca, then along a principal highway to San Bartolo, where you jog to the west on a little-used but well-paved road to Zaachila. From Zaachila you can either follow the track shown below, which meanders on footpaths and backcountry dirt roads, or opt for the (shorter)  paved highway to Cuilapam. The final segment from Cuilapam back to Oaxaca is along a busy stretch of road. It is best to do this ride on a Sunday, when traffic is just a fraction of what it is other days of the week.

I neglected to turn on my GPS unit until I was in downtown Oaxaca, so the elevation plot below is missing the initial 375 foot descent from San Felipe into town — not a problem if you begin and end your ride at the Zocalo.

The entire loop covers about 32 miles (51.5 km), and there is an elevation loss & gain of about 1425 feet (434 meters) along the way. If you elect to do this ride, but use the Zocalo instead of San Felipe as the start / end point, the distance will be 7 miles shorter and the elevation gain / loss will be 750 feet less.