Some local maps show a La Derivadora mountain bike park in the rolling hills to the west of the village of Santa Cruz Lachixolana on the far side of the cuota to Mexico City. There is no signage to speak of to designate the park location or point out various trails, so riders are on their own to find their way. The landscape in the area is lovely and the trails are a delight to explore. All the trails can be rated moderate and there are no technical challenges to speak of. Using a GPS to map one’s route is recommended so you can find your way back to your starting point. The ride shown on the map below was accomplished using a shuttle to Lachixolana. The park may also be the destination of a longer bike ride from Oaxaca, which would add about fifty kilometers (thirty-one miles) to the round trip distance.
It is obvious trails in La Derivadora park do not get a lot of use. Following a faint jeep track in the mountain bike park. Where does it lead?In places you just make your own trail.There are miles of hills and valleys with no sign of human habitation.Another beautiful part of the Valley of Oaxaca.
There is an epic new trail near Oaxaca deserving of mention here. Under construction for two years, the Camino de Juarez opened in March 2024. The trail runs from San Pablo Guelatao – the birthplace of renowned Oaxaca native, Benito Juarez – to the outskirts of the capital city. The trail commemorates the twelve-year-old orphan’s solo walk from his hometown to Oaxaca in 1818, leaving behind his years as an unschooled shepherd boy to embark on a lifetime of stellar achievements as a student, lawyer, state governor, supreme court justice and president and savior of Mexico during the war of the French Intervention. A contemporary of Abraham Lincoln in the U.S., Juarez can fairly be called the father of the modern state of Mexico.
The Camino de Juarez winds for 29 miles (46.5 kms) through the mountainous terrain of the Sierra Norte, starting at an elevation of 5790 feet (1765 meters) in Guelatao and concluding at 5020 feet (1530 meters) in Tlalixtac. As of October 2024 the trail is complete except for the last segment on the outskirts of Oaxaca.
The highest point on the trail is 9246 feet (2818 meters). There is an elevation gain of 7631 feet (2326 meters) running from Guelatao to Oaxaca, with an elevation loss of 8333 feet (2540 meters) along the way. The paved trail has some steep segments containing steps. There are pedestrian overpasses in the several places where the trail crosses highway 175. The Camino de Juarez is amenable to hikers, backpackers, joggers and bicyclists.
Here are some impressions from riding several miles of the trail from El Punto towards Lachatao. First of all, we applaud the idea of a trail linking Guelatao with Oaxaca. For the most part the trail is 10 feet wide, though at times it narrows to 4-6 feet. In places it is quite steep, with a gradient of up to 25%. Cyclists should be wary of the frequent drainage channels that cross the path. Some are merely dips while others are narrow channels. Riders should be on the lookout for some of the dips that drop up to a foot very suddenly; and take care crossing the channels which sometimes run diagonally across the path. Both of these can cause a nasty spill if not traversed with caution.
The map below shows the Camino de Juarez as it runs from El Estudiante to the presas in Huayapam, the next-to-last segment of the route just north of Oaxaca city.
Images of Benito Juarez are embedded in the trail in many places along the Camino’s route. The new Camino de Juarez wends for miles through the Sierra Norte.There are lots of swoops up and down on the trail.Sections of the Camino de Juarez run parallel to Highway 175.Bridges carry the trail over the highway in many places.There are stairs on some short, steep segments of the route.You will have to duck under some low-hanging tree branches.There are frequent pullouts where travelers can rest and enjoy the scenery. With thousands of trees along the trail, why were these left in the middle of the path?The section of the Camino de Juarez in Tlalixtac nearest Oaxaca is still under construction in May 2024.
Late last October a small group of friends went for a hike on the trails in the foothills above the village of San Pablo Etla. Their objective was to follow the same loop trail used for a mountain bike race held there annually. To their dismay, they found the vegetation so thick at the end of the rainy season that in places they could not even find the trail! So on this Saturday in mid-March several fellows set out with machetes, hedge clippers, pruning shears and tree saws to clear away the brush from the trail. They were in for a couple of pleasant surprises. First of all, after five months without rain all the greenery was gone. The trees and shrubs were bare of leaves, which made it much easier to prune back branches that hung out over the trail. And secondly, it was obvious another work crew had passed this way in recent weeks, as much of the vegetation had already been cut back. So what was expected to be a hard day of heavy work turned out to be much easier and faster than anticipated. Now hikers and mountain bikers will be able to pass freely on the network of intersecting trails that criss-cross the hillsides near San Pablo. For more information on these, see the various entries under “San Pablo Etla” on the “Rides” page of this web site.
Albi and Larry are both mountain bike enthusiasts and sponsors of a program of weekly hikes around the Valley of Oaxaca and in the surrounding mountains (see www.HoofingItInOaxaca.com). They are always interested in finding new places to take groups of hikers. Many of the hike venues utilized each year were first explored aboard mountain bikes. Such was the case for a proposed new hike from the town center of San Tomas Mazaltepec to San Felipe Tejelápam. The purpose of today’s ride was to map the hike route and find out from local officials what permissions and/or payments were needed before bringing van loads of gringo tourists to hike in this part of the Etla Valley north of the city of Oaxaca. The day’s excursion got under way at 10 am, allowing the sun to warm things up on a mid-winter day. Larry and Albi were joined by Ron and Rafa for the outing. Moving at a leisurely pace, the foursome covered 30.9 miles (49.7 kms) and gained and lost 1774 feet (541 meters) in elevation on what amounted to an out & back ride with a lolly-pop loop at the far end. It was along that loop that the hike route was mapped out. It turns out the new hike will run 5.7 miles (9.2 kms). The highest point along the route tops out at 6097 feet (1858 meters), with the lowest part registering 5418 feet (1651 meters). Hike participants will climb 682 feet (208 meters) and descend 731 feet (223 meters) in the course of their walk.
Oaxaca attracts hordes of winter visitors from Canada and the U.S. each year, many of whom enjoy hiking in the Valles Centrales and the mountains nearby. Now the director of the “Hoofing It In Oaxaca” hiking program is an avid mountain biker, who also happens to be an administrator of this web site. And so it is no surprise that many of the trails used by gringo hikers November thru March are the same trails enjoyed by local mountain bikers year ’round. The hike coordinators are always looking for new trails to add to the dozens of venues presently in use. And so it was that Albi and Larry went scouting on their mountain bikes in the Etla Valley recently, hoping to find a route that would work equally well for a group of hikers. And they succeeded!
The rolling hill country on the west side of the Etla Valley is very scenic and a delight to both hikers and mountain bikers. It is a beautiful area at any time of the year. Larry and Albi pedaled a loop linking San Andrés Ixtlahuaca and San Felipe Tejalápam. The map below shows the route they followed. The trail on the left runs 5.3 miles (8.5 kms) from San Andrés (at the bottom of the loop) to San Felipe (at the top) and offers some great views of the surrounding countryside. The trail on the right is an alternate route which is somewhat shorter (4.2 miles / 6.7 kms) and with a little less elevation gain and loss (a bit over 400 feet / 122 meters). After riding and mapping the route, a group of hikers was mustered to try it out. All agreed it was a great hike.
