Category: MTBing

Items related to actual riding of mountain bikes.

Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Southwest Mountain Loop

by  •  • 0 Comments

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

by  •  • 0 Comments

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!

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos

West Etla Valley – South Loop

by  •  • 0 Comments

What we call the West Etla Valley trail is a rough farm access road that runs along a creek in the hills northwest of Cuilapam. It is a delightful place to hike or mountain bike. On this particular day the trail was ridden out and back on a route that proceeded from Oaxaca to Cuilapam, then continued from Cuilapam to Zaachila and thence back to Oaxaca. This route covered 51.8 kilometers (32.2 miles) and had an elevation gain and loss of about 370 meters (1216 feet). This ride is rated moderate. Time in the saddle amounted to 3.5 hours.


Countryside, GPS, Mountains, MTBing

Over The Top, Down And Around

by  •  • 0 Comments

This classic ride takes one on a grand circle up and over the mountains which form the western wall of the Valley of Oaxaca. It is not for the faint of heart, as there is over 1500 meters (5000 feet) of climbing along the route, which stretches for 88.7 kilometers (55.1 miles). Someone with stout legs and lungs – or riding an ebike – can accomplish the loop in five or six hours time. The loop can be ridden equally well in either direction.

Foothills, GPS, MTBing

Hills of San Felipe

by  •  • 0 Comments

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.