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Countryside, GPS, Mountains, MTBing, Photos

Oaxaca to Juquila Pilgrims’ Route

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The notion of making a religious pilgrimage is an ancient tradition. In contemporary Mexico, the concept of making a pilgrimage to a religious shrine is very much alive and well. Almost two million people flock to the basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on her feast day (12 December). Here in Oaxaca state there is a lesser-known shrine to the Virgin Mary in the small mountain community of Juquila, 203 kilometers (126 miles) southwest of the capital. People from all parts of the state go there – many by bicycle or on foot – to lay petitions before the Holy Mother. Whether you want to visit Juquila out of religious fervor or just because it is a worthy destination for an epic bike ride, here is how to get there.

Be aware that this route is on the shoulder of the secondary highway linking Oaxaca city with the Pacific coast. The road is narrow, steep, very sinuous and has little or no shoulder. Vehicle use is light most of the time,  and speeds are rarely higher than 30 miles per hour. There is a fair amount of pedestrian and bicycle traffic all along the way. Nevertheless, this is a hazardous route for cyclists, so be exceptionally vigilant.

Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Outing, Photos, Ride Routes

Oaxaca Flume Trail

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Another day out in the saddle riding with the local trail builder and guide, Carlos Silverberg. This time it was a full day grinding up and taking in The Oaxaca Flume trail. Starting from San Pablo Etla, it’s a short bit of rolling singletrack to reach the dirt road that is 95% of the ascent. The road will take you up the side of the mountain to the “La Mesita” park and then well beyond, climbing over 700 meters in about 8 kilimeters. Once you reach the junction with the singletrack, you work your way northward through pine trees on a skinny tread of trail that is thickly covered with dry pine needles. Elevation drops, but after each ravine crossing you can expect a brief climb before the more typical rolling flow across the ridges. The slippery pine needles and occasional rock band keep your attention, but the biggest challenge is just keeping your line on the thin trail as it traverses very steep slopes.

Eventually there is a sustained downhill (~1km) which leaves the pine forest behind and drops you into scrub oak. The trail utilizes an erosion-worn rut full of scree and blocks of rock…and in the dry season, lots of dry leaves (~15cm deep or more). No large drops but pretty much steady 15 – 30cm jumble of rock crud to plow the whole way down, with the occasional sharp turn and/or 20 – 45cm ledge or pile-o-crap to descend.

From there a ~0.75km climb up a steep slope with occasional breather breaks heads to the northwest and allows the trail to connect to the next big valley. The reward for the climb is an extension in the final descent, as the trail will cross back to the southern ridge as it winds its way back to the west on its return to the Etla valley.

The Oaxaca Flume trail’s namesake, the old hydroelectric facility’s water flume, is visible across the valley to the north as the trail heads west at this, its most northern point. The flume appears as a landscape scar running along the contour line across the far south-facing slope. As the trail dives down to the valley it follows a well-worn donkey trail that is full of the typical scree and baby-head boulders. Yum!

Once down out of the scrub oak and into the weeded fields and occasional corn-field, countless social trails crisscross the area — i.e. multiple options exist for routing your way home or adding extra kilometers. For this outing we headed across the small valley to the outcropping hill known as La Corona (The Crown) and ran down its eastern flank and on into San Pablo Etla for lunch before returning to our starting point.

I STRONGLY urge you to hire a guide the first few times you take on The Oaxaca Flume. Using the GPS, it would be easy enough to find the singletrack turn off from the Etla Ecopark dirt road, but the trail eventually crosses MANY intersections or heads through low, grassy vegetation that obscures the route. As noted above, the bottom part of the trail involves the massive network of social and improved trails near populated areas, but even though this would just lead to alternate routing/mileage, one could easily get totally lost in the middle sections of the trail. Besides, having a guide will have somebody giving you an idea of what to expect on the trail and allowing you to ignore navigation and totally focus on drinking deeply from The Oaxaca Flume trail.

Physical Rating: Difficult (A shuttle up the road would cut this to Moderate)
Technical (i.e. IMBA) Rating: Intermediate to Advanced / Blue Circle to Black Diamond

GPS, Hiking, Mountains, MTBing, Photos

Cuajimoloyas Loop

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The village of Cuajimoloyas attracts a number of tourists. Its location high in the Sierra Norte (elevation: 10,398 feet / 3169 meters) is a draw, as are its hiking and biking trails. This short (3.1 mile / 5.0 km) loop trail is not worth driving all the way from Oaxaca city; but if you are already in the neighborhood, it’s worth checking out. Perhaps afterward you will want to take a ride on the community’s zip line, which is the longest and highest in this part of Mexico.

 

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Grand Tour of the Tlacolula & Zimatlan Valleys

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The 53-mile (85 km) loop ride shown here offers a grand tour of both the Tlacolula and Zimatlan valleys (two of the three of the Valles Centrales that comprised the Zapotec empire in the glory days of Monte Alban and are home to Oaxaca city today). Plan to spend the whole day in the saddle on this scenic adventure!

GPS, Mountains, MTBing, Outing, Photos, Ride Routes

Cuajimoloyas to Lachatao

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If downhill is your favorite direction, then the ride from Cuajimoloyas to Lachatao should get you really excited! Both of these villages are part of the Pueblos Mancomunados, a collection of eight very small communities high in the Sierra Norte mountains of Oaxaca state, about 30 miles northeast of the capital of Oaxaca. Cuajimoloyas sits at an altitude of 10,398 feet (3169 meters), while Santa Catarina Lachatao registers 6986 feet (2129 meters) on the altimeter.

This particular ride follows dirt roads that connect the two. You can also ride between these villages using a singletrack footpath that covers a portion of the distance before linking with the same roads – but taking the path requires hiring a local guide (to support the local economy and prevent your getting hopelessly lost in the forest).  If you look at a map, you will see that it is also possible to extend the ride by doing a detour to Yavesia on the way to Lachatao – again using either dirt roads or unmarked footpaths in the woods. And, of course, you can make this either a one-way or out & back trip.

However you accomplish the ride, there are logistical considerations. Both towns are rather remote. There is bus and colectivo service to each place from Oaxaca city every day. But there is no service between these villages. We managed a one-way ride by leaving our van in Cuajimoloyas and hiring a resident of Lachatao to haul us back to our starting point. That wasn’t cheap (400 pesos) but was better than the alternative – which was to crank back up over 4500 vertical feet  over 18 miles and riding several hours after sunset.

The route shown begins at the ecotourism office in Cuajimoloyas, where you pay the 50 pesos per person fee to enter the communal lands, and ends at the village church in Lachatao. The distance between the two is 18.4 miles (29.6 km). The elevation gain along the way amounts to 1116 feet (340 meters), while the downhill totals 4530 feet (1381 meters). The downhill sections are fun and fast! Our group managed to complete the ride in about three hours, pausing frequently to take photographs. We also had a late breakfast in Cuajimoloyas and stopped for lunch in the very pleasing restaurant next to the church in Lachatao, which precluded our trying to ride back to Cuajimoloyas under our own power while there was still daylight.