Category: Trail Info

Trails are logically distinct components. A trail can be ten meters long or 100,000 meters. Trail Info category indicates a post that has detailed specific information describing a particular trail. For posts describing a suggested route that uses one or more trails, use the Ride Route category INSTEAD.

GPS, Hiking, Mountains, MTBing, Photos, Ride Routes, Trail Info

Camino de Juarez

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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 just a small section of the trail running from El Punto in the direction of Lachatao. For a map of the entire trail, please see https://www.wikiloc.com/trail-running-trails/guelatao-de-juarez-santa-lucia-del-camino-152383536?utm_medium=app&utm_campaign=share&utm_source=4731429

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.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Trail Info

San Agustin Etla Aqueduct Trail & More

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Albi and Larry, two retired biking buddies who live happily in Oaxaca, set out one Monday in early March to test their strength and agility by riding along the aqueduct that carries water from a stream well up a mountain valley down to the water treatment plant in San Agustin Etla. This route is a perennial favorite among participants in the “Hoofing It In Oaxaca” program of weekly hikes and is equally prized by local mountain bikers. After registering and paying a nominal 50 peso permit fee, the two set out from the water plant and headed up the valley. The grade of the trail is quite mild, so the pedaling uphill was easy enough. More challenging were the narrow places where the trail balances on the edge of the aqueduct. There are also a number of spots where the trail jumps from one side of the aqueduct to the other. Most of these are bridged by planks of lumber which can be ridden over. The aqueduct terminates at a small water diversion dam in a mountain stream near the grand ruins of a hydroelectric plant built about 1900. From that point our intrepid duo continued onward, exploring a single-track trail that ran further uphill, generally following the stream. The trail had been recently groomed and marked for a mountain bike race, but even so the pair wished they had brought tools to prune back overhanging tree branches and clear brush from the trail. The riders decided to accomplish their return to San Agustin on a service road rather than retracing their uphill route, which made for a fast descent. All told, the ride covered 8.3 miles (13.4 kms), with an elevation gain and loss of 957 feet (292 meters).  The outing began at the water treatment plant, which sits at an altitude of 6371 feet (1925 meters), and topped out at 6897 feet (2102 meters). The elapsed time for completion of the loop was just over two hours.

Countryside, GPS, Mountains, MTBing, Ride Routes, Trail Info

Monster Rides

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     The members of the Pedalazos bike club have embarked on a couple of monster rides on recent Saturday mornings. These epic excursions took most of the day and entailed huge climbs and descents, challenging even the toughest of riders.

     The first of these was a grand loop covering 48.5 miles (78.0 kms) from Oaxaca city through the small mountain hamlet of Arroyo Guacamaya, then continuing up and through the Sierra Norte mountains on logging roads to the ecotourism camp at La Cumbre Ixtepeji and then down the La Reina trail into Huayapam, concluding in Oaxaca about nine hours later. The outing began near downtown Oaxaca at an elevation of 5124 feet and topped out at a high point of 10,398 feet (3169 meters). Those who survived the ride managed to pedal uphill 7008 vertical feet (2136 meters), to be rewarded with 7073 feet 2156 meters) of vertical drop coming down off the mountain. Talk about an endurance contest! Kudos to all those stout – or foolish – enough to take on the challenge!  Here is a map of the day’s route:

     Several weeks later stalwart riders in the club set out on a similar epic ride, this time pedaling east of the city to the famed weaving town of Teotitlan del Valle, then tackling the unpaved road that winds eleven miles steeply uphill to the village of Benito Juárez. From there the group proceeded 10 kilometers to La Neveria and then dropped down the loose and steep Mil Rios trail, which comes off the mountain near the town of Tlalixtac. Start to finish, the circuit ride covered 45.3 miles (72.9 kms), with over 6250 feet (1905 meters) of vertical gain and loss. The excursion took 9 hours and 40 minutes to complete. Again, congratulations to those who persevered to the end, despite some serious crashes on the treacherous downhill Mil Rios trail!  Below is a map showing the route taken:

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Trail Info

La Muneca and Santo Domingo Tomaltepec Presas

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Four biking buddies hit the trail to climb the La Muneca trail in the hills near Tlalixtac and then coast down to the two presas in Santo Domingo Tomaltepec before looping back to their starting point near the Tlalixtac town center. All told, they spent about four hours in the saddle and pedaled 12.5 miles (20.1 kms) on this leisurely ride on a lovely May morning. The climb to the monument at the top of the La Muneca trail took the riders 1477 feet (450 meters) up the hillside. The trail was sufficiently steep to cause some hike-a-biking going up. But that was rewarded with some great zinging downhill. One of the riders had never visited the two lovely presas in the valley above Santo Domingo Tomaltepec, so those were included in the day’s itinerary. The group wrapped things up with a lunch of tasty Mexican food upon their return to Oaxaca at mid-afternoon. 

 

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos, Trail Info

Sunday 70 Kilometer Loop Ride Around Oaxaca

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Recent visitors to this web page, whether regular clients or first-timers, might well wonder about the state of mountain biking in Oaxaca or the health of the web site, given the relatively few new posts put online over the past several months. Well, be assured that both are alive and well. As the years go by local mountain bikers necessarily repeat their favorite rides over and over, as there is less and less new territory to be explored. So while local bike clubs continue to sponsor weekly outings, there is not much incentive to post stories which basically repeat what has already been presented. This post is a case in point. A group of 24 mountain bikers assembled on Sunday morning in front of the church of Santo Domingo on the Macedonia Alcala (pedestrian mall in downtown Oaxaca) eager to set out on a 70 kilometer (43.1 mile) loop ride through the Tlacolula and Zimatlan valleys near the capital city. It would be a challenging and satisfying ride, but would follow a route well known to the riders. First following the paved bike path to Tule, the route would then use country roads through Rojas de Cuauhtemoc, Santa Rosa Buena Vista, San Juan Teitipac, Santa Cecilia Jalieza, Santo Domingo Jalieza and San Pedro Guegorexe before catching Highway 175 running north through San Bartolo and Santa Maria Coyotepec back into Oaxaca. The group was reminded along the way that civilization was encroaching on the countryside, as much of the seventy kilometers that was dirt road ten years ago now features pavement, not only in the various villages but on many of the connecting roads. That made the going easier — a fact appreciated by the riders who were now ten years older than in those bygone days. In summary, the group gained and lost a total of 875 meters (2870 feet) in elevation riding the loop. The high point was 1800 meters (5907 feet) crossing the ridge of hills separating the Tlacolula and Zimatlan valleys. The low point was 1517 meters (4977 feet). The group made a wrong turn passing through San Juan Teitipac, which resulted in following a farm road that eventually disappeared into plowed fields, necessitating some bushwhacking to return to the proper road. This, in turn, contributed to there being at least six flat tires among the riders, which accounted for the slow pace of the group. Still, it was a lovely day to be out on a bike and everyone had an enjoyable time.