A day hike from Guadalajara - Barranca de Huentitan

March 2020

I was spending about a week in Guadalajara, Mexico, and after having been walking around the city for a day I wanted to see if it is possible to go for a small hike nearby.

I found out that there is a huge national park right next to the city. In fact, Guadalajara sits right on the edge of a massive canyon. So I took a bottle of water and a drone with me and set out for a day of exploring.

The chances are that if you are reading this post, then you are interested in making this trip yourself, so I will try to answer some questions you might have based on my personal experience.

Where is the trail and how to get there?
Where is the trail and how to get there?
The length and distance of the hike
The length and distance of the hike
The canyon and the bridge
The canyon and the bridge
Other day trips from Guadalajara
Other day trips from Guadalajara

Where is the trail and how to get there?

The access to the park is on the northern edge of Guadalajara in the Huentitan el Alto region. There are some cafes and vendors right next to the entrance to the trail. There seem to be some bus stops right next to it as well. If coming from the central part of Guadalajara it is probably necessary to change buses a couple of times. Personally, I took a bus somewhere nearby and walked about half an hour to the beginning. Hopefully, Google Maps will help you to get there. Of course, it is possible to just catch a taxi, which is going to make things a lot easier. I struggled to get the right bus back to the centre. The bus system is not easy for a tourist to understand.

Check the map below for the starting point.

The length and the distance of the hike

The roundtrip below into the canyon and the bridge and back is about 10 kilometres. It does not sound like a long hike but believe me, it is. In the beginning, you will go all the way down following a zig-zag trail. After walking a couple of kilometres next to the river you will reach a bridge called Puente de Arcediano.

It is possible to take another route back. That time you will be climbing the steepest part at the beginning along a hillside that has its trails flushed away by landslides. In one part it is necessary to use ropes attached by the locals. For the final part, you can follow the railway tracks all the way back up to the starting point.

Believe me, it is tough going. The difference in elevation is 500 meters in both ways. What makes the hike hard, is the hot and dry climate. I was doing the hike in March and I pretty much ran out of water already at the bridge. I was carrying a 1-litre water bottle with me. If I remember correctly it took me about 4-5 hours for the whole hike and I consider myself relatively fit for these walks.

As usual, I was using MAPS.ME app for navigation. The trail is well marked but it is good to know your location and see your progress with GPS.

PS! Take extra care on the road. I saw one guy being carried out with a stretcher from the canyon. He had fallen pretty hard and his face was disfigured. Not a pretty sight.

The canyon and the bridge

Barranca de Huentitan (also know as Barranca de Oblatos) is a canyon carved by the Rio Grande de Santiago with an average depth of 600 meters. At the bottom of the canyon, you will find the bridge Puente de Arcediano. What is interesting is that this bridge was dismantled and relocated in 2005. It is still possible to see the old location of the bridge supports.

You can find a really informative article about the history of the area here.

Other day trips from Guadalajara

Besides hiking the Barranca de Huentitan, I also did two other day trips from Guadalajara.

Tequila

There are many different options on how to discover the birthplace of the famous drink. Take a tequila train Jose Cuervo Express (which needs to be booked in advance), book a tour from Guadalajara or just show up to the town of Tequila on your own.

I chose the last option and took a public bus from Central Vieja bus station in Guadalajara. After arriving at Tequila I was walking around in the town and booked a tour in the central square. The tour included a visit to an agave plantation field, a tour in a factory and tequila tasting. Unfortunately, all the tours I could find were in Spanish and “yo no hablo espanol” so I could not understand everything. Still got to taste the tequila though 🙂

Read more about how tequila is made from this article.

Lake Chapala

Lake Chapala is just 50 kilometres south of Guadalajara and is a popular holiday destination for both locals and foreigners. In fact, many Americans come here to live here during their retirement.

As I did not find much to do in Chapala town, it is still a nice place to visit. You can take a photo with the Pueblo Magico sign, watch typical Mexican pole dance Danza de Los Voladores, feed the hundreds of pelicans and take a stroll along the riverfront.

After Guadalajara I headed to the Pacific Ocean coast – Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita. That was also the time when the new coronavirus was beginning to show its effects in the world.

Here is also a video of the hike to Barranca de Huentitan. Enjoy!