Hiking matters #653: Cerro San Miguel (3760m) in Desierto de los Leones, Mexico City

MEXICO CITY – What I love about Ciudad de Mexico is that the mountains are just one Uber or bus ride away. In Desierto de los Leones National Park within the city lies numerous hiking and biking trails – including several that lead to Cerro San Miguel, a peak that rises to a decent altitude of 3760 MASL. After the hike up Pico de Orizaba, I decided to go to Cerro San Miguel on May 17 as some sort of relaxing “recovery hike”. From my apartment in Condesa, took an 30-minute Uber ride to La Pluma Amarilla and started the hike in its conifer environs, making sure that I do so on a weekday to avoid the mountain bikes.

To my pleasant surprise, a deer passed right in front of me, no more than a few minutes after I started hiking! It reminded me long ago of the wild deer I saw in Mt. Sicapoo in Ilocos (Hiking matters #133). The trail was quite easy to follow, and it was also quite wide given that it’s also used by mountain bikers. At the top there was a structure that marked the top plus some scenic rocky spot and some cliffside vistas with pine trees. For some reason it reminded me of Mt. Tapulao back home!

In total, the  hike took me 15 kms, with a 771-meter elevation taking taking just over 5 hours; on the return I followed the trail to the Ex-Convento where there are some eateries for a post-climb meal. I can see myself returning to this trail in the future just to maintain my hiking fitness!