Guadalajara Reporter

“I want to take you on a hike to a place that’s out of this world, with a view that you’ll never forget.”

It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. All the previous invitations of this sort from my friend Franky Alvarez had resulted in marvelous adventures and this turned out to be no exception.

Ixtlahuacán Peak (El Picacho de Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos) is located five kilometers north of Ajijic and hiking to the top of it, according to Franky, would take a mere 90 minutes (more about that later). We decided to meet at Los Burritos de Moyahua restaurant – on a weekday morning, so we would have the peak all to ourselves. From here it was just a 20-kilometer drive to the trailhead. We parked in front of the house of a man named Fidel, who is willing to keep an eye on your car if you ask him to. “I usually bring Fidel a gift of food,” said Franky, “which he really appreciates.” From Fidel’s house we could see a chain of high mountains. “That one right there is where we’re going,” said Franky, pointing to a peak that looked 100 miles away to me. “And how high is it?” I asked. “Nearly 2,500 meters (over 8,000 feet),” said Franky. “From here it’ll be an altitude gain of 625 meters.”

“Uh-huh,” I said. “And Señor Fidel, how long do you think it will take us to walk there?”

“An hour and a half.”

We walked along the trail for about 45 minutes and came upon horsemen, who also said it would take us “an hour and a half” from there, leading me to the conclusion that no matter where you start from, that’s how long it takes.

Our hike began in jungly growth that practically swallowed the narrow path we were following. Every tree branch above us was thick with lichens and ferns and the rocks below were carpeted with bright green moss. Thanks to the extra-high humidity of August, we came across some truly spectacular toadstools, each of which, of course, we had to stop to photograph.

After three kilometers, the trail suddenly swings south and upward and the jungle slowly gives way to rocky outcrops and eventually transforms into a forest of slender, straight oaks. Underneath them is a seemingly endless carpet of golden leaves, upon which no underbrush is growing. I’ve never seen a woods like this elsewhere in Mexico: you are in a forest, but you can see forever in any direction. It’s as if you climbed out of Africa straight into Canada and then, when you are good and confused, you top a ridge and here’s a humongous agave two meters tall, which says, “Cuidado hombre, you are still in Mexico.”

Well, finally we came to the tall, skinny tower (the antenna) atop El Picacho, after nearly four hours of hiking. Now, I was all set to make a few jokes about the “hour and a half,” but my GPS Trip Computer claimed that we had spent 41 minutes walking and three hours not moving, so I kept my mouth shut. And of course we got some magnificent photos!

From El Picacho we could see the towns of Chapala and Ajijic and all the way to the far shore of the lake. Franky unlimbered two hammocks and we soaked up the good vibes of the place. Later, I found out Gerry Green describes that same spot in his book, “Walks & Trails around Ajijic,” suggesting this is the very best lookout point among all the great places in the hills above the lake (You’ll find this hike under Sierra El Travesano Ravine in Gerry’s book). We tarried there as long as we could and then headed back down, which took us about two hours.

For the lower elevations of this hike you should either be taking vitamin B complex (which is supposed to discourage mosquitoes from biting you) or you should bring along some bug repellent. As for the difficulty of this trail, if you are not in good shape, it may seem strenuous, but it’s all straightforward hiking, with no rock climbing or bushwhacking involved at all. It’s definitely worth the effort and you’ll never forget the magic forest or the magnificent view from the very top.

Here’s how to get there (coordinates for the words in boldface, are given at the end).

From Guadalajara, take highway 44 south towards Chapala. Take the Ajijic turnoff and look for the sign “Tecnologico de Chapala” on your left. Turn right here onto a gravel road and drive 2.4 kilometers north. Park near Fidel’s house. Walk 235 meters north along the same road and turn left onto a trail. Follow this northwest for about three kilometers. Now the trail swings southward and then loops northward, all the time heading steeply uphill to a ridge covered by the fairy-tale forest. Before entering the woods, note exactly where the trail is, for your return. Head north and you should come to a large white cross in the woods. From the cross follow the top of the ridge north and then east for one kilometer and you’ll come to the antenna, marking Ixtlahuacán Peak. Driving time from Guadalajara to the parking spot: about one hour and from the lake, a mere nothing.

Coordinates (Datum WGS84). Park: N20.32454 W103.22142; Trail: N20.32661 W103.22162; Cross: N20.33652 W103.24786; Antenna: N20.33918 W103.23940.

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