Mexico

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stiz
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Mexico

Post by stiz »

Hi, as far as Mexican peaks, volcanoes within range of Mexico City,


1. which can be done mostly as a walk up, e.g. in trail runners, maybe with microspikes, ice axe but no need for more serious mountaineering gear ? Izta?

2. any issues with crime, muggings, safety when going solo?

3. any other awesome must do outdoor activities in that area?

4. basically looking for a "summer 14er" experience but obviously need to head south for that at this time of the year


Thanks!
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12ersRule
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Re: Mexico

Post by 12ersRule »

Went a few years ago and only managed to bag 2 peaks because of a food borrne illiness, a 12er outside Mexico City (Cerro Ajusco) and a 15er west of Mexico City (Nevado de Toluca).

Mexico City is miserable, try to stay as little time as possible out there.

Planning the redemption tour in Mexico after Covid is over. Itza and Orizaba. Here's how to do it.

Fly into Mexico City. Take the bus to Puebla, they run every few hours. Rent a car in Puebla. As an acclimitization hike, do La Malinche. Drive up to the southern slopes of Orizaba, sleep at 13k.
Bag Sierra Negra if I can get access (observatory on top, summit is fenced off) otherwise, I think there is a 14er you can bag from there. Hike up to cabin at 15k. Then do southern slopes of Orizaba, which was trail runnerable when I looked at it a few years ago. Then, drive to Itza. Itza approach is north slopes. It is probably not a good candidate for trail runners.

Teotihuacán was pretty cool, as far as non-mountain activities go.
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Scott P
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Re: Mexico

Post by Scott P »

If you are looking for a "summer 14er experience" from Mexico City, heading west from Mexico City might be the best option.

Nevado Toluca, (unless there is fresh snow), Nevado Colima, Cerro Pelon, Cacique, La Chupina, and Paracutin would all make good targets.

Nevado Colima and Paracutin might be the most interesting volcanoes I have done in Mexico (I have done four trips to the Mexican Volcanoes, each choosing a different volcanoes).

Nevado de Colima:

Image

Image

Church mostly buried by lava from Paracutin:

Image

You could also head south or east from Mexico and do Izta, La Malinche, Cofre de Perote, or the south side of Orizaba, but depending on conditions I wouldn't equate Izta with a summer 14er all of the time.

Going east does have the advantage of visiting the Jalcomulco area though, which is probably my favorite area I have visited in Mexico. I think it would be fun to try and climb Cofre de Perote from that direction if you are after an adventure, but I have only climbed it from the opposite direction (as do probably 99.999% percent of everyone else who climbs the mountain). The east side of Cofre de Perote and the area around Jalcomulco is quite spectacular with lots of waterfalls, greenery, rivers, waterfalls, slot canyons, etc. The west side of Cofre de Perote isn't as interesting, but the summit probably has the best view of Orizaba available from any location (depite the radio towers on top of the Cofre!).

Cofre view of Orizaba:

Image

Canyon hiking around Jalcomulco:

Image

Anyway, there are already plenty of other trip reports for Orizaba, Izta, or La Malinche for you to look at, so I won't link mine, but if you want to see a couple from the other places I mention above, here are two:

https://www.summitpost.org/mexican-volcanoes-iv/1044561

https://www.summitpost.org/mexican-volc ... ii/1044552
Last edited by Scott P on Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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gb
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Re: Mexico

Post by gb »

12ersRule wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:51 am
Mexico City is miserable, try to stay as little time as possible out there.
We had a great time in Mexico City after successful climbs of Izta, Orizaba and Malinche. Great museums, great food, just walking around the Zocalo and zona rosa. I'd go again. The smog sucked though.

OP, I'd stick with Malinche, Toluca, and the other lower summits mentioned if you're looking for a summer 14er experience in trail runners. Izta will be too snowy, although I guess it's less snowy these days than when I was there 20 years ago.
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ChrisinAZ
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Re: Mexico

Post by ChrisinAZ »

Orizaba from the Ruta Sur required no snow gear when I climbed it a few years ago. When snow-free, it's just a lot of loose, volcanic junk. Reminded me of the Clear Creek route on Shasta, or some of the loose stuff in the San Juans. Helmet strongly recommended but that's it.

Izta, there's the stretch crossing the glacier remnants where some (including myself) would feel more comfortable with crampons/axe, but I saw people up there without them.

Nevado de Toluca actually had some fairly fresh, recent snow on it when I climbed it (up and over the summit via the class 3 ridge, very fun!!) but I was able to essentially avoid any dangerous snow as the SW side of the ridge had already melted out.

We hired a private driver which was pricy, but gave us a ton more flexibility and peace of mind. Actually wouldn't have minded spending more time in Mexico City, it's a fascinating place.
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stiz
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Re: Mexico

Post by stiz »

Thanks for the replies and photos! Awesome / helpful info.

BTW how much is a private driver? Sounds tempting, or "guide/driver" ?
I also like the idea of getting out of Mexico City by bus and then renting car in Puebla.

Any safety / theft issues I need to worried about?




Thanks!
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Scott P
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Re: Mexico

Post by Scott P »

I don't know how much a private driver is, but it's costly. The bus services in Mexico tend to be very convenient, cheap, comfortable, and easy to use. Personally that would be my recommendation. Busses go to every city, town, and village. Once you get really close to the peaks a private driver can take you to a specific trailhead.
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Re: Mexico

Post by Stevo »

stiz wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 1:09 pm Thanks for the replies and photos! Awesome / helpful info.

BTW how much is a private driver? Sounds tempting, or "guide/driver" ?
I also like the idea of getting out of Mexico City by bus and then renting car in Puebla.

Any safety / theft issues I need to worried about?


Thanks!
I'll chime in with what I remember-

Not sure about a private driver, but we (three of us) took an Uber from Puebla to Mexico City on our way back from Orizaba. It was a 2 hour drive and cost $110ish and we also had to pay the tolls, which were negligible. I thought I remember hearing you could get a private driver for $200-$300/day.

To put that in perspective, on our way to the Volcano we paid something like $15 to ride the bus from Mexico City to Puebla and that was around 3 hours or so.

I personally don't think I would enjoy renting a car down there. Could be a fun adventure but the local drivers are all over the place and traffic is horrible- even in Puebla.

I always felt safe there. There isn't really any worry about someone just walking up and mugging you but you definitely want to keep an eye on your belongings though. I would imagine if you set something down and turned around for a minute, it could disappear rather quickly.

Like GB, I really enjoyed exploring Mexico City. And that's coming from someone that usually hates cities.
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12ersRule
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Re: Mexico

Post by 12ersRule »

I lost or had my phone stolen in Mexico City. I was on the metro in Mexico City and then all of the sudden for no apparent reason, we all got squeezed together. Not sure if that is a common technique there to rip people off or not? I think I may have gotten pickpocketed then, but I'm not sure. I'm pretty absentminded when it comes to keeping my s**t, so it's very possible I could've just dropped it as well.
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Re: Mexico

Post by Scott P »

12ersRule wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 2:13 pm I was on the metro in Mexico City and then all of the sudden for no apparent reason, we all got squeezed together. Not sure if that is a common technique there to rip people off or not?
It's a common technique in a lot of crowded places, even in the US. It happened to me in Los Angeles (years ago). "Luckily" (if you can call it that), whover did it just took the cash and dropped the wallet so I didn't loose everything else that was in there. If it's really crowded, it can be hard to tell when someone takes something and even if you can feel something being taken, it's hard to pick out who did it if you are facing the other way.

I think I have been to Mexico eight times and never had anything stolen, but undoubtedly pickpockets do exist there and in a lot of other places around the world.

It's easy to lose something by accident in crowded places as well. Regardless of where I travel, I never carry all my cards and/or cash in the same place. I keep it stashed 8n different areas so in case I lose something I'm not out of luck because I have a backup.
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Re: Mexico

Post by dr_j »

Mexico City- before the pandemic I was a regular visitor, like a couple times a year. Nearly always on my own, and I’ve always felt quite safe day or night. It’s got some of the planet’s most awesome food, great architecture, very trendy neighborhoods like Condesa / Roma, a very open gay scene, and it’s just a lot of fun to explore. There has been a major effort to cut down on pollution, with mixed results, but the street closures on Sundays are great. There are plenty of bike lanes throughout the city.

If you’re intimidated by the Metro, Uber is an excellent way to get around, also to and from the airport. The official taxis are pricier but reliable. Don’t get too flustered by the multiple companies calling out for your business, they run a fixed price to central city. For me, navigating a foreign city is one of my favorite thrills of travel, and I’ve been to around 75 countries with very very few problems.

The buses are the major medium and long distance means of transport. They’re reliable and safe. Don’t drive, unless you’re in the Yucatán.
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Re: Mexico

Post by SnowAlien »

Izta was doable in trailrunners 7 years ago, probably even less snow now (bring microspikes). Pyramid tour was memorable. Didn't spend much time in Mexico city, but Puebla was nice! In addition to Orizaba, we hiked 14er La Malinche, but it was covered in trash (we brought trash bags and filled then up). Air pollution was pretty bad, but made for nice sunrise colors.
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