Canon de Guadalupe palm canyon and waterfall

Canon de Guadalupe is reached by about 35 km of washboard dirt track leaving Highway 2 west of La Rumorosa, a drive that takes close to an hour and is best done in a high-clearance vehicle, since the surface can be badly corrugated; a camping fee of about MXN 350 is paid at one of the family-run sites at the canyon mouth, which also serve as the trailhead. The walk up to the seasonal waterfall covers about 4 km round trip with roughly 250 m of ascent, following a route that scrambles directly over granite boulders in the streambed rather than a graded path, so hands are needed on several sections and the rock can be slick where water flows across it. There is little shade for most of the route, though native fan palms cluster thickly near the pools and provide occasional relief. Landmarks along the way include panels of petroglyphs on boulders near the canyon mouth, a series of clear pools used for swimming in warmer months, and the seasonal waterfall itself, which is the natural turn-around point; flow varies greatly with the season and can be reduced to a trickle after dry winters. Water in the canyon's pools is not treated and should not be relied on for drinking, though it is common to swim in it; hikers should carry their own drinking water instead. There are no huts on the trail, but the campgrounds at the canyon mouth have palapas, showers, and, unusually, natural hot spring water piped into private stone soaking tubs, making this one of the few hikes in the state with a hot spring reward at the end of the day.