Thanks to a turtle, I stumbled upon yet another part of Jalisco which can only be described as “stunning” for its natural beauty.
This adventure began with an email from Universidad de Guadalajara (UdeG) biologist Jesús Rodríguez. “On your website,” he wrote, “I found a picture of a Spotted Box Turtle (Terrapene nelsoni) in a place where no one has ever described it before.” That place is known as Las Piedras (The Rocks), located seven kilometers northwest of Quila El Grande, which in turn is located 70 kilometers southwest of Guadalajara.
I camped near these rocks in 2002 on the advice of a friend, who put them high on his list of favorite sites for climbing practice. From my point of view, Las Piedras were just part of a spectacular view I could enjoy right from my tent door on a mesa overlooking a beautiful area as grandiose as any national park. Curiously, this area north of Quila has not been included in the Protected Zone of Quila, which covers some 15,000 hectares and can be accessed via the town of Tecolotlán.
I wrote back to Jesús promising to organize a trip to search for Spotted Box Turtles, which, by the way, are endemic to Mexico, and have been called “the least known chelonians in the world.”
Last Sunday, a contingent of ten headed for Ameca from where we followed a winding dirt road – with a great view – over the mountains to the sleepy town of Quila El Grande, which is anything but “big.”
As our commander in chief was explorer Mario Guerrero, the first thing on the agenda was eating, which we accomplished satisfactorily at the Hawaii Restaurant (and the only one in town, I suspect) named for some enterprising citizens of Quila who commute regularly between this pueblito and Honolulu.From here we tried to follow my ten-year-old route to the Rocks only to be halted in our tracks by a padlocked gate. Out came all our maps plus a cell phone with Google Earth. “There are roads from the Quila cemetery to Cerro Las Piedras,” declared the phone owner and, rather late in the day, we started driving northwest from Quila into an area which got more beautiful with every passing kilometer. Vibrantly green hills intersected with long meadows stretched for as far as the eye could see, dotted with cozy-looking cabins.
Suddenly we came to a huge tree dripping with Spanish Moss and overlooking a winding brook. “It’s the perfect place for camping,” I ventured, but the biologists in our group called it “the perfect place to find turtles” and ran down the grassy slope to investigate.
Soon they were back, all smiles. In minutes they had found a cute little Rough-footed Mud Turtle and an even cuter Splendid Cat-Eyed Snake.
Now all we had to do was find our way to the Piedras. As luck would have it, a passing horseman told us of a brecha (dirt road) that would get us quite close to them. “There’s a big, wide meadow at the end of that road, which you’re going to like,” he added. “It’s a perfect place to camp.”
That road took us straight into the middle of an endless sea of blue, pink, yellow and white flowers, interspersed with feathery foxtails, all glowing in the late afternoon sun. There were so many flowers, we couldn’t even see the road anymore and occasionally had to get out to make sure we were still on it. A mere 45 minute-drive from Quila, we arrived at the campsite, about the size of three football fields in a row and bordered on three sides by a small stream and some big shade trees – all of this, just for us. Once we had set up camp, we lined up for lentils and German sausages, expertly prepared by Pinky and Justus Mohl, the couple who had introduced me to this area many years ago.
As we sat down to devour our delicious supper, I expected an onslaught of mosquitoes, but to our great surprise and delight, not one ever appeared. “Huge herds of those rare turtles must be eating all the bugs,” I concluded.
After a peaceful night broken only by the hooting of an owl, we hiked about a kilometer up to the Piedras, which loomed temptingly above our camp, while another contingent found their way to the very monolith alongside of which we had found the Spotted Box Turtle 12 years ago. Upon their return, they reported that they had found a bucolic and utterly charming lagoon along the way, but not a sign of those famous wayward turtles. This, of course, gives us a perfect excuse to return to that beautiful campsite with so many delightful attractions and a notable absence of people. A better combination would be hard to beat. If you do go there, be sure to chat with all the local folks you meet along the way, to let them know you plan to spend some time in the area.
How to get there
From Guadalajara, take Highway 15 towards Nogales and, just before the toll road appears, bear left, following the signs for Ameca. Follow Highway 70 for 50 kilometers to Ameca. Pass two stoplights and keep your eyes open. Just before the third stoplight, turn left onto Calle Salvador Esquert, which, after half a kilometer, takes you past a military base, El Cuartel Militar. After a short while the paved road turns into a rough but drivable dirt road heading south to Quila. After 24 kilometers, you come to a crossroads. Turn right here and after six kilometers you’ll be in Quila El Grande. Drive into town and turn right onto Calle Independencia. If you can’t find it, ask for “la calle que conduce al cementerio.” Drive north for 1.3 kilometers to the cemetery and immediately after it, turn left. Follow this road northwest for four kilometers. Along the way you must open and then close five cattle gates. Now, at N20 22.642 W104 06.890, you’ll find a big white gate on your right and, on your left, a stupendous view of the Spanish-Moss-Covered tree. Go through the gate (closing it behind you) and follow the track northwest for 700 meters where you’ll find a fork. Bear left and keep following the track another 1.3 kilometers, no matter how faint it will become. At last you will arrive at the campsite (N20 23.230 W104 07.617) from which you can see the Piedras above you, to the northwest. Driving time from Guadalajara to the campsite is about 2.5 hours.