“The most beautiful route in and out of Guadalajara is, in my humble opinion, dizzily zigzagging Highway 54 through the spectacular Barranca del Río Santiago.”
I I wrote those words 19 years ago and I think they still hold true today. So I was delighted when my friend Josh Wolf offered to drive me down the canyon to check out the present-day state of El Río de Agua Fría, described in Chapter 1 of “Outdoors in Western Mexico,” and a place I had not visited for a long time.
Since Josh didn’t know this road, I told him our first stop would be Parque Mirador Doctor Atl, which offers a spectacular view of one of Mexico’s most picturesque waterfalls, Cascada Cola de Caballo (Horsetail Falls) which feeds the Santiago River.
As we approached the famous lookout point, we could see two sturdy iron gates, both padlocked, and no sign of life. What? Guadalajara’s best mirador closed on a Saturday afternoon?
By pure chance, there was a sort of caretaker around, who was just leaving. “One of the padlocks is unlocked,” he kindly informed us.
So, we were able to get inside, where not a soul was to be seen, not even someone selling refrescos. Why the place was abandoned we couldn’t figure out, but Josh had an answer: “Everyone in Guadalajara is at the shopping malls,” he quipped.
Standing on the viewing platform you get three thrills. Simply looking straight down is thrill number one. Then you have the spectacular view of the Santiago Canyon spread out before you. And finally, there’s the 150-meter-tall waterfall which is just beautiful, even though the water is highly contaminated.
The Cola de Caballo is part of sadly misnamed Río Blanco, which is anything but white, since, according to the newspaper Milenio, four-fifths of the water running through it is untreated human waste coming from towns and communities like Nextipac, Tesistán, Santa Lucía and Cañadas de San Isidro. Well, all I can say is that it was a great pleasure to view the cascade, and none of us could notice any sort of bad smell.
From the mirador, we drove 8.3 kilometers north into the parking lot of Balneario San José, which I thought would be a good spot to leave the car while hiking to the nearby Agua Fría River.
We found the balneario (water park) almost as empty as the Dr. Atl lookout. Josh’s kids´ eyes lit up when they saw the four big pools inside, nestled among tall shade trees, quaint nooks and masses of flowers. “Pools like these you’d expect to find at a Marriott Hotel,” said Josh. “This place is a paradise … but, of course, everybody’s at the mall today.”
Actually, the manager told us that February is always low season for them because people think it’s too cold to swim at this time of year. In truth, we found the temperature of the spring-fed, constantly changing water to be “just right” for swimming and I’m sure no Canadian would have the slightest complaint.
To take the Agua Fría hike, you could leave your car in the balneario parking lot and walk 300 meters down the highway, carefully watching for cars. Turn left onto a cobblestone road eventually heading north. You’ll now find yourself walking through an endless field of nopales, with high canyon walls towering above you. After a walk of about 800 meters from the highway (at N20 51.075 W103 20.780), the dirt road turns right. Here you should bear left and follow the old trail/cobblestone road downhill to the Agua Fría River.
On this occasion, we succeeded in finding the dam on this river and it should not be difficult to locate “Bugless Beach,” as we used to call it, further downstream. Here you’ll find a ten-meter-long stretch of fine white sand ... with not a bug to be seen, of course. As for poison ivy, it has been reported around the river, so keep your eyes open.
Although much of the distance from the highway could be driven in a 4WD vehicle, you eventually come to a locked gate. I suggest you leave your car at the balneario, do the hike and, all hot and sweaty, enjoy a swim in the cool pools. Entrance fee for Balneario San José: 50 pesos.
How to get there
Head north on Prolongación Alcalde, which turns into Highway 54 just outside town, glancing at your odometer as you cross the city periférico (beltway). After 9.9 kilometers you’ll come to Mirador Dr. Atl (N20.79512 W103.34420). After driving 18.1 kilometers from the Periférico, you will reach Balneario San José, located on your left (N20.84342 W103.34262). Park here and follow the Wikiloc.com route “Agua Fria Trail” to the dam (N20.85270 W103.34987) on the Agua Fría River – and then jump into the cool pools at the balneario. Driving time from the Periférico to the balneario: about 25 minutes.