Arroyo el Carbón is a fascinating slot canyon in the Primavera Forest, located ten kilometers west of Guadalajara, near La Venta del Astillero.
I bumped into the canyon entrance quite by accident several years ago while wandering along El Río Seco, a (usually) dry riverbed which marks the northeast limit of the supposedly “protected” Bosque la Primavera.
In many places, El Carbón’s walls are lush, covered with moss, ferns and wildflowers, including the beautiful Pine-pink Orchid, which we found blooming there in November. About 300 meters from the entrance, thick horizontal bands appear on the walls, jutting out like shelves. These continue for such a distance that I first called this place Pantry Gulch. A kilometer from the entrance there’s a natural spring and from there the canyon grows extremely narrow, with walls as high as 40 meters. I understand it goes on for several kilometers like this, but I haven’t ever reached the end of it myself.
One day I got it into my head that a hike to this slot canyon would be even more interesting if it were part of a loop including the beautiful oak and pine forest up above and the towering walls of the Río Seco, on which the extraordinary geological history of the Primavera Caldera is so clearly written that anyone can understand it.
So I began looking for a side entrance to the slot canyon and a month ago, I found it: a narrow path intersecting the canyon 550 meters from the entrance. Finally, I ended up with a circular route only three kilometers long, easy enough for kids to do.
We begin in a wide meadow overlooking the forest. A narrow trail takes us through pines and oaks where we can see a number of rock structures created by conservationists to control erosion. The trail brings us down to El Río Seco, where we immediately begin winding our way through giant boulders made of pumice. We are, in fact, walking right through the Gigantic Pumice Horizon, a phenomenon of great interest to geologists around the world, produced by great gobs of lava froth which spewed from volcanoes maybe 80,000 years ago when the Primavera was a caldera filled with water.
The canyon walls show us thin layers of sediment deposited at the bottom of the lake over tens of thousands of years. After walking 350 meters, we pass beneath The Impossible Bridge: the remains of an old cobblestone road whose foundation was eroded away by the river which courses through here after a severe storm. Although nothing appears to be holding it up, the “bridge” is still standing.
Next, we pass the home of Eduardo, a hermit who has been living here on a sort of island in the middle of the riverbed for 16 years. The hermit is always delighted to chat with passersby, who often leave him gifts of food.
“I’m just house-sitting for a soldier friend,” Eduardo told us. “He was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and received permission to build a house here, even though this is government land. Living like a hermit helped cure him ... and now I’m here, taking his place.”
The trail now plunges us back into the woods and narrows to only a few centimeters’ width. At last, it winds its way down to Arroyo el Carbón, where we head north toward our starting point. The Arroyo, however, is so enchanting that the temptation to dilly-dally is overwhelming. Three times now we have been lucky enough to spot Megacarina primaverana, a unique (and completely harmless) little tarantula which is endemic to theBosque la Primavera. After making our way through the slot canyon’s exotic flora, we exit its narrow entrance and a short walk on remnants of the old cobblestone road takes us back up to to our starting point.
The slot canyon part of this hike should not be done if heavy storms threaten. You’ll understand the reason why if you take a look at the video clip “Arroyo el Carbón” on the Reporter’s YouTube page.
You can read more about Arroyo el Carbón – including directions for getting there – in Chapter 4 of “Outdoors in Western Mexico Volume 2.” If you want to do your own tour of the Carbón Loop, go to Wikiloc.com and search for “Ruta Circular Carbon,” which will show you the entire three-kilometer route on Google Earth. In case you prefer a guided tour, I hope to offer one in English at the beginning of March for a maximum of 20 people, organized by outfitter Carbono 14 for a small fee. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information or to be put on the list.