Any online search for Jalisco’s highest peaks will show el Nevado de Colima, el Volcán de Fuego and Tequila Volcano at the top of the list.
After that, there are differences of opinion, but everyone agrees that El Cerro de García, whose summit is officially registered at 2,750 meters (9,022.31 feet), is one of Jalisco’s ten tallest mountains and that its designation as no more than a cerro (hill) is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek joke.
“From our privileged position on the Chapala Rivera, no connoisseur of outdoor landscapes and sports could possibly fail to notice the looming silhouette of El Cerro de García,” says Franky Alvarez Maxemin, the founder of Turismo Rural de Jalisco. “It’s the most prominent of the chain of high hills and mountains that circumscribe our majestic lake, delighting the eye of the distant observer and all five senses of those who reach its summit.”
Members of Turismo Rural de Jalisco and the Lakeside Jeep Club teamed up last month to combine trekking and off-road, in an attempt to reach the peak of García.
The eight-man group, comprised of Canadians, Americans and Mexicans, met at La Floresta and drove 50 kilometers to San Luis Soyatlán, where they followed a narrow, rocky brecha (dirt road) uphill through an area almost devoid of human beings. They did, however, bump into one man along the way, an old-timer named Alfonso who was bringing a 100-pound load of camotes del cerro (mountain yams) down the hill on his donkey.
“Machetes were needed to chop back the bushes during the last mile of our off-road drive, which ended on a plateau at 7,570 feet (2,307 m),” says Miguel A. Oz of the Lakeside Jeep Club. He goes on to describe the group’s hike to the summit: “The surroundings of the lower plateau included an oak and madroño (red Arbutus unedo) forest and animal trails dotted with the tracks of wild cats, small mammals and deer. Hunting, by the way, is forbidden here and this is enforced by soldiers stationed on the mountain. We hiked through a very dense oak forest and a lot of wild grass that snagged our feet at every step. The forest was laden with lichens, moss, mushrooms, orchids and other wildflowers and agaves with very high stalks which, from a distance, look like broadcasting antennas.”
The hikers reached the summit after a three-hour climb and an ascent of 525 meters.
“Despite the fog, we enjoyed a magnificent view of the region and could see Jocotepec, Ajijic, Chapala, Cerro Viejo, La Sierra de la Viga, El Travesaño, La Difunta, La Sierra del Tigre and many other recognizable sites,” says Alvarez. “We spent nearly an hour there, enjoying the sights, until we were forced to head back down while there was still a bit of daylight left.”
Night caught the group as they descended, but rather than panic, they welcomed the opportunity to “listen to the sound of the mountain,” and then found their way to their Jeeps with the help of GPS and flashlights.
Continuing downhill by Jeep, the adventurers found their way blocked by a herd of cattle that had installed themselves on the narrow road. Bruce, a Canadian team member who had grown up on a farm, jumped out of the Jeep and, using only his hands by the light of the moon, convinced the cows to let the vehicles pass through.
“We left the mountain as it was when we arrived: clean, beautiful and wild,” says Oz. “Life is about testing oneself and going beyond the normal. We did that on the Cerro García ascent. Thanks to our friends, we have an indelible life experience etched forever in our minds. It was a memorable day.”
Alvarez and Rocco Stimolo of Turismo Rural urge anyone interested in adventure expeditions to contact them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
If you’d like to join the Lakeside Jeep Club, contact Oz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
You’ll find the combination off-road and hiking route up Cerro de García on Wikiloc.com. First search for user “maorozcof” and then look for “Monte Garcia’s Summit from off road entrance.”