José Ramón Jardón is an avid outdoorsman who has lived in the city of Santiago de Queretaro for more than 30 years.
So enamored is he with the outdoors that in 2019 he started a business taking people to his favorite sites in the state of Queretero.
Much to its surprise, his startup proved to be hugely successful all throughout the Covid pandemic. “There was nothing else people could do then,” he told me recently. “The only safe place to go was out into nature.”
Listed below are a few of the best sites in the state that Jardón recommends for both locals and visitors.
El Cerro del Zamorano
“This is the highest mountain in the state of Queretaro, at 3,360 meters above sea level. It is truly my favorite place to escape to,” says Jardón. “There’s a very old forest on top of the mountain, filled with hiking and biking trails, and there’s a large deer and cougar population in the area. I know a fellow from Eastern Michigan University who spent two years up there just taking pictures of the cougars.”
The Cerro del Zamorano is about a two-hour drive from the center of Querétaro. ”Usually I would leave town at 7 a.m,” says Jardón. “It’s a scenic route all the way, with some great lookout points where you can admire the massiveness of the mountain you’re approaching, which by the way, is an extinct volcano.”
Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.