Earlier this week, I had the chance to ride with Cat, Tucker, and Miles. Cat and Tucker are here in Oaxaca with the intention of riding to Chiapas and Miles is in the midst of a cross-continental odyssey.

I’m always encouraging visiting bikepackers to check out the Sierra Norte, especially at this time of year, when the valley floor is dusty dry and baking hot, and the Sierra Norte offers both respite and the promise of flowering orchids. So, for better or for worse, we settled on riding a loop that kicked off with the climb out of San Andrés Huayapam (aka La Reina) as our conduit into the high country. Pros: It’s direct. Con’s: It’s &%£$£’ing steep!

Normally, we ride it as a descent, it’s the one that Sage says “never gets old.” We’ve enjoyed it a few times together when he visits Oaxaca, and he flies down it at a speed I’m not always entirely comfortable with.

With all this in mind, here are some notes to my future self:

• The climb out of Huayapam is indeed as I remember, rarely less than an almighty push, at least on loaded bikes… and in the middle of the day… and in the middle of the dry season. Sweat stung my eyes. Huesos trotted from one scrap of shade to the next, panting and tongue dangling. And we all plodded on in our own thoughts, heads bowed in quiet contemplation. Once we’d hit the tree line, the temperature tempered considerably, and an abundant population of bromeliads, orchids and other epiphytes regaled us with their lush forest habitat. However, from this point forwards, let’s just agree to call this climb a bike push, rather than an actual bike ride…

• The mirador at Pelado Chico has a max capacity of 4 coffee outsiders. Note that any additional dogs will have to watch up from below, lest they knock over coffee-making paraphernalia and set the tower on fire… Also, It’s ALWAYS worth getting up the mirador for coffee outside, even if you don’t quite make it for sunrise. The layered mountain views across towards Benito Juarez – covering a Pantone palette of say, e5e0f0 to 30244d (lingering lilac to elderberry) – are never less than glorious.

• The stretch from Ixtepeji to Benito Juarez is pure, forested joy, and includes the recently named Epyphye Alley, where families of spikey-haired bromeliads perch on every tree limb. It’s a real “take me to your leader” scenario. Don’t forget to pay your 40 pesos fee at the office to access this area.

• I call this ride Doble Mirador, thanks to the fire lookouts in Ixtepeji and Benito Juarez. But how about making this a TRIPLE MIRADOR route? To do so, pop up to the bonus lookout just before the offices at Ixtepeji (see map). You could even make it a QUADRUPLE MIRADOR extravaganza with a short ride onwards to Cuajimaloyas, which has a mirador of its own (where its infamous, 1km zipline begins).

• It’s always colder up in the Sierra Norte than I think, no matter how swelteringly hot it may be in the valley. Bring your woolly hat, Cass! And don’t forget your thick, hand-knitted sleeping socks! Still, night 2 felt much balmier than night 1.

• The whirligig dirt road descent to Teotitlán del Valle is invariably fun. But right now, the corrugations really had Huesos jostling around – as a result, he ‘surfed’ a lot of the way in the back of the trailer, which he tends to do when it’s too bumpy for ‘full lounge mode’. We chose not to ride through Teotitlan, turning off to ride around the presa and through the cactus fields, though given the heat, ice-cold coffee and paletas in town were tempting too…

Other little comments: Apart from the great conversation and coffee over the few days we hung out together – and a music session up at the Benito Juarez lookout that included King Crimson in its original form, and Kanye’s remix – I had a memorable chat down in the valley. Miles and I were stuck in a goat traffic jam, which Huesos observed from his trailer, and the shepherd who was coming our way looked especially dapper – he had a sharp sombrero, a knife on his belt, faded jeans, and a crinkled smile. (Aside: how does he wear jeans in this weather?) There must have been a few dozen goats kicking up dust along the track we were following, a thin band of dirt and rocks between two agave fields, shaded occasionally by pointy, prickly acacias.

Me: What beautiful goats you have!

Goatherder: Thank you.

Me: They really are beauties, and so many. They seem very healthy and strong.

Goatherder: Thank you. (smile, then pause) It’s so hot today.

Me: Yes it is. Too hot! (we both smile)

Then we said goodbye to one another, and each went on our way into the afternoon sunshine.

This was followed up by two other encounters, of the kind that never fail to remind me how much I enjoy cycling along these rural terracerías, greeting anyone and everyone I see. First, there was a man walking his oxen home from the field, skinny farm dogs trotting dutifully behind. Then, another fellow, in a sombrero on a single-speed bicycle with moustache-shaped handlebars, bounced down the dirt road with a wave and a smile. What a triptych!

Later we passed by Santa María del Tule to crane our necks toward the great Montezuma cypress, perhaps in the same spot where Alexander von Humboldt once stood (albeit without a bike). It seemed a fitting hour for a nieve and ice cream, before we wound down a wonderful few days by riding the bike path into town.

Now, some pictures:

Pre-climb prep – a 20L garrafon of agua and a round of tejate in painted jicaras in Huayapam.

Riding or pushing, it doesn’t matter, just gotta get up there!

If it looks steep in a photo, then it’s generally pretty freakin’ steep.

Then there was some riding!

Then there was some pushing…

Flowering orchids and other epiphytes. Apparently, orchids often grow high in the canopy, where they’re more easily accessible to the birds, bees, and moths that pollinate them.

The top! Yes! Really! (yes, really)

Tucker and his ECR. Note the battered Carradice Super C up front, the very same, UK-made bag I ran on my travel across South America.

… and circa 80s/90s Kangaroo Baggs!

Miles and his Tumbleweed behemoth – complete with Rohloff uberhub and a fine collection of US-made bags – en route to Patagonia.

Cat and her Bridgestone MB-5 Basket Bike. $30 very well spent! (ok, that’s for the frame, but still, what a bargain)

Coffee outside at Pelado Chico viewpoint. Room for 4. Dog waits below.

Sometimes I want to grab this guy and give him a big cuddle (too bad being grabbed and big cuddled isn’t really his thing).

It may be the dry season, but there’s still flora to stop and inspect in the Sierra de Juárez.

Memelas and hot chocolate for breakfast at Comedor La Cumbre.

The connector between Ixtepeji and Benito Juárez is pure forested, pine-needled, bromeliad-packed joy.

Huesos channeling his inner street dog.

Morning! Huesos patrols camp for four-legged intruders and makes his morning rounds, sticking his nose into tents and barging his way in.

Time for an early morning ride up to Benito Juárez‘s mirador, still shrouded in cloud, and a 200m climb above this little mountain settlement.

What can possible be better than coffee outside with a view, good conversation, and some tunes on the speaker…

Big views across the valley. It’s a shame about the smog… I expect it’s a mix of vehicle fumes, burning fields, and cooking over wood fires.

Yep, coffee at the Mirador and a wobbly stroll across the swing bridge are 100 pesos well spent.

From there, Miles, Huesos, and I left the cool climes of the high country and headed back down toward the valley floor. Cat and Tucker are pedalling onwards to Chiapas.

Damn traffic.

Impressive: from deep sleep to barking frenzy in 0.3 seconds.

Almost home. Just a victory lap past flowering jicarandas, then the bikepath into town.

Lest I forget: Horchata + Tuna (classic combo) plus a cone of Oreo ice cream! Because we’re worth it.

Got to have a rig shot, right? Here’s the bike, a Jones SWB shod with 29+ tyres, minus Huesos’s Farfarer trailer, as seen elsewhere in this post. I’m testing out some Mountain Laurel Designs Poco Panniers for bikepacking.com. They’re attached to a Tumbleweed Mini Pannier rack. This current setup also includes a set of stout Jones alloy rims (review coming soon), Paul Klampers, my Sinewave Beacon, my Buckhorn framebag, and a Tribulus Endover up front.

THE ROUTE

You have been warned… there’s some pushing required for this little number! This is a really fun loop, but to be honest, it’s best done in reverse. See Doble Mirador for more ideas and photos of this route, or just flip this one around.

Day 1: 25.5 km, 1943m elevation gain, 2 hrs 49 min riding time (I’m guessing the pushing didn’t register!)

Day 2: 37.8 km, 1115m, 3hrs 7min riding time

Day 3: 53.9km, 749m elevation gain, 3hrs riding time

Field Notes

Bear in mind there are some fees to pay on this route. It’s 50 pesos to ride to Ixtepeji, 40 pesos to ride to Benito Juárez, and 100 pesos to visit the mirador and swing bridge above Benito Juárez. The money goes to the local communities. All the details of where you can do this are on the map.