The Slot Canyons of La Cañada Part 1 of 2

Torrents of water created the feature that hikers call The Chute. The power of water to carve through solid rock is quite impressive. The photo above shows only a couple of quiet pools remaining from the most recent storm. However, sustained rainfall can create dangerous flash floods through the canyon. We'll look at this formation in more detail a bit further in Part 1.

While looking through my years-long backlog of photos, I discovered that I have never used any of my shots of the spectacular route through La Cañada's slot canyons. I photographed the area on two occasions, once in 2015 and more recently in the summer of 2020. I ended up with so many good photos from these two shoots that I decided it required a two-part series. 

The photos of Part 1, taken in 2020, include the approach to the Canyon, the First Slot, The Chute and part of the Middle Canyon. In Part 2, I will show you the rest of the Middle Canyon, the Second Slot, and the Hidden Valley. 

The Approach

Map showing the location of the entrance to La Cañada's Slot Canyons. The hike begins with the Sendero Intepretivo la Angostura (The Narrows Interpretive Trail). The route starts near the small pueblo of La Cañada, at the end of a dirt road. In the map above, the mountains that overlook the North Shore of Lake Chapala are given the general name of Sierra de San Juan Cosalá. However, a more detailed topographical map names the specific ridge through which the canyon cuts as Sierra el Travesano (Crossbar Mountain). For a more detailed Google map, click here. 

If you want to try this trail, I strongly advise hiking with someone who is already familiar with it. For one thing, you may have difficulty finding the trailhead. Road signs in Mexico, assuming they even exist, are often misleading. In addition, it is never advisable to hike alone in these mountains. While you are  unlikely to encounter dangerous people or animals, an injury or fall is always a possibility as is getting lost. In some areas, you might have to wait days for someone to come by. To find a hiker with knowledge of La Cañada's Slot Canyons, contact the Ajijic Hiking Group.

Dirt road leading from La Cañada to the beginning of the Sendero Interpretivo. You head south from the pueblo for a couple of miles toward where the canyon cuts through the mountain range. The road from La Cañada is rough and a high clearance vehicle is advisable. 

The beautiful countryside passes between lush fields. In the early fall, when this was taken, the corn stands tall and ripe. On a road like this, it would not be unusual to encounter mounted cowboys out looking for stray cattle or a man on foot, leading a burro loaded with firewood. William Faulkner once wrote "the past is never dead. It's not even past." This is especially true in rural Mexico.

The Sendero Interpretivo begins at a rustic gate where the road takes an abrupt right turn. My fellow hiker and very good friend Anthony stands beside the sign. Like many rural gates, this one is composed of a few roughly cut tree branches held together by barbed wire and anchored to the stump on the left. Trail etiquette dictates that you should leave gates how you find them. In this case, the gate was closed when we arrived and we restored it to that condition after I got my photo and passed through. 

A well-worn trail leads through scrub forest toward the entrance of the canyon. Fortunately, the trail was clear because the brush on either side is thick and would be difficult to fight your way through. When that becomes necessary, we call it "bushwhacking", an accurate description of a rather unpleasant method of off-trail travel. It usually results in cuts and bruises and can be exhausting if attempted for more than a short distance.  

The Sendero Interpretivo passes through a lovely meadow just before reaching the canyon's mouth. Close by is a level spot that has regularly been used as a rustic campsite by those who want to explore the far reaches of the canyon. Be advised that there are no restroom facilities and no safe water source, so camping would indeed be rustic.

You next encounter a large field of piled-up boulders which must be navigated. The rocks, some quite large, were pushed by raging waters through the canyon until they piled up just outside of the First Slot. As I passed through, I noticed this teepee of boulders and speculated that it would be an ideal spot for the den of a fox or coyote.

The mouth of the First Slot. Partially blocking your way are heaps of boulders. Just beyond, you can see the west side wall of the slot canyon. The entrance is only a few yards wide, while the walls on either side rise almost vertically to one hundred feet or more.

The First Slot and the Chute

A massive rock overhangs the path as you enter the First Slot. While the scene beyond is very picturesque, it is well to remember that the boulders at your feet tumbled off the cliff above you. A few of them are the size of a Volkswagen. Such rock falls generally occur during the rainy season, but they can--and do--happen at any time.

A message from the ancient past. At first glance, the design looks quite modern. However, a nearby sign reveals that the rock was carved during the pre-hispanic period, possibly as early as the Teotihuacán Empire (100-650 AD). The design represents the cardinal directions of north, south, east, and west. The place where the four lines cross represents the center of the cosmos. 

The cardinal directions are sacred and each has its own color, god, and associated mythology. The design could be considered a map of the universe and pre-hispanic people revered it for thousands of years. In fact, the ancient urban planners of the mighty city of Teotihuacán laid it out in just such a quadrant. 

At the end of the First Slot you find the mouth of The Chute. From the top of the rock wall on the left to the bottom of the trough is at least twenty feet. The wall on the right has been cut with steps which did not exist when I first hiked this canyon. They were carved into the rock to create a safe way to bypass The Chute during times of high water.

Anthony climbs the steps of the rock wall. When they are dry, the steps provide a reasonably safe way up and down the wall. However, there is a small spring near the top that sometimes leaves the steps wet and slippery. You can see some of the dampness to the right and just below Anthony's left foot.

The Middle Canyon

View from the top of the rock Anthony was climbing. The arroyo has been scoured right down to the bedrock by torrents of water. This is the beginning of the Middle Canyon. From here, the canyon widens out and is filled with trees and other vegetation in some spots.

The cliffs take on a reddish glow in the morning sunshine. The cliffs can rise well over a hundred feet and are topped by trees and brush. The vertical drop reaches only part way to the bottom of the arroyo. At the base of the walls, there is a sloping debris field that extends to the bottom of the arroyo. Often there is an area on either side of the creeks that is relatively broad, flat, and full of trees and brush.

The Climber's Cliff is vertical straight to the arroyo's bottom. It is covered in some sections by bright yellow lichens. Although I have never encountered rock climbers here, they have left evidence of their presence in various places, which is how the wall got its name.

Carabiners attached to pitons can be seen partly up the Climber's Cliff. Rock climbing equipment like this is used for safety purposes. Pitons are metal spikes that are driven into rock cracks or seams. They provide firm support to which other safety equipment can be attached. 

Carabiners are large aluminum clips that can be attached to the pitons and are used to support safety ropes or as a place to temporarily hang equipment. The two carabiners above are connected by a nylon strap, also part of the safety equipment. I used my telephoto zoom to get this shot, since the pitons and carabiners were located about half way up the cliff's face.

A nest of wild bees or wasps perches in a nook high up the cliff. A Jewish hiker on an earlier excursion said the nest reminded him of the menorah (sacred candleabrum) used during Hanukkah and the name stuck. I have encountered very few aggressive bees or wasps during my thirteen years of hiking in Mexico. 

However, I have twice had unpleasant run-ins with africanized bees. They are extremely hostile and can occasionally be deadly to people or animals. Mass stings have even killed full-grown horses. The best strategy is to depart the area immediately. However, you should avoid swinging your arms at the bees because it only infuriates them.

A fallen tree has sprouted branches which have continued to grow upward toward the light. We found this tree trunk collapsed across the Middle Canyon trail. It had been in that position for quite a while, given the size of the vertical branches that have grown up since its original fall.

Brilliant yellow lichens decorate the rough surface of a canyon wall. Lichens are truly amazing. They are not plants, but composite organisms made up of algae or cyanobacteria living among fungi species. They have no roots to absorb water or nutrients, but get their nourishment through photosynthesis. 

Lichens are extremely hardy and have been found everywhere from the arctic to the deep desert. They even grow inside solid rock between the grains. Lichens are among the oldest living organisms and their slow growth rate allows them to be used to date long-past events.

Amate trees can often be found growing down the sides of cliffs. Amates are a member of the Ficus family. The roots mold themselves to the cliff face as they extend down toward the water at the bottom of the arroyo. The Aztecs and other pre-hispanic people used the bark of the amate tree to make the paper on which they painted complex hieroglyphs. Tragically, most of the great pre-hispanic libraries filled with amate paper documents were burned by Spanish evangelists who considered them instructions for devil worship.

This completes Part 1 of my two-part series on the Slot Canyons of La Cañada. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. However, if you choose to leave a question in the Comments section, PLEASE leave your email address so that I can respond.

Hasta luego, Jim