Parque Nacional Cumbres de Majalca

Cumbres de Majalca is the national park closest to Chihuahua city: about 4,772 hectares of sierra to the north, protected by a presidential decree of 1 September 1939. Its signature sight is the volcanic rock, worn by rain and wind into odd towers and boulders that stand up among the pines.

The park covers part of the Sierra de Majalca, a range of the Sierra Madre Occidental that tops out around 2,900 metres. The main summits are Las Escobas, La Puerta, Los Almíceres and Cerro del Agua. The Sacramento River rises here and runs down towards the city, where it joins the Chuvíscar.

The higher ground is conifer forest: Chihuahua pine, Mexican pinyon and Apache pine (Pinus engelmannii), with a few firs, and some areas were replanted with pine after the park was created. Lower down it turns to grassland with juniper and desert scrub. It is one of the few places in northern Mexico with black bears; white-tailed deer, porcupines and bobcats live here too, and birders can look for peregrine falcons, golden eagles, woodpeckers and wild turkeys.

The climate is mild and semi-dry. Summer days can top 35 °C, with heavy rain at the end of the season; winter brings an average of 112 frost days a year, lows below -10 °C and frequent snow. Chihuahua families drive up on weekends to hike, camp and take in the views, and the ejidos inside the park offer basic services.