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    A small waterfall of the Río Magdalena tumbling between boulders under tall firs in the fourth section of Los Dinamos, Ciudad de México

    Photo by Juan Francisco Contreras Fernández, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Los Dinamos

    Nature reserve La Magdalena Contreras, Ciudad de México Municipality of La Magdalena Contreras Valley of Mexico

    Forested canyon of the Río Magdalena, the city's last living river: waterfalls, climbing walls, trout and old Porfirian power plants.

    From Mexico City: 25 min by car (23 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

    See everything nearby ↓

    Plan your visit to Los Dinamos

    Where to stay near Los Dinamos

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Los Dinamos.

    Hotels in Los Dinamos Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to Los Dinamos

    Day trips and guided outings from Metepec often include Los Dinamos; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Private Hiking to Puerta del Cielo in Los Dinamos Park ★ 4.6 (20) · From US$80
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Los Dinamos

    • From Mexico City: about 25 min by road (~23 km)
    • Nearest airport: Toluca (TLC), 17 min by car to Metepec
    Rent a car at TLC Flights to TLC

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Popular tours to Los Dinamos

    Private Hiking to Puerta del Cielo in Los Dinamos Park ★ 4.6 (20) 7 h From US$80
    Hiking adventure in CDMX ★ 4.2 (10) 6 h From US$72

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About Los Dinamos

    Los Dinamos is the forested canyon of the Río Magdalena in the borough of La Magdalena Contreras, on the south-western edge of Mexico City. It is part of a protected natural area of about 2,429 hectares of pine, oak and fir, and the river that runs through it, cold and fast between rocks and small falls up to about 3.5 m high, is often called the last living river in the capital. Some 26 km of trails climb from the valley floor to viewpoints on the surrounding hills.

    The name comes from the four dynamos, small hydroelectric plants, that were built along the river during the Porfiriato. In 1897 Ángel Sánchez and a group of French investors began harnessing the river's flow to supply electricity to around six textile mills in what are now the boroughs of Magdalena Contreras and Álvaro Obregón. The machines are long out of use, but at the second dynamo you can still peer through barred windows at cast-iron valves and pipes inside the old stone and brick powerhouse.

    The canyon is one of the city's favourite weekend escapes. Climbers come for the rock walls, including a face of nearly 300 m on Cerro Coconetla, where a lookout also keeps an ancient carving of the rain god Tláloc; hikers head up to viewpoints such as the Puerta del Cielo on Cerro Tarumba. There is mountain biking, rappelling, zip lines, horse riding, trout fishing and camping, and cabins for an overnight stay. Food stands serve quesadillas, mushroom soup and trout. Weekdays are far quieter than weekends, and many visitors stop for lunch in Magdalena Atlitic, the last village before the park entrance.

    How to get to Los Dinamos

    Drive from Mexico City: 25 min, 23 km

    From Metro Miguel Ángel de Quevedo (Line 3) or Metro Copilco (Line 3), buses leave about every 40 minutes for the corner of Avenida San Jerónimo and Calle Guadalupe; from there it is a 15-minute walk up Calle Guadalupe to the park entrance, and taxis usually wait to take visitors further up the canyon. Buses also run from Metro Taxqueña (Line 2); the trip takes about an hour. By car from the Centro, take San Antonio Abad, Viaducto Miguel Alemán and Periférico Sur, then Camino a Santa Teresa, Fuente de los Molinos and Camino a Los Dinamos, about 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic.

    Directions to Los Dinamos on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Best with a guide Tours to Los Dinamos on Viator With transport and a guide, leaving from nearby towns and cities. See prices →

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    From the nearest cities to Los Dinamos

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Los Dinamos: hours, prices and tips

    Entry
    Entry to the park is free. Time Out México · checked Oct 2026
    Best time of day
    Arrive around 6 or 7 am and avoid weekends if you can; weekdays are much quieter. Excélsior · checked Oct 2026
    Guide or tour
    Trails range from easy walks to serious hikes and can be done alone; local guides are available for the main viewpoints. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide Mexico City Tourism (CDMX) · checked Oct 2026
    What to bring
    Comfortable shoes, clothes for cool weather and water. Excélsior · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Los Dinamos: what to see and do

    Follow the Río Magdalena past its small waterfalls and pools.
    Look through the windows of the second dynamo at its old cast-iron machinery.
    Climb or rappel on the rock walls, among them the big face of Cerro Coconetla.
    Hike up to the Puerta del Cielo viewpoint on Cerro Tarumba.
    Try trout fishing, a zip line or a horse ride along the canyon.
    Eat trout, mushroom soup and quesadillas at the food stands.
    Camp or rent a cabin to wake up in the forest.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Los Dinamos

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Los Dinamos.

    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
    Vacation rentals on Vrbo Airbnb

    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Metepec often include Los Dinamos; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at TLC (Toluca): about 17 min by road to Metepec, then 37 km more to Los Dinamos, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Toluca (TLC), about 17 min by road from Metepec, the base for Los Dinamos.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    If you plan on hiking at Los Dinamos, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Metepec: download a map of the way to Los Dinamos before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    When to go to Los Dinamos cool

    Los Dinamos shares the climate of Metepec, 37 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Metepec

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Metepec

    Red Calvario chapel at the top of its long stairway, Metepec, Estado de México cool
    Estado de México Metepec

    Metepec is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Los Dinamos, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Also close to

    Closest to Los Dinamos

    Near Los Dinamos

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Lists with Los Dinamos

    Nature Parks in Ciudad de México · 7 Nature Parks near Mexico City · 16 Nature Parks near Metepec · 16 Nature Parks near Tepoztlán · 19 Nature Parks near Cuernavaca · 18 Nature Parks near Toluca · 15 Nature Parks near Tepotzotlán · 11 Nature Parks near Malinalco · 17

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.