Parque Ecológico El Tecuán

Leaving the Guadiana Valley toward the coast, the free highway to Mazatlán starts climbing, and the mesquite gives way to the pine and oak of the Sierra Madre Occidental. About 40 minutes from the state capital, the forest of El Tecuán is a protected natural area run by the Durango state government's Secretariat of Natural Resources and Environment. For people in the city it is the weekend woods: trails, streams and small lakes among big trees, cabins, campsites, and an environmental education center certified by Mexico's federal environment ministry, Semarnat.

The animals are the draw. The park keeps a herd of wapiti, the large elk with branching antlers, and protects white-tailed deer that come close to visitors. It also takes part in conservation of the endangered Mexican gray wolf; local press reports three wolves living inside the park. Patient visitors can add squirrels, coyotes, foxes, reptiles and forest birds such as the white-breasted nuthatch.

The things to do are simple: walk under the pines, ride a bike, photograph wildlife, fish in the small lakes with your own gear, or spend the night under a sky with little light pollution. The cabins have electricity, a water heater, a grill and a barbecue area, and are booked by phone with the park office. At this altitude it turns cold in the evening even in summer, so pack warm layers. For anyone driving on to Mazatlán, El Tecuán makes a good first stop before El Salto and the canyons of the Espinazo del Diablo.