Nature reserve 5 km northeast of Huasca de Ocampo
A canyon lined with giant basalt columns and waterfalls, sketched by Humboldt in 1803; Huasca's must-see side trip.
The Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla line a narrow canyon about 6 kilometers northeast of Huasca. The columns, mostly five- and six-sided and some 30 to 40 meters tall, formed about 2.5 million years ago when a thick lava flow met water and cooled slowly and evenly, cracking into near-perfect polygons. The river from the San Antonio dam pours over them in four waterfalls, the last known as the Cascada de la Rosa.
The canyon has drawn artists and scientists for centuries. Painters from the Malaspina expedition drew it in 1791, Alexander von Humboldt sketched the "basalt rocks and waterfall of Regla" in May 1803, and Johann Moritz Rugendas painted it in 1832. The prisms sit beside the Hacienda de Santa María Regla, one of the silver-refining haciendas the Count of Regla, Pedro Romero de Terreros, built here in the 1760s. Today they are one of the geosites of the UNESCO Comarca Minera Geopark.
The site is run as an ecotourism park with an entry fee. Stairs, walkways and hanging bridges take you down into the canyon and across it, and above the falls there are zip lines, restaurants, craft stalls and cabins. Weekends and holidays get very busy; come early on a weekday for the best views.
What to see and do
Walk the stairs and walkways down to the foot of the waterfalls.
Cross the hanging bridge for a view of the columns from above.
Ride the zip line over the canyon.
Visit the neighboring Hacienda de Santa María Regla and its chapel.
Getting there
The prisms are about 6 kilometers northeast of Huasca, roughly 10 to 15 minutes by car or taxi on the paved road to Santa María Regla; signs point the way from town. Parking is next to the park entrance, and there is an entry fee.
5 km northeast of Huasca de Ocampo
Directions from Huasca de Ocampo on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Places to stay in Prismas Basálticos
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Weather cool
Prismas Basálticos shares the climate of Huasca de Ocampo, 5 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.
Make Huasca de Ocampo your base
Prismas Basálticos is an easy trip from Huasca de Ocampo, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Real del Monte · 15 km away
More around Huasca de Ocampo
-
Bosque de las Truchas
· Nature reserve · 4 km away
A family park in the woods just outside Huasca: fish for trout in its ponds, then have it grilled at the restaurants. -
Hacienda de San Miguel Regla
· Landmark · 4 km away
The first of the Count of Regla's silver haciendas, now a hotel with stone arches, old smelting ovens and lakes. -
Presa San Antonio
· Lake · 4 km away
The 1910s dam that feeds the prisms' waterfalls, built over a sunken hacienda; boat rides, horses and fishing. -
Hacienda de Santa María Regla
· Landmark · 5 km away
The Count of Regla's 1760s silver-refining hacienda beside the basalt prisms, now a hotel with its old patios and chapel. -
Peña del Aire
· Viewpoint · 9 km away
A cliff-edge lookout over the head of the Metztitlán canyon, with zip lines and an extreme swing over the drop. -
Atotonilco el Grande
· Town · 12 km away
Market town with one of Hidalgo's earliest Augustinian convents, from the 1500s, with murals of pagan philosophers on the stairway. -
Balneario Amajac
· Hot springs · 17 km away
A hot-springs water park past Atotonilco el Grande, with thermal pools, slides and a hotel.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.