7 parks and reserves · within 60 km
There are 7 parks and reserves within 60 km of Santiago in a straight line, an hour or a little more by road. The closest is Cañón de Matacanes, 16 km away; the farthest, Cañón de la Carbonera, is 59 km. They are listed under the Pueblos Mágicos of Santiago, Arteaga, and General Terán, which make good bases.
Parks and reserves are best on weekdays and early in the day. Bring water, and check the opening hours, since some close one day a week.
Best months, when most of these towns are dry with comfortable afternoons: Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.
The Nature Parks 7
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Cañón de Matacanes · Nature reserve · 16 km from Santiago
Mexico's best-known canyoneering route: a full day of jumps, rappels, natural slides and swims through caves in the mountains above Santiago. -
Hidrofobia · Nature reserve · 18 km from Santiago
The wilder, more technical sister of Matacanes: a canyon of cold pools and jumps of up to 18 meters, starting at the foot of El Chipitín. -
Parque Natural La Estanzuela · Nature reserve · 19 km from Santiago · Nuevo León
A wooded canyon park on Monterrey's southern edge where the city got its first drinking water: a cobbled riverside path and a hike to El Cielo falls. -
Parque Ecológico Chipinque · Nature reserve · 31 km from Santiago · Nuevo León
A 1,791-hectare forest reserve on the mountain above San Pedro and Monterrey, with 37 trails, a 1930s general's house and guided climbs to La M. -
Parque La Huasteca · Nature reserve · 40 km from Santiago · Nuevo León
A limestone canyon cut by the Santa Catarina river on Monterrey's western edge, with walls over 550 m high, hundreds of climbing routes and rappel hikes. -
Parque Recreativo Sabino Gordo · Nature reserve · 52 km from Santiago · Near General Terán
A free family park outside General Terán around a sabino tree said to be about 1,000 years old, with pools and palapas. -
Cañón de la Carbonera · Nature reserve · 59 km from Santiago · Near Arteaga
A wooded canyon east of Arteaga for guided canyoneering: rappels of up to 30 meters, clear pools, jumps, and small waterfalls.
On the map
Distances are in a straight line; roads add about a third.
Where to stay
The Pueblos Mágicos these places are closest to, each with hotels, food and getting-there notes.
More places like these
Nature Parks elsewhere
Names and locations from OpenStreetMap; notes and write-ups are our own.