15 Nature Parks near Xochitepec, Morelos: Map & Photos

15 parks and reserves · within 60 km

There are 15 parks and reserves within 60 km of Xochitepec in a straight line, an hour or a little more by road. The closest is Parque Estatal Cerro de la Tortuga, 17 km away; the farthest, Desierto de los Leones, is 58 km. They are listed under the Pueblos Mágicos of Tlaltizapán, Malinalco, and Metepec, 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 15

Parque Estatal Cerro de la Tortuga · Nature reserve · 17 km from Xochitepec · Morelos
A 310 ha state park (2012) between Zacatepec and Puente de Ixtla, one of the last patches of tropical dry forest in south-central Morelos.
Reserva Estatal Sierra de Montenegro · Nature reserve · 18 km from Xochitepec · Morelos
A 7,724 ha state reserve across Jiutepec, Yautepec, Emiliano Zapata and Tlaltizapán, with some of Morelos's best tropical dry forest left.
Cañón de Lobos · Nature reserve · 21 km from Xochitepec · Morelos
Dry-forest canyon between Cuernavaca and Yautepec, crossed by Federal Highway 138; 148 butterfly species and a favourite climb for road cyclists.
Las Estacas · Nature reserve · 22 km from Xochitepec · Near Tlaltizapán
A spring-fed river so clear you can see the bottom, inside a park where you swim, snorkel and float downstream.
Bosque Mirador · Nature reserve · 23 km from Xochitepec · Morelos
About 22 ha of pine forest in Ahuatepec, north of Cuernavaca; a municipal protected area since 2016, next to the Chichinautzin corridor.
Corredor Biológico Chichinautzin · Nature reserve · 28 km from Xochitepec · Morelos
Federal protected area of 37,302 ha, decreed in 1988: pine, oak and fir forest between Cuernavaca, Tepoztlán and Huitzilac, linking Zempoala and El Tepozteco.
Desierto del Carmen · Nature reserve · 28 km from Xochitepec · Near Malinalco
A forested national park around a secluded Carmelite convent, with clifftop lookouts over the Malinalco valley.
Parque Nacional El Tepozteco · Nature reserve · 32 km from Xochitepec · Morelos
About 23,000 ha of volcanic sierra between Tepoztlán and southern Mexico City: pine and oak forest, dry tropical woods and the Tepozteco pyramid.
Bosque de Agua · Nature reserve · 41 km from Xochitepec · Estado de México
The forest corridor between Mexico City, Toluca and Cuernavaca that feeds all three cities' aquifers; visit it at Zempoala, La Marquesa or Ajusco.
Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Huautla · Nature reserve · 43 km from Xochitepec · Near Tlaltizapán
A UNESCO-recognized reserve of tropical dry forest in Morelos' far south, best explored with a local guide.
La Marquesa · Nature reserve · 55 km from Xochitepec · Near Metepec
Pine-forest valleys on the Toluca–Mexico City highway, popular on weekends for horseback rides, trout and quesadillas.
Los Dinamos · Nature reserve · 56 km from Xochitepec · Ciudad de México
Forested canyon of the Río Magdalena, the city's last living river: waterfalls, climbing walls, trout and old Porfirian power plants.
Parque nacional Fuentes Brotantes de Tlalpan · Nature reserve · 56 km from Xochitepec · Ciudad de México
National park declared in 1936, with Ajusco springs, a lake of ducks and turtles, trails and food stalls; about 8 of its 129 hectares remain.
Bosque de Tlalpan · Nature reserve · 57 km from Xochitepec · Ciudad de México
A 253-hectare urban park on Xitle lava: running tracks, mountain trails, a duck lake and traces of Cuicuilco. Open daily.
Desierto de los Leones · Nature reserve · 58 km from Xochitepec · Ciudad de México
Mexico's first national park: fir forest above the city around a 17th-century Carmelite convent with hermitages and a whispering chapel.