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Hike Tepalo Canyon

The hike up Tepalo Cañon behind Ajijic is not a particularly difficult trek, and takes you into a nicely wooded part of the mountain. It is especially nice during the rainy season, as there is a small waterfall near the top of the canyon that dries up the rest of the year. There are some spectacular views of Lake Chapala, Isla de los Alacranes, and the north shore settlements.

To get there, you turn up toward the mountains on Encarnacion Rosas, the street next to the donut shop that leads up to the Min Wah Chinese restaurant. The road forks and you keep to the right, which is Tepalo. When the street ends you curve to the right and you will see the trailhead on your left, with space for a car or two to park. If it is a weekend day in rainy season there may already be cars there, you can park along the road.

The trail is not marked, but is easy to follow, anyplace it splits in two it generally joins-up again a short way further on. There is a small stream that it crosses several times, you can generally find enough rocks in place to cross over without getting wet. Of course in the dry season that is a dry streambed.

Near the top of the canyon there is a small waterfall, and another trail goes off to the west -- that leads to the little chapel on the hill visible above Ajijic. The Tepalo trail continues up past the waterfall into a nearly level bowl before climbing further to the ridgetop.

I noticed the ruined foundation of some small structure along the trail at that level area -- I'm not sure if it was from prehistoric activity or a small hut constructed in Revolutionary times (1910-21) or earlier. It could have been a temporary residence for banditos or insurgents, or it may have been a small chapel. Use your imagination!