Hiking in Mexico City (?!?)

Arriving back in CDMX from my lonelier than expected stay in San Miguel De Allende, I was thrilled to hit the ground running again in the vibrance of the capital. On Saturday I received a text from my dear friend Bella, my Mexico City source of all things must-see and must-do. We have known each other since Kindergarten, and around a decade ago she pulled up her roots from Northern California and relocated to Colonia Tacubaya in CDMX where she runs her own creative shop and is generally chic as hell.

The text read: “Want to go hiking tomorrow? Bring pesos for the entrance fee and quesadillas.”

I asked zero questions. Every activity in life should involve quesadillas in my book, and combining them with outdoor exercise was a new and welcome integrative experience. We arranged to meet at her place in Tacubaya, dubbed TacuBella, obviously, the next morning at nine.

We took an Uber 30 minutes outside the city to Parque Los Dinamos, with Bella directing the driver to the second highest of the four levels serving as starting points for trekking. After our first trail took us on a meandering and mostly flat 60 minute stroll through a river and past a few cows, we decided to break for snacks.

Fortified by cerveza, tacos, quesadillas and gorditas, we headed back to the trails to explore the next tier of Los Dinamos. I could not get over the quiet, the waterfalls, the greenery, all a quick ride from one of the busiest sprawling metropolises the world has to offer. We dangled our feet in the icy water of the river, a balm to the heat of the day and sat on warm boulders, absorbing the warmth like lizards.

Maybe Parque Los Dinamos isn’t a hidden gem so much as a counterintuitive jewel, as most people don’t land in CDMX with the intention of lacing up their hiking boots. It was a unique experience that felt like a secret between me and the locals enjoying their Sunday taking a dip or wandering the cool paths.