Sierra Madre Voyage Tips and guide

Mexico's Sierra Madre is a mountain range that covers most of Mexico. Almost all Mexican states have mountainous areas that are part of the Sierra Madre. The Sierra Madre are often referred to as three major mountain ranges surrounding a large central high plain known as the Altiplano. Several sub-ranges are commonly referred to locally, though all are part of the Sierra Madre.

The three major ranges that comprise the Sierra Madre areː

• 26.745722-108.0578611 Sierra Madre Occidental is the largest mountainous area in Mexico, running along the western side of the country, including much of the states of Sonora and Chihuahua. The Sierra Madre Occidental includes a number of smaller, regional mountain ranges, several national parks (including the scenic Sierra de Organos National Park), and the famous Copper Canyon with its deep ravines, sheer drops, and one of the world's most iconic train rides.
• 25.366667-100.552 Sierra Madre Oriental is the mountainous region south of the eastern Mexico/U.S. border and extending south toward Mexico City. The range includes much of the states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon, as well as areas of Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi. Several national parks are located in this mountain range, including Mexico's largest non-marine park, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park.
• 17.55-100.33 Sierra Madre del Sur is the southernmost mountainous region in Mexico extending to the border of Guatemala. It includes most of the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero and large areas of neighboring states.

The Altiplano is a high-plains region that lies between the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental.

The Sierra de Baja California is a range that runs across the length of the Baja peninsula. Geologically, it is part of the Sierra Madre Occidental (despite having the Gulf of California in between).

• Copper Canyon - huge canyon system in the Sierra Madre Occidental, visited by tourists via the famous Copper Canyon Train (El Chepe), one of the world's most scenic train trips. Catch the train in Creel on the eastern end or Los Mochis on the western end.

Many Mexican national parks are heavily mountainous. Parks in the Sierra Madre mountains includeː

• Cumbres de Monterrey National Park - largest park in the Sierra Madre
• Pico de Orizaba National Park - tallest mountain in Mexico
• Basaseachic Falls National Park - tallest waterfall in Mexico
• Sierra de Organos National Park - amazing rock formations that resemble a pipe organ

A region of very high volcanic activity called the Trans Mexican Volcano Belt stretches across Central Mexico and includes areas of both the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental. This is not a separate mountain range, but is an area with frequent eruptions and earthquakes. It is also a concentration of Mexico's highest peaks. The 19 highest peaks in Mexico are all within this area, including three peaks over 5,000 m (16,404 ft): Pico de Orizaba (5,610 m), Popocatapetl (5,426 m), and Iztaccihuatl (5,220 m). Many of the major mountains and volcanoes of this region are part of Mexico national parks.

Interesting volcanoes in the Sierra Madre includeː

• Paricutin - new volcano that first appeared in 1943, destroying two nearby villages
• Orizaba - tallest volcano in North America at 5,636 meters
• Popocateptl and Iztacchuatl - the second and third highest mountains in Mexico are the twin volcanoes lying just east of Mexico City
• Nevado de Toluca - Mexico's fourth highest mountain has twin volcanic craters and is often capped with snow and ice (giving it its name)
• Volcan de Colima - also known as Volcan de Fuego is an active volcano that is one of the world's most potentially deadly not only to its active state but to the large population nearby, earning it the designation Decade Volcano

There are thousands of small mountain towns throughout the Sierra Madre. Many towns in the Bajio region were wealthy mining towns. The most scenic and tranquil towns earn the designation of Pueblo Mágico. Some interesting mountain towns includeː

• Jalpan - small town in the Sierra Gorda region of Queretaro, historic missions are a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Huautla - famous for its extensive underground labyrinth of deep caves and indigenous shaman with psychedelic mushrooms
• Real de Catorce - known as a ghost town, the former mining community is popular with adventure dreamers and artists
• Sombrerete - picturesque colonial town on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
• Huasca de Ocampo - known for its waterfalls splashing over basalt prisms
• Tepoztlan - scenic town south of Mexico City with a national park and a mountain topped by an Aztec temple
• Cuetzalan - ruins of the Totonac civilization of Yohualichan with lots of colonial character and several waterfalls close to town
• Huejotzingo - sip local cider, celebrate Carnival, and see some of the oldest monasteries in Mexico (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
• Zacatlán - highland town that's frequently engulfed by the clouds
• Mazamitla- colonial town in the highlands of Jalisco, stay in a cabin in a cool pine forest
• San Sebastián del Oeste - ghost town of a mining community, close to Puerto Vallarta, home to a distilled spirits called raicilla