potrero chico

An hour from Monterrey, in the municipality of Hidalgo, Potrero Chico is one of the most famous sport-climbing destinations in the world. Its limestone walls rise hundreds of meters straight out of the valley, and the combination is what makes it unique: multi-pitch routes with approaches of just minutes, something extremely rare in world climbing.

There are hundreds of bolted routes of every grade: from a first single-pitch 5.8 for beginners to internationally famous classics like Time Wave Zero or El Sendero Luminoso, twenty-plus-pitch lines that draw parties from all over the planet.

High season runs November through March: the northeastern winter is perfect for limestone and the town fills with foreign climbers staying weeks or months. In summer the heat is serious and climbing happens only early or in the shade.

Around the park there are climber campgrounds and lodgings that are part of the place's culture; there is hiking too, with trails through the valley and neighboring hills. You get there by road from Monterrey via Hidalgo, N.L.