← Part of Canada de la Virgen
Stairway to Heaven
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 3.49 mi
- Elevation gain
- 482 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Easy
- Elevation loss
- 482 ft
- Max elevation
- 6,866 ft
- TrailRank
- 43
- Min elevation
- 6,507 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 2 hours 13 minutes
- Coordinates
- 604
- Uploaded
- May 9, 2016
- Recorded
- May 2016
near La Angostura, Guanajuato (Mexico)
Viewed 2496 times, downloaded 34 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
May 8, 2016 8:52 am
This hike is in the Canada de la Virgen canyon system near San Miguel de Allende, MX. It is in the same general area as the Jesuit Cave hike. This hike starts with a walk across a plateau formed by a loop in the arm of the canyon that you will drop into later. On the far side of the plateau (1.2 mi.) you will find picturesque views of a large presa (reservoir) formed by and earthen dam across the canyon. The trail then winds along the edge of the plateau above the canyon until you come to a difficult to find crevice that you can descend to the canyon bottom (2.1 mi.). The name of this hike comes from the fact that there are steps carved into the rock in this crevice that allow for a fairly simple descent. The steps were probably built in the early 20th century durring the Christos War when local campasinos loyal to the church allowed Jesuits to hide in this area. At the canyon bottom are more signs of the Jesuit settlement; The Jesuit Cave - an overhang in the cliff that was at one time walled in and used as a home, a large metate used for grinding grain, another dam and presa with channels carved in the stone (maybe a lavandaria?), and several one and two room stone houses. If you poke around the cliff base you may also find small nichos that look man-made. From here the trail follows the stream through the canyon bottom to another Jesuit house(mi. 2.8) and a gate through a fence (mi. 2.9). From there the trail winds up the the far side of the canyon back to the starting point.
This hike is in the Canada de la Virgen canyon system near San Miguel de Allende, MX. It is in the same general area as the Jesuit Cave hike. This hike starts with a walk across a plateau formed by a loop in the arm of the canyon that you will drop into later. On the far side of the plateau (1.2 mi.) you will find picturesque views of a large presa (reservoir) formed by and earthen dam across the canyon. The trail then winds along the edge of the plateau above the canyon until you come to a difficult to find crevice that you can descend to the canyon bottom (2.1 mi.). The name of this hike comes from the fact that there are steps carved into the rock in this crevice that allow for a fairly simple descent. The steps were probably built in the early 20th century durring the Christos War when local campasinos loyal to the church allowed Jesuits to hide in this area. At the canyon bottom are more signs of the Jesuit settlement; The Jesuit Cave - an overhang in the cliff that was at one time walled in and used as a home, a large metate used for grinding grain, another dam and presa with channels carved in the stone (maybe a lavandaria?), and several one and two room stone houses. If you poke around the cliff base you may also find small nichos that look man-made. From here the trail follows the stream through the canyon bottom to another Jesuit house(mi. 2.8) and a gate through a fence (mi. 2.9). From there the trail winds up the the far side of the canyon back to the starting point.
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