Los Dinamos National Park

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There’s more than just a little bit of great outdoors to the great metropolis. Los Dinamos is a Natural Protected Area in the city’s southwest. The name comes from the power generation facilities built to support the area’s textiles mills in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

With a total area of 2,429 hectares of forest, there’s also a 26 kilometer network of eco-paths that can be followed on bikes or in a sturdy pair of hiking boots. Guests come to the park for rock climbing, zip lining, rappelling, camping, trout fishing and for horseback riding. It’s also a great place for kids.

Things to Do at Los Dinamos

Runners take to those 26 miles of trails, but you’ll see plenty of other people training for all kinds of outdoor activities and sports. If you are lucky and you venture in far enough, wildlife includes axolotls, volcano mice, harlequin quail, teporingos, the zacatero sparrow, hummingbirds, swifts, falcons or wild rabbits.

Like any national park, the truly spectacular locations need some time and patience to get to. Lots of visitors will stick to the beginners’ trails. But with patience and perseverance, there are big rewards. There are trails suitable for mere walks in the park on up to serious hiking treks.

Getting There

Los Dinamos is just part of the Natural Protected Area of ​​the Contreras Canyon Forests, in the alcaldia Magdalena Contreras. You can get there by car by following one of the avenues, San Francisco, San Jerónimo or Camino a Santa Teresa up to the Canyon.

From metro Miguel Angel de Quevedo or metro Copilco, buses depart every 40 minutes and proceed to the Avenida San Jeronimo and Guadalupe. The entrance to Los Dinamos park is a 15-minute walk up Calle Guadalupe, although very often a taxi will be waiting there to take you further into the park.

Along the way, many visitors will stop for lunch in Magdalena Atlitic, the last small town before the entrance to the park.

Note: Although on weekends more food is available, Los Dinamos can become crowded. Going on weekdays nearly always ensures a more peaceful and less crowded visit. It’s a lot to see and experience and guides are available to show you some of the more outstanding vistas and points of interest.