PAINANI
PAINANI

PAINANI · RUN / LOCAL

48 · Jalisco, Mexico

Bosque La Primavera

Guadalajara's training forest: a 17 km loop of dirt road and single-track through pine and oak, 2.2 km inside the Mariano Otero gate, on the course of the city's own trail race.

Trail runningLoop
17 kmDistance400 mElevation gainEasy mediumSite gradeGuadalajaraNearest base

Site grade

Easy mediumFeatured

400 m of gain over 17 km with a high point of 2,086 m: nothing steep for long, and nothing technical beyond loose ground on the descents. The heat and the fire season are the real constraints.

The experience

The Cañadas loop is 17 km with 400 m of gain, all of it between 1,900 and 2,086 m on dirt road and sandy single-track. Nothing is steep for long. The ground is volcanic pumice that runs fast and slides on the descents.

It is a working forest, not a park: the roads are shared with cyclists at 25 km/h, the gate at Mariano Otero opens at 7:00, and the biggest risk on the calendar is fire in the dry months.

The forest was decreed a federal protected area on 6 March 1980 and named a UNESCO biosphere reserve on 27 October 2006. It is administered by a state public body, the OPD Bosque La Primavera, in agreement with the private owners and ejidos who hold the land. Mountain biking has been practised here for more than 30 years, which is why the OPD's visitor pages are written for cyclists first.

Where the sources disagreeThe OPD rules published in 2026 give general entry 8:00 to 17:00 with stays until 18:00, and at Mariano Otero entry 7:00 to 17:00 with stays until 19:00; in March 2026 the OPD said vehicles enter at Mariano Otero only from 7:00 to 13:00. The Cañadas loop is marked only on race day; the rest of the year you follow it by GPX from the organizer's Wikiloc embeds, and the OPD requires you to stay on roads and paths open to the public. Fire is banned all year, and the forest burned in April 2019; do not run it in smoke. The forest is private and ejido land inside a federal protected area, and the OPD warns that all activities are at the visitor's own risk. Whether a per-person fee is charged at the Mariano Otero gate is not stated in the OPD's current rules; carry cash for it.

Trail path

The line
you follow.

StartPrimavera Pic-nic RC Club, 2.2 km inside the Prolongación Mariano Otero gateFinishPrimavera Pic-nic RC ClubDirectionClockwise as raced: out through Reserva La Cuesta and the Espinazo, over the high point to Vaca Muerta, and down to the club.
  1. 01Pic-nic RC Club
  2. 02Reserva La Cuesta
  3. 03Espinazo
  4. 04Pinitos (km 10.5)
  5. 05Vaca Muerta (km 13)
  6. 06Pic-nic RC Club

Route sections

01 · The Sand RoadPic-nic RC Club to the Espinazo
Wide dirt road and sandy track out of the club and through the Reserva La Cuesta. Runnable and exposed; this is where the sun finds you after ten in the morning.02 · The First HumpEspinazo to Pinitos
The Espinazo ridge lifts the loop to a first crest near 2,050 m and drops it again. Pinitos, at km 10.5, is where the organizer puts the marker.03 · The 2,086 LinePinitos to Vaca Muerta
A 2.5 km climb to the loop's high point at 2,086 m, then the drop into Vaca Muerta at km 13. The pumice is loose; this is the section runners talk about.04 · The Five HomeVaca Muerta to Pic-nic RC Club
Five kilometres down, with one short climb before the club. Cyclists share these roads; keep right on the bends.

Weather profile

What the sky
is likely to do.

Dry and warm from November to May, with the fire season at its worst in March, April and May; rains from June to October make the pumice firm and the mornings cool. Sun exposure on the sand roads is the daily problem.

Season & timing

Managed seasonOpen every day. General entry 8:00 to 17:00, stay until 18:00; Mariano Otero gate entry 7:00 to 17:00, stay until 19:00, per the OPD rules PDF.Best windowJuly to October, at the 7:00 opening, when the rains have settled the dust and the fire risk is lowest.Race timingUltra Trail La Primavera ran its 11th edition on 23 and 24 January 2026 from the Pic-nic RC Club; the organizer lists the next edition as 2027, date to be announced.SurfaceDirt vehicle roads, sandy single-track, loose pumice on the descentsDirectionClockwise as raced: out through Reserva La Cuesta and the Espinazo, over the high point to Vaca Muerta, and down to the club.

Signature moments

What you will
remember afterwards.

01

The gate opening at 7:00 with cyclists already queued

02

Sand roads through the Reserva La Cuesta

03

The high point after Pinitos

04

The pumice drop through Vaca Muerta

HECTARES

30,500

A federal protected forest on the city's west edge

The OPD Bosque La Primavera states that the Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna La Primavera was decreed on 6 March 1980 with 30,500 hectares across Zapopan, Tlajomulco, Tala and El Arenal, and became a UNESCO biosphere reserve on 27 October 2006.

Access & logistics

AccessDrive or ride Prolongación Mariano Otero west out of Zapopan to Caseta 1. The Pic-nic RC Club, where the race starts, is 2.2 km inside the gate along the main dirt road. Vehicles enter at this gate only until 13:00; on foot or by bicycle you can enter until 17:00.PermitsNo permit. The OPD rules: stay on roads and paths open to the public, no fire of any kind, no motorcycles or quads, no glass or alcohol, no hunting, respect private property, 25 km/h maximum. The rules PDF does not state an entry fee; carry cash in case one is charged at the gate.BookingsNone to run the loop. The race sells places online by distance until they are gone, with no waiting list.WaterNone on the loop. Carry it all; the Pic-nic RC Club is the only stop and its hours are not published.FoodNothing on the route. Eat before the gate.Mobile coverageCoverage near the gate; do not count on it in the cañadas.DurationNo published time for the loop outside the race.

Key hazards

  • ▲Fire and smoke in the dry season, with an all-year ban on any fire
  • ▲Cyclists on shared dirt roads, speed limit 25 km/h
  • ▲Vehicles on the main road until 13:00 at Mariano Otero
  • ▲Loose pumice on the descents
  • ▲No water on the loop
  • ▲Heat and sun on open sand roads after mid-morning

SafetyOrientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance. Start at opening, carry all your water, keep right for cyclists, and stay out of the forest when there is smoke.

Read the OPD forest rules →Request this run →

We track ground truth. Send a field note after your run: three photos, ground condition, the signature moment, the local anchor.

Official sources

Last verified 2026-09-16 · Record CETC-RUN-048 · Orientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance.

Photograph: Mexikansi72 · CC0