PAINANI
PAINANI

PAINANI · RUN / LOCAL

43 · Nuevo León, Mexico

La Huasteca

Run the 16 km canyon road from the Santa Catarina gate to the Rompepicos dam and back, under limestone walls, on a surface a storm turned to dirt.

Road runningTrail runningOut and back
32 kmDistanceEasy mediumSite gradeMonterreyNearest base

Site grade

Easy mediumFeatured

32 km of canyon road with no climbing of note, but the asphalt was destroyed in June 2024 and the surface is now dirt and river rock. Heat is the limiter: the municipality has cut access to a 6:00 to 11:00 window during heat waves.

The experience

Thirty-two kilometres out and back on a canyon floor, on dirt and river rock where a four-lane road used to be. The gradient is slight; the heat and the exposure are not.

The park is a public-use subzone of the Cumbres de Monterrey national park, run day to day by the Santa Catarina municipality. The road to the dam was destroyed by Tropical Storm Alberto on 19 June 2024 and, as of April 2026, had still not been rebuilt.

The canyon is Monterrey's climbing area and its cycling road; the municipality lists 20 established routes for hiking, mountain biking and climbing. Residents of the ranchos up the canyon still live there and drive the dirt road, and their access has been the subject of a two-year dispute between the municipality, the state and the federal government over who rebuilds it.

Where the sources disagreeThe asphalt road to the Presa Rompepicos was destroyed by Tropical Storm Alberto on 19 June 2024 and was still destroyed in April 2026; the state water utility is replacing it with a dirt road, not a highway, and the 2023 promise of a bike path to the dam has not been delivered. Entry needs prior online registration on Ticketopolis and a QR code at the gate, 6:00 to 16:00, Tuesday to Sunday, with everyone out by 18:00; during the May 2025 heat wave the municipality cut entry to 6:00 to 11:00, and can do so again. CONANP announced a 60-peso entry fee in June 2025 and took the banner down the same day; the registration page still says entry is free, and a state deputy said in July 2025 that visitors were being charged. Check before you go. No pets, no alcohol, no loudspeakers.

Trail path

The line
you follow.

StartEntrance gate and registration booth, Parque Ecológico La Huasteca, Santa CatarinaFinishEntrance gate, Parque Ecológico La HuastecaDirectionUp the canyon road to the Presa Rompepicos, back the same way
  1. 01Entrance gate
  2. 02Río Santa Catarina crossings
  3. 03Cañón de San Judas turn-off
  4. 04Corral de Palmas
  5. 05Presa Rompepicos

Route sections

01 · The QR GateEntrance gate to the first river crossing
You show a QR code on your phone, the booth logs your route and your time in, and the walls close over the road. Entry is 6:00 to 16:00, Tuesday to Sunday.02 · The Riverbed RoadFirst river crossing to the Cañón de San Judas turn-off
Where the Río Santa Catarina took the asphalt in June 2024 there is now a graded dirt track and loose rock. Residents' pickups and cyclists use it; runners have the shoulder.03 · The Long MiddleSan Judas turn-off to Corral de Palmas
The canyon opens and the road runs straight and exposed between limestone walls. No shade to speak of and no water for sale. The sun is on you by nine.04 · The Dam TurnCorral de Palmas to the Presa Rompepicos and back
The road ends at the flood-control dam. Turn around; 16 km home into the afternoon wind, and the gate stops admitting at 16:00 and clears the park by 18:00.

Weather profile

What the sky
is likely to do.

Dry, hot canyon at the edge of the Sierra Madre Oriental. Heat waves in May have brought forecasts of 44 °C and a 6:00 to 11:00 access window. Summer storms can put the river across the road; the June 2024 storm destroyed it.

Season & timing

Managed seasonOpen Tuesday to Sunday. Entry 6:00 to 16:00; the park must be vacated by 18:00. Hours change by municipal decision, including during heat waves.Best windowNovember to March, at the 6:00 opening. In summer be back at the gate before the heat, and expect the window to be shortened.SurfaceDirt road (terracería) on the bed of the old asphalt highway, with stretches of loose rock where the river crossed it; broken asphalt survives in placesDirectionUp the canyon road to the Presa Rompepicos, back the same way

Signature moments

What you will
remember afterwards.

01

The gate opening at 6:00 with the walls still in shadow

02

The first crossing where the river took the road

03

The straight, exposed middle kilometres

04

The dam wall and the turn for home

THE ROAD

16 KM

One road, from the gate to the Rompepicos dam

Local press gives the main road through the canyon as 16 km to the flood-control dam, 32 km round trip. It carried a four-lane highway until 19 June 2024; it carries a dirt track now.

Access & logistics

AccessThe park entrance is at the west end of Santa Catarina, off the Camino a La Huasteca, 20 to 30 minutes by car or taxi from central Monterrey. Register online first; the QR code is scanned at the booth.PermitsFree entry with prior electronic registration on Ticketopolis and a QR code shown at the gate. Minors only with an adult. No pets, alcohol, fires, loudspeakers, camping outside designated areas, or removal of plants and animals. CONANP has announced, and not confirmed, a 60-peso fee for recreational users.BookingsNone beyond the registration. Certified local operators run guided climbing and hiking.WaterNone on the road. Carry everything for 32 km in a dry canyon.FoodNothing on the route. Santa Catarina has shops and restaurants at the park entrance road.Mobile coverageCoverage near the gate; do not count on it deep in the canyon.

Key hazards

  • ▲Heat above 40 °C in late spring and summer
  • ▲Flash floods on the river crossings
  • ▲Vehicles and cyclists sharing a narrow dirt road
  • ▲Loose rock and broken asphalt underfoot
  • ▲No water on the route
  • ▲Little shade for 16 km

SafetyOrientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance. Start at opening, carry all your water, and turn back early on a hot day.

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Official sources

Last verified 2026-09-16 · Record CETC-RUN-043 · Orientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance.

Photograph: Aldo Dávalos · CC BY-SA 4.0