Nacapule Canyon, San Carlos, Mexico

View from Nacapule Canyon parking lot.

Please note that I am experiencing formating problems with this site. No matter how I have tried I can't get the font straightened out. Sorry for the poor presentation.

 

Not far from San Carlos is a true desert oasis called Canon de Nacapule (Nacapule Canyon). Our friends Dennis and Drew invited us to join them for a hike there. We were joined by another of their friends, Hugh. Hugh is a retired ag commissioner, or some such thing, and is very knowledgeable about this area. He is also 78 years old - so I figured this would be my kinda hike.

The Nacapule Canyon is different from the surrounding desert area which is very dry and populated by cactus. Located just four miles north of San Carlos in the Sierra del Aguaje, Nacapule Canyon is almost a mile in length. Its believed to have formed 145 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period when dinosaurs walked the earth. Its ecosystem features subtropical flora and fauna that have created a unique microclimate. This has lead to the evolution of several endemic plant and animal species including a white-flowered jasmine and the chichimoco squirrel.

 

In the language of the Yaqui people who lived here, nacapule (pronounced knock-ah-poo-lay) means earlobe. It’s also the name given to a rare fig tree which is found in the canyon.

 

Apparently the Mexican government doesn't employ a native English speaker to proof read their signs. Some can be quite amusing.

 

The canyon was sacred to the Yaqui people — between the year-round springs for water, plentiful wildlife for food, large trees and obsidian rock for tools, the ancient people found all they needed here. Many nomadic tribes have left evidence that they also passed through here. Present-day residents are only beginning to have reverence for the canyon. Its only in the last decade or so that it has been protected. Today, Nacapule Canyon is a preserved area. In addition to signs leading to its parking area there are signs describing the canyon, its history and plants and animals.

 

 

 

As we started off the sky was overcast and there seemed to be a chance of rain for the afternoon. The trail, unlike most Mexican trails that we have attempted to hike, was very well marked - in the beginning. In 2009, Hurricane Jimena brought heavy rains to these mountains, which resulted in devastating floods and rock fall throughout Nacapule. Uprooted palm trees and immense boulders make this walk much more difficult than it used to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At first the trail passed through scrub and low flowering plants. I could hear hummingbirds and busied myself with searching for them and photographing the flowers. The canyon entrance is reported to be heavily populated with hummingbirds, including Costa's, Black-chinned and Broad-billed.

 

 

 

I have tried to identify the flowers here but I can't find them in my Baja plant book. I will have to seriously expand my library the next time I get to a bookstore.

This red flower is in the pea family like many of the plants in this region.

 

 

Hugh on left, Greg to rear and Dennis on right.

The other members of the group were primarily interested in hiking and seeing the canyon, and I was encouraged to hurry and keep up with the group.

 

Within the canyon, there are canyon and rock wrens, great-horned owl, red-tailed hawk, various vireos and flycatchers. In the spring, orioles can be found in the palm trees and in winter there are rock wrens and wintering hummingbirds. Unfortunately for me, I never saw a single bird. No one else did either. I was really hoping to see the wildlife in this interesting location and was very disappointed that my fellow hikers, with the exception of Drew, didn't share my interest.

It wasn't long until the first signs of water appeared. Here the underground flow is seeping up in the trail. The information sign had mentioned a waterfall in the canyon and seeing it was our goal.

 

 

 

I wasn't sure whether this was a Nacapule tree or not since I hadn't taken the time to study the one at the sign. From the descriptions I have read and its fig like growth pattern I think it is.

 

 

 
I love the "ride" part in this sign. I guess before the hurricane people could actually ride the ORVs up the canyon. That certainly wasn't the case for us. The well marked trail soon disappeared and was all boulder climbing. I was amazed at how well Hugh did with his walking stick.

 

 

 

 

The chichimoco squirrel is one of the creatures I never saw. After returning I read another person's blog about their trip to Nacapule Canyon and they mentioned that they had seen and photographed a coral snake while there. In case you don't know, the coral snake is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. I also read on Wikipedia that the snake is very timid and there are very few bites to humans (recorded anyway).  If I had been bitten by this snake when I was a mile back amid huge boulders, I would have been a goner for sure. When I told Greg that I was glad I hadn't seen this guy he told me that that surprised him. Considering what I have done in the past he thought I would have been down on the ground eye to eye with him trying to get a got picture.

The palms had already flowered and were setting fruit.

 

 

Greg got in some really great hiking.

 

We walked for at least a mile and the water fall never was found. Drew and I weren't really interested in climbing any more ten foot tall boulders and Drew was also beginning to worry about getting back before it started to rain. The three guys wanted to go a little further so we decided on 20 minutes. After 30 Drew and I decided to head back down by ourselves. She and I had a really good time climbing together. The guys were obviously much faster at this "hiking" than either of us since they caught up to us in short order.

 

As we drove back to San Carlos the skies opened up and it POURED

 

 

 

 

http://www.conanp.gob.mx/english.php
If you are interested in more information about the protected areas of Mexico visit the CONANP site above. There is very interesting information about the history of conservation in Mexico.

 

The mission of the Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas is to:

Conserve the natural heritage of Mexicothrough Protected Areas and other forms of preservation, by promoting a culture of conservation and the sustainable development of communities living in their own environment.