Is El Potrero Chico Open For Climbing?

Hey guys,

I read that the state of Nuevo Leon is now classified as Orange in the Mexican government's stop light system so they should theoretically be in the process of reopening. Does anyone know if El Potrero Chico has reopened for climbing? 

Talked to Mario of Ranchero today. EPC is open, campgrounds are opening. I know people that have driven through the border recently. I'm waiting until I hear from more locals in the area to see if visiting this winter is acceptable. 

That's correct, I got here yesterday and can confirm that everything has reopened here and the locals seem to be welcoming of visitors. It's pretty deserted though, I'm one of three people staying at Ranchero

This is off topic but since you're down there can you give me the scoop on the climbing community down there? Im fairly new to outdoor climbing but I'm gonna be traveling around Mexico soon and want to get some climbing in. I saw they have climbing guides at for potrero chico but I'm also wondering if its easy to find climbing partners/groups down there? I want to be able to climb with knowledgable people down there without having to always drop a chunk of money to do it. 

Nicole,

Potrero is very social, and it is typically easy to find partners during the season if you just go anywhere the climbers hang out - campgrounds, the canyon, Leo's, Buho, etc.

May be harder than normal right now, but I would bet still doable. You can also post for partners on Mountain Project, or on the EPC FB page, which is very active.

Covid + the fact that it's the off season has left many of the local hang out spots that Brice mentioned deserted. The canyon has been pretty much empty on weekdays however there have been a decent amount of Mexican climbers here on weekends. I've been able to meet partners by staying at Ranchero but to put into it perspective there are currently 6 guests here including myself and the owners were telling me that they typically have around 200 during the peak season. Traveling here solo seems to be a common practice so I'm sure that you'll be able to find someone.

EPC is super easy to go to by yourself and find partners. Id say about 30% of the people I've met there the last 2 seasons are solo traveling.  

Talked to a friend working at El Buho today that just got down there a few days ago, he said that the climbers are being welcomed in the area, so it should be okay this year. I would reach out on the FB page closer to when you wanted to go to see how the relationship between the climbers and the town of Hidalgo is though.  

Campgrounds & El Buho/Leos are great place to find partners.  Be careful when picking your partners and be honest about your experience level though, there's tons of knowledgeable safe climbers down there, but unfortunately hearing someone yell to their partner how to clean an anchor while they are on the wall is fairly common at crags like Virgin Canyon & Mota wall.  

Peak season is December-February, and New Years time is an absolute shit show in the canyon.   

Have a fun and safe trip! 

Family of 4 planning on driving down to EPC, any info on ease of Laredo border crossing? Permits/visa needed? I read something about needing supplemental vehicle insurance?

I'm also wondering about the border situation. Was planning on driving my van down there this winter.

I've spoken to a handful of people that have driven across the border recently and they all said that it was surprisingly easy. Mexican customs asked them what their plans were and that was about it. I'm not sure as to what driving into the U.S is like though but you can't possibly have any issues if you're a U.S citizen or Green Card holder. 

Nico Gorodischevwrote:

I've spoken to a handful of people that have driven across the border recently and they all said that it was surprisingly easy. Mexican customs asked them what their plans were and that was about it. I'm not sure as to what driving into the U.S is like though but you can't possibly have any issues if you're a U.S citizen or Green Card holder. 

Do you know if you have to lie about what your plans are or can you just say you're going climbing?

I am planning on coming down in a few weeks to stay for the season - However I'll be working remotely for my employer during the days (M-F). I would absolutely love if somebody could give me some WiFi beta on the data speeds and latency ( speedtest.net if you are connected) for any hostel but I'm hoping to stay at Ranchero Sendero again.

Thanks!

Schuyler Baer wrote:

Do you know if you have to lie about what your plans are or can you just say you're going climbing?

I've spoken to a number of people that simply said that they were going to EPC to climb when crossing the border. Some other friends of mine weren't asked any questions at all since the customs officers didn't speak English and their Spanish is very limited. You should be fine. The border is only closed for non U.S citizens that want to drive into the U.S for non essential purposes. 

Adelore Lessard wrote:

I am planning on coming down in a few weeks to stay for the season - However I'll be working remotely for my employer during the days (M-F). I would absolutely love if somebody could give me some WiFi beta on the data speeds and latency ( speedtest.net if you are connected) for any hostel but I'm hoping to stay at Ranchero Sendero again.

Thanks!

I just left Rancho the other day after a three week stay. I never tested the wifi speed there but I worked remotely out of there the entire time that I was there. The wifi there is not the greatest but it's definitely fast enough for video conference calls and basic web surfing. It did tend to worsen after 9pm or so for some reason. It's going to be a little tough to work with if you're doing anything particularly bandwidth heavy like running code or downloading/watching high def videos. There also aren't really any comfortable places to work out of, the most comfortable spot to work out of is on one of the tables in the restaurant. However the owners are in the process of building a coworking space. I had a great time there otherwise! It's also the only hostel in Hidalgo that I know of at least.

Nico Gorodischevwrote:

I just left Rancho the other day after a three week stay. I never tested the wifi speed there but I worked remotely out of there the entire time that I was there. The wifi there is not the greatest but it's definitely fast enough for video conference calls and basic web surfing. It did tend to worsen after 9pm or so for some reason. It's going to be a little tough to work with if you're doing anything particularly bandwidth heavy like running code or downloading/watching high def videos. There also aren't really any comfortable places to work out of, the most comfortable spot to work out of is on one of the tables in the restaurant. However the owners are in the process of building a coworking space. I had a great time there otherwise! It's also the only hostel in Hidalgo that I know of at least.

Thank you for the thorough answer. It is much appreciated.

In case anyone else happens to be at Ranchero or any other hostel/campground - I would still be very interested in the wifi speed, specifically the latency figure.

I know this is kinda like asking you to predict the future, but does anyone know what EPC might look like for New Year's? Do locals expect there to be crowds? Will restaurants/hostels/etc be open? 

Hi all, 

Please check the post “Mezcalito de new camping at La Huasteca”
50 mins from the MTY airport or from EPC

Another great option for rock climbing 

Peter Zabrok will be presenting his book Hooking up on Nov 14th, 2020

Regards,  

Marcelo Gonz

Alberto Matamoroswrote:

I know this is kinda like asking you to predict the future, but does anyone know what EPC might look like for New Year's? Do locals expect there to be crowds? Will restaurants/hostels/etc be open? 

Predicting the future, I expect everything to be open and busy but not as busy as past years.

Lee Sgtwrote:

EPC is super easy to go to by yourself and find partners. Id say about 30% of the people I've met there the last 2 seasons are solo traveling.  

Talked to a friend working at El Buho today that just got down there a few days ago, he said that the climbers are being welcomed in the area, so it should be okay this year. I would reach out on the FB page closer to when you wanted to go to see how the relationship between the climbers and the town of Hidalgo is though.  

Campgrounds & El Buho/Leos are great place to find partners.  Be careful when picking your partners and be honest about your experience level though, there's tons of knowledgeable safe climbers down there, but unfortunately hearing someone yell to their partner how to clean an anchor while they are on the wall is fairly common at crags like Virgin Canyon & Mota wall.  

Peak season is December-February, and New Years time is an absolute shit show in the canyon.   

Have a fun and safe trip! 

New Years at EPC is an absolute shit show in a good or bad way??

Where's the cheapest place to park my van

Ryan Lwrote:

New Years at EPC is an absolute shit show in a good or bad way??

Is a shit show ever a good thing? I don't think so.