Pico Piñón

Overview

Pico Piñón is the second lowest of the seven high peaks on the Cerro de Las Mitras but is probably the least climbed perhaps because the very final stretch to reach the summit (about 20 meters) is a class 5 climb. It is located on the western half of Las Mitras between Pico Pirámide to the east and Pico Cuauhtémoc to the west, and both of them greatly restrict the view from the summit since they are much higher and massive. It is quite an adventure getting to this peak; the first section of the trail is an easy walk-up then it gets fairly steep and it zig-zags across a scree gully until it reaches a fairly flat section that runs along a towering wall (wich was opened by miners many decades ago) with an almost vertical drop facing the many canyons to the north; then it runs into one of the many mines in this mountain where you have to cross an old narrow log bridge and dodge a couple of other deep vertical tunnels in the darkness for about one hundred meters to get to the other end and continue into a class 3 scramble section before reaching the Puerto Piñón - Cuauhtémoc; at this point you take the trail to the left and after another short scramble section you get to the vertical wall below the small summit.
The best view of the peak is from the south side of the mountain, from wich you can admire the stealthy shape of the peak with it`s 120 meter vertical wall, the main reason why the trail doesn`t go up that side.

Getting There

This mountain sits on the western end of the city of Monterrey, so from downtown get to Gonzalitos Ave. and then take Paseo de los Leones Ave. to the west all the way up to the end of it at the Residencial Cumbres
neighborhood, make a left turn on Richard Byrd St. and a few blocks ahead is Sevilla St, where you should leave the car and walk up across the empty property on the left to reach the trailhead at the bottom of the mountain.

Red Tape

No permits or fees are required.
Pack your trash out and please NO CAMPFIRES!!!

When To Climb

The best months are from October trough April, to avoid the high heat of summer. It is NOT recommended to climb in wet conditions.

Camping

You can camp in the mines area only, there are no more flat spots around.

Mountain Conditions

N/A

Images

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