La Antena / Canal 5

Approach

Driving east on Eloy Cavazos avenue in Guadalupe N.L., just past the Paseo de las Americas intersection exit to the feeder road and then immediately to the right at the big curve and on to Bosques del Valle street, then turn left on Bosques de la Cima street, drive along the creek and up the same street that changes it`s name to Bosques de la Pastora for a few blocks to it`s end at Josè Tablada street and park your vehicle there.
There is a dirt road that starts at the curve and goes up the hillside, this is the start of the route.

Route Description

This route is the easiest on Cerro de la Silla, it goes along the dirt / gravel 4x4 road and it`s pretty straight forward. The road turns rocky and gets very steep at times as it winds up the bush covered lower slopes.
After about an hour hiking at a good pace the route passes by "La Placa" wich is nothing more than the concrete roof of an old abandoned cogway station; a lot of people only hike to this point or take a break here before continuing. A few more yards ahead is a giant crucifix on the left side of the road; at about 15 minutes later there is trail that splits to the right (south) marked by a yellow sign, this trail is a traversing (20-25 min.) route that connects to Los Elefantes route just above the spot known as "La Carbonera", it is an interesting route that downclimbs to the creek between Pico La Antena and Pico Norte and the one of choice for the people wanting to climb the latter approaching from the north.
From that point the road keeps climbing relentlessly winding up now through the oak forest all the way to the summit, getting there requires about another hour and fifteen minutes past la placa.
The true summit is off limits due to the locked fence that surrounds the premises where the channel 5 transmission antenna is located, but one can go around the fence to the south-southeast side where the view is incredible with a towering cliff underfoot. Also, just before reaching the summit on the last curve, one can scramble up to the lower northern end of the summit ridge and catch a nice view to the north.

Essential Gear

The basic gear for a hike is all that is needed, including good traction boots, since the road can get really slippery when is wet.

Images

View La Antena / Canal 5 Image Gallery - 3 Images