1. Why it's called a 'desert' — and why that word means something completely different here
The word desierto in the name has nothing to do with sand. In the Carmelite monastic tradition inherited from medieval Spanish theology, a 'desert' meant a remote, isolated place for spiritual retreat — somewhere a monk could withdraw from the world in the manner of the early Christian desert fathers who fled to the Egyptian and Syrian wilderness. When the Discalced Carmelites built their monastery here beginning in 1606, they named the retreat the Desierto de los Leones — the Desert of the Lions — almost certainly after Fray Pedro Leones, one of the friars involved in its founding. The name stuck through 400 years of abandonment, revival, and eventual designation as Mexico City's first national park in 1917 under President Venustiano Carranza. It's the reason first-time visitors arrive expecting dust and scrub and find themselves walking through a cathedral of pine trees instead.
2. The ex-convento: what happened to the monastery after the monks left
The ex-convento is the centerpiece of the park, and it's more dramatic in person than photos suggest. The Carmelites completed the main building around 1611 — a stone compound of arched colonnades, a church, a cloister garden with a stone fountain, and individual monks' cells built for men who had taken vows of near-total silence. They worked and prayed there for nearly two centuries, cultivating an orchard and gardens still partially visible in the lower grounds. Then the War of Independence arrived. In 1810, the monks abandoned the monastery as fighting made the isolated mountain road unsafe. They returned briefly, but the Reform War and the Ley Lerdo of 1856 — which nationalized church properties — forced a permanent exit. What you walk through today is the resulting ruin: stone walls intact, floors mostly gone, the church roof partially collapsed, the cloisters open to sky. The Mexican government restored portions in the 20th century and the complex now functions as a free museum — entry is free, opens at 10 a.m. — with exhibits on Carmelite history and the park's natural ecology.
•Built 1606–1611 by Discalced Carmelites; abandoned in 1810 during the War of Independence
•Permanently vacated after the Reform War; nationalized under Ley Lerdo in 1856
•Now a free museum — opens 10 a.m., closed Mondays
3. The hermitages: 14 stone cells scattered through the forest
Beyond the main monastery complex, the Carmelites built 14 small stone hermitages across the hillside and deeper forest — each one a solitary cell where a monk could spend weeks or months in complete isolation, with food left at the door by a designated brother. Most visitors walk past them without recognizing what they are. They look like collapsed stone walls or scenic ruins, but they were functional dwellings: single rooms, no windows facing the path, oriented away from each other so monks couldn't see their neighbors' doors. Hermitage trails branch from the ex-convento courtyard up into the forest. The best-preserved cells sit roughly 15–20 minutes on foot uphill from the main building. Walking between them is one of the stranger experiences available on a day trip from Mexico City: you're in a cloud forest at altitude, standing in what was once a Spanish monk's voluntary solitary confinement, surrounded by oyamel firs and a quiet that doesn't exist anywhere in the city below.
4. The trails: what to hike and how much time to plan
Desierto de los Leones has marked trails ranging from an easy 2 km loop around the ex-convento to a full 16 km circuit that reaches Cerro San Miguel at 3,700 meters and takes 6–7 hours. For most first-time visitors, the practical target is a mid-range route: start at the main parking area near the ex-convento, walk the Camino Panorámico up through the forest past several hermitages, reach the ridge viewpoint — on clear days you can see Popocatépetl — and loop back via the lower forest trail. That route runs about 6–8 km and takes 2.5–3.5 hours at a casual pace. Cyclists use the same Camino Panorámico on weekends. Horse rentals are available near the entrance on weekends for around 200 pesos per hour. The full 16 km circuit to Cerro San Miguel requires solid hiking boots and some acclimatization if you've just arrived from sea level — the elevation gain from the park entrance to the summit is roughly 800 meters.
•Easy: 2 km loop around ex-convento grounds — 1–1.5 hours, minimal elevation gain
•Mid: Camino Panorámico to ridge viewpoint and back — 6–8 km, 2.5–3.5 hours
•Full circuit: 16 km to Cerro San Miguel at 3,700 m — 6–7 hours, hiking boots required
5. How to get there from Mexico City center
The park is roughly 20 km west of the Zócalo. By Metro and bus: take Line 7 (orange) to Barranca del Muerto — the last stop on the line — then find the pesero microbus heading toward Santa Rosa Xochiac and ask the driver to drop you at Desierto de los Leones; the fare is about 12 pesos and the trip takes 30–40 minutes from the metro. By Uber: from Roma Norte or Condesa expect 40–55 minutes depending on traffic on the Periferico Sur, and roughly 200–350 pesos each way — be specific about the destination (say 'Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones') since some drivers default to the wrong entrance. By car: take the Periferico Sur west, exit at Camino a Desierto de los Leones, follow signs uphill; parking inside the park costs about 60–80 pesos. There is no direct Metrobús line to the park. The metro-plus-pesero route is the most economical option and works reliably on weekdays.
•Metro: Line 7 (orange) to Barranca del Muerto, then pesero toward Santa Rosa Xochiac — about 12 pesos total
•Uber: 200–350 pesos from Roma Norte or Condesa, 40–55 minutes — say 'Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones'
•Car: Periferico Sur west → Camino a Desierto de los Leones; parking ~60–80 pesos inside the park
6. What to expect at altitude: temperature, rain, and thin air
The park sits at roughly 2,900–3,700 meters above sea level — 700 meters higher than Mexico City's city center at 2,240 meters. That elevation produces noticeably cooler temperatures year-round: expect 10–16°C in the morning and 15–20°C at midday in late May and June, compared to 22–28°C in the city below. Bring a light jacket or fleece even in summer. More critically: the rainy season (June through October) brings afternoon thunderstorms that arrive with very little warning, typically between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. If you're planning a longer hike, start before 9 a.m. and aim to be descending by early afternoon. The storms pass in 30–90 minutes and the forest afterward is remarkable — the air clears completely, mist rolls through the pines, and the park looks like it was staged for a 17th-century landscape painting. Altitude sickness is a real consideration if you've just arrived from sea level: go slowly on the ascent, drink water constantly, and don't push the pace on a first visit.
7. Is it safe? Do I need a guide?
Desierto de los Leones is one of the safer day trips from Mexico City, and you don't need a guide for the main trails. The ex-convento area and lower forest trails are well-trafficked on weekends and patrolled by park rangers. The main risks are getting caught in afternoon rain on an exposed ridge without a jacket, and altitude sickness if you've just arrived from sea level. Guided hiking tours are available through operators if you prefer structured transport from the city — tours typically run 500–800 pesos per person with pickup included. Solo visitors on weekdays will have most of the forest to themselves. Weekend mornings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. are the busiest windows, particularly near the ex-convento. The surrounding neighborhood of Santa Rosa Xochiac is calm and residential; the park entrance and parking area feel equivalent in safety to Chapultepec on a busy Sunday.
8. How to build a full day out west — combining the park with San Ángel or Coyoacán
Desierto de los Leones pairs naturally with San Ángel — the cobblestone colonial neighborhood 15–20 minutes away by Uber. San Ángel hosts one of Mexico City's best Saturday artisan markets at Plaza San Jacinto and has a solid concentration of restaurants along Avenida Revolución. A practical full-day format: arrive at the park at 9 a.m. for a 3-hour hike, then Uber to San Ángel for a late lunch before catching the Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo in the afternoon. If you're basing yourself in Coyoacán for the day, the park is about 20 minutes by car from Coyoacán's zócalo — a clean morning extension before lunch back in the neighborhood. Either route gives you the city's best forested high-altitude quiet in the morning and one of its most layered colonial neighborhoods for the afternoon.
•San Ángel: 15–20 min by Uber; Saturday artisan market at Plaza San Jacinto all morning
•Coyoacán: 20 min by car; combine with Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul and the covered market for lunch
•Full day format: 9 a.m. park → 3-hour hike → 1 p.m. Uber to San Ángel → afternoon museums or market
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