Skip to content
canyonyas
EN
Reestablishment of the Commission of the Californias (2019, San Diego)

MexicoUnited States Mexico / United States Ravine

The Californias

586 m of rock, cut by the Rio Verde.

See the cutWhen to go

Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain

The cut

586 metres, to scale.

A slice through The Californias where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.

1,403 m1,346 m586 m16 km rim to rim5.0 kmvertical scale × 2.71,403 m1,346 m586 m16 km rim to rim5.0 kmvertical scale × 3.0

Standing on the floor, to scale: Great Pyramid · 139 m · Empire State · 443 m

Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.

586m

Depth

measured on the 30 m relief model

15.7km

Rim to rim

measured on the 30 m relief model

26°

Steepest wall

average over 300 m, from the relief

760m

Floor altitude

Rim to floor

4 °C warmer at the bottom.

In May the afternoon reaches 36 °C on the floor, against 31 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from November to January. The floor passes 35 °C from April to May: walk at dawn and carry water. The wettest months are from June to September.

rim · 1,403 mfloor · 760 m
  1. 26°22°Jan
  2. 29°25°Feb
  3. 32°28°Mar
  4. 36°31°Apr
  5. 36°31°May
  6. 33°29°Jun
  7. 31°27°Jul
  8. 31°27°Aug
  9. 29°25°Sep
  10. 29°24°Oct
  11. 27°23°Nov
  12. 26°22°Dec
Hike: Nov–JanFloor above 35 °C: Apr–MayWettest: Jun–Sep

Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.

Region of western North America

The Californias is a ravine in Mexico, cut by the Rio Verde. The relief model measures 586 m from the floor to the lower rim. Rim to rim it is 16 km wide where the cut was taken.

Read more on Wikipedia

Getting there.

Plan the visit

Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.

Car hire at QRO airport (Querétaro)Discover CarsSee prices 

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

The river

The Rio Verde runs highest from August to October.

The Rio Verde carries about 8.1 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from August to October. It is lowest from December to May.

  1. 1.3 m³/sJan
  2. 1.1 m³/sFeb
  3. 1.3 m³/sMar
  4. 1.3 m³/sApr
  5. 2.6 m³/sMay
  6. 9.6 m³/sJun
  7. 18 m³/sJul
  8. 21 m³/sAug
  9. 27 m³/sSep
  10. 21 m³/sOct
  11. 14 m³/sNov
  12. 4.4 m³/sDec

From about 1.1 m³/s in the lowest month to 27 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 6,928 km².

Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.

From the sky.

The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.

The Californias seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 6 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 24 × 24 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around the canyon.

    • viewpoints within 5 km
    • marked hiking routes within 4 km
    • via ferrata routes within 4 km
    • climbing crags within 3 km
    • footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
    • rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
    • swimming spots within 3 km
    • named waterfalls within 4 km
    • caves within 3 km
    • car parks within 3 km
    • information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
    • bus stops within 2 km
    • campsites within 8 km
    • hotels and guesthouses within 8 km
    • restaurants and cafés within 4 km

    Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

    Towns nearby

    • San Ciro de Acosta8.6 km in a straight line
    • San José del Tapanco15 km in a straight line
    • Rayón20 km in a straight line
    • Arroyo Seco21 km in a straight line

    In our other atlases

    What else is around The Californias.

    The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.

    Peakyas11 mountains within 15 km
    Cerro Las Negras · 4.0 kmQuiote · 6.2 kmMembrillal · 7.3 kmCerro Violinista · 7.9 kmLa Peña Macuala · 9.2 kmCerro San Agustin · 12 kmCerro Laguna del Barro · 14 kmCerro Grande · 14 km

    Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.

    Month by month

    The weather, at the floor and at the rim.

    JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
    Afternoon · floor262932363633313129292726
    Afternoon · rim222528313129272725242322
    Night · rim791114161616161513108
    Rain (mm)14161819441021229713668229
    Rainy days324510161817191152
    Sun hours/day6.27.18.08.58.38.27.78.06.36.66.46.6
    Afternoon · floorAfternoon · rimNight · rimRain (mm)Sun hours/day
    Jan26227146.2
    Feb29259167.1
    Mar322811188.0
    Apr363114198.5
    May363116448.3
    Jun3329161028.2
    Jul3127161227.7
    Aug312716978.0
    Sep2925151366.3
    Oct292413686.6
    Nov272310226.4
    Dec2622896.6

    Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (760 m) and the rim (1,403 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.

    Photographs

    Seen from the trail.

    Ruiz-Alvarado adobe
    Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0
    Frenchman'sTower1910
    Unknown Uploaded by Wikfr at en.wikipedia · Public domain
    2009-0726-CA-Bakersfield-GarcesCircle (cropped)
    Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0

    Recent years

    Wet years, dry years.

    Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.

    JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
    2020206%50%86%158%113%60%62%61%86%50%109%7%
    202180%31%39%84%137%139%95%126%89%108%70%53%
    202257%63%5%119%15%69%35%64%124%42%166%168%
    202322%26%53%334%170%22%33%54%6%97%119%395%
    202430%78%17%39%13%261%183%36%82%41%22%338%
    202559%45%7%5%132%190%94%66%109%152%47%285%

    130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month

    Compare with the neighbours.

    The Californias

    Mexico

    • 586 mDepth
    • 16 kmRim to rim
    • —Length
    • 26°Steepest wall

    Tolantongo Canyon

    Mexico · 143 km

    • 842 mDepth
    • 8.8 kmRim to rim
    • —Length
    • 39°Steepest wall

    See the guide

    Metztitlan Canyon

    Mexico · 175 km

    • 573 mDepth
    • 14 kmRim to rim
    • —Length
    • 30°Steepest wall

    See the guide

    Hueyatlaco

    Mexico · 353 km

    • 170 mDepth
    • 16 kmRim to rim
    • —Length
    • 14°Steepest wall

    See the guide

    Where these figures come from

    Name, type, published depth and lengthWikidata (Q301467) · CC0
    The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D modelCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
    River flow and basinHydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0
    ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020
    Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
    ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
    Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearbyCoastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas

    Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

    The family

    Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

    Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

    beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
    lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
    mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
    waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
    islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit
    canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.You are here