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- Climb to the cinder cone rim — The whole point: you get to hike up a brand-new volcanic cone and stand on loose scoria with a 360° view of the Michoacán plain and neighboring volcanoes. It’s short and steep (think 30-60 minutes from the base if you’re moving), but the raw, almost lunar landscape underfoot makes it feel unlike any regular mountain trail.
- Walk across the fresh lava fields — Jagged a’a blocks, smoother pahoehoe ribbons and sharp black basalt everywhere. Scrambling over cooled flows gives a tactile geology lesson: textures, cooled lava tubes and surprising mineral patterns you won’t see on green forest hikes.
- Ruins of the San Juan Parangaricutiro church — A church tower poking out of the lava is visual shorthand for the volcano’s human story. The partially buried bell tower
- Climb to the cinder cone rim — The whole point: you get to hike up a brand-new volcanic cone and stand on loose scoria with a 360° view of the Michoacán plain and neighboring volcanoes. It’s short and steep (think 30-60 minutes from the base if you’re moving), but the raw, almost lunar landscape underfoot makes it feel unlike any regular mountain trail.
- Walk across the fresh lava fields — Jagged a’a blocks, smoother pahoehoe ribbons and sharp black basalt everywhere. Scrambling over cooled flows gives a tactile geology lesson: textures, cooled lava tubes and surprising mineral patterns you won’t see on green forest hikes.
- Ruins of the San Juan Parangaricutiro church — A church tower poking out of the lava is visual shorthand for the volcano’s human story. The partially buried bell tower and nearby village speak to the 1943-52 eruption and local Purépecha history. (Personal favorite — eerie, beautiful and oddly peaceful.)
- Forest-to-barren transition zone — One minute you’re under pine and oak, the next you’re in a black desert. That stark edge, with pioneer plants, lichens on rock and different birdlife, is a rare ecological contrast that makes the hike feel like passing between two worlds.
- Sunset and stargazing from the slopes — The open horizons and low light pollution turn the rim into a killer sunset spot; later, the Milky Way comes alive. It’s quiet, dramatic and very different from crowded tourist lookouts so bring a jacket and a headlamp.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past decade, I’ve backpacked through 80+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.