The Cumbres de Majalca National Park is a national park in the

Mexican state A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...

of Chihuahua located 88 km northwest of the city of Chihuahua. The park showcases extraordinary rock formations that have been shaped by wind and water erosion. The park was created by presidential decree in 1939 encompassing 4,772 hectares to protect the endemic flora and fauna. The park is characterized by pine and oak forest. It is also one of the few areas in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

that are inhabited by black bear. The park is frequented by residents of the state capital city. The area is popular with rock climbers, hikers, and campers; there are 53 km of roads for hiking and mountain biking. Camping including backcountry camping is permitted and there are rental cabins available. Access to the park is by federal highway number 45 that goes from Chihuahua to

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( , ; "Juárez City"), commonly referred to as just Juárez (Lipan language, Lipan: ''Tsé Táhú'ayá''), is the most populous city in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. It was k ...

History

The Cumbres de Majalca National Park was created by the federal government on September 1, 1939. The protected zone encompassed an area of 4,772 hectares (11,790 acres). The park was created to help preserve natural habitat for many species of animals and plants. After the creation of the national park during the mid 20th century, the park underwent a reforestation of different coniferous species.

Geography

Cumbres de Majalca National Park is located in the central part of the state of Chihuahua near the city of Chihuahua. The park is found in the Sierra de Majalca mountain range a subdivision of the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...

. Mountain peaks in the park reach an elevation of 2,600 meters above sea level. The park is part of the dominant Transition Bavícora-Bustillos Transition which is characterized by many small elevated valleys surrounded by volcanic mountains. The mountains in the park are not of notable rank in the state, but the highest peaks in the park are: Cerro Las Escobas, Cerro La Puerta, Cerro Los Almíceres, and Cerro del Agua. The park is almost completely covered by volcanic rocks that have been shaped into amazing formations by wind and water erosion. Sierra de Majalca is the point of origin of the Sacramento River that flows towards the state capital city. The Sacramento River empties into the Chuvíscar River before reaching Chihuahua.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, the park has two different climates. A (BSk) semiarid climate occurs in the lower elevations in the park where temperatures can reach in the summer and temperatures fluctuate largely in the winter from cool to hot. The steppe zones in the park have a rainy season at the end of the summer and few winter snowfalls. A (Cwa) humid subtropical with hot summers and cold winters occur in the higher elevations where temperatures can fall to in the winter and averages 112 days under . During the winter in the higher elevations, snowstorms come frequently increasing at the end of the season.

Flora and fauna

Pine forests are found from the high elevations to the transition zone between the mountains and the steppe. The main species of conifers found in the park are: '' Pinus leiophylla,

Pinus cembroides ''Pinus cembroides'', also known as pinyon pine, Mexican pinyon, Mexican nut pine, and Mexican stone pine, is a pine in the pinyon pine group. It is a small pine growing to about with a trunk diameter of up to . It is native to western North Am ...

Pinus engelmannii ''Pinus engelmannii'', commonly known as the Apache pine, is a tree of Northern Mexico, in the Sierra Madre Occidental with its range extending into the Southwestern United States. This pine is a medium-sized species with a height of and a trunk ...

'', and several species of ''

Abies Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

''. The lower elevations have a steppe vegetation with a variety of grasses and small bushes. Several species of ''

Juniperus Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

'' dot the steppe and the transition zone. The park is part of a fragile ecosystem which includes a few endangered species like:

American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is Endemism, endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with ...

and

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...

. Other mammals that can be found in the park are:

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known Common name, commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, North, Central America, Central and South America. It is the ...

eastern cottontail The eastern cottontail (''Sylvilagus floridanus'') is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is the most common rabbit species in North America. Distribution The eastern cottontail can be found in meadows and shrub ...

North American porcupine The North American porcupine (''Erethizon dorsatum''), also known as the Canadian porcupine, is a large quill-covered rodent in the New World porcupine family. It is the second largest rodent in North America after the North American beaver (''Ca ...

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus '' Lynx''. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the c ...

, and

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

. Few reptile species inhabit the lower elevations, mostly small lizards. One known reptile species is the northern Mexican pine snake (''Pituophis deppei jani''). The most common avian species observed in the park are

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey (''M. g. dom ...

common pheasant The common pheasant (''Phasianus colchicus''), ring-necked pheasant, or blue-headed pheasant, is a bird in the pheasant family (biology), family (Phasianidae). The genus name comes from Latin ''phasianus'' 'pheasant'. The species name ''colchic ...

, Arizona woodpecker, Strickland's woodpecker, and ladder-backed woodpecker. image:Quivira-Whitetail-Buck.jpg, '' Odocoileus virginianus'' image:Black bear large.jpg, ''

Ursus americanus The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with a diet v ...

'' image:Arizona Woodpecker.jpg, '' Picoides arizonae'' image:Porcupine-BioDome.jpg, '' Erethizon dorsatum''

References

External links