When you mention Baja California Sur, Mexico, most people picture beautiful sandy beaches, clear turquoise waters, and the nightlife of Cabo San Lucas.
But tucked away in the Sierra de la Laguna mountains, you’ll find Cañón de la Zorra (Fox Canyon) and the Sol de Mayo Waterfall: a stunning desert oasis where you can hike, swim in natural pools, or just lay back and unwind.
The canyon is a very popular day trip from Los Cabos or La Paz. However, when I visited Cañón de la Zorra with my sons, we traveled from our home in Pescadero which made our journey around an hour longer.
Read on to find out what we loved about Fox Canyon and whether I recommend it as a day trip from Todos Santos or Pescadero. I’ll also share my recommendations on what to take with you when you visit Cañón de la Zorra.
Where is Cañón de la Zorra?
Canon de la Zorra and the Cascada Sol de Mayo waterfall lie within the biosphere reserve of the Sierra de la Laguna at the Rancho Ecológico Sol de Mayo (Sol de Mayo Ecological Ranch).
The rancho is around a 20-minute drive north of the small town of Santiago in the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico. It’s around 1.5 hours from Cabo San Lucas, just over 2 hours from Todos Santos, or around 2.5 hours from the city of La Paz.
The ranch is a family business and Prisciliano de la Peña Ruiz, the ranch’s current owner, is the fifth generation of his family to have lived there.
How to get to Fox Canyon
You’ll need a car to visit Cañon de la Zorra, because it’s in a very remote location in the middle of the desert with no public transportation routes nearby.
We traveled to Cañon de la Zorra from our home in Pescadero, but it’s also a popular day trip from Los Cabos: the twin resort towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.
If you’re traveling from Pescadero, you’ll first take a one-hour drive down Highway 19 towards Cabo San Lucas, and then head northwards along Highway 1 to the town of Santiago.
Once you get to Santiago, you’ll leave the main road and follow a well-maintained dirt road northwards out of town. You can put Cañon de la Zorra into Google Maps, and it will guide you to the rancho. However, you’re likely to lose signal before you reach your destination, so be sure to download the map before you set off.
The dirt road was pretty flat, and there weren’t too many rocks and potholes, but I imagine it would be worse during the rainy season of July-September. To be safe, it’s best to drive a car or minivan with high clearance or a 4WD vehicle. If you’re in a regular car, drive a little slower than usual and avoid any areas of soft sand at the sides of the dirt track.
Day trip to Cañon de la Zorra from Los Cabos
If you don’t have a rental car, you could join a guided hiking tour of Cañon de la Zorra. This 7-hour guided day trip to Cañon de la Zorra departs from several points in Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. However, you can easily arrange an Uber or other transport to Los Cabos from the Todos Santos/Pescadero area.
You’ll be taken by minivan to the Rancho Sol de Mayo, where you’ll hike along one of three trails of different difficulties, accompanied by an experienced guide. You’ll have time to cool off in the waterfall’s refreshing pool and enjoy an authentic Mexican lunch in the rancho’s restaurant before returning to your departure point in Los Cabos.
Arriving at The Rancho Sol de Mayo
When you arrive at the Rancho Sol de Mayo, you’ll find a parking lot and a small petting zoo with some goats and other animals in pens.
You can eat at the restaurant without paying an entry fee, but if you want to go to Canon de la Zorra and the Sol de Mayo waterfall, you’ll need to visit the ticket booth. There, you’ll be asked to sign a waiver and pay an entry fee of 250 pesos (about $13) per person.
Once you’ve got your wristbands, you can either head straight to the waterfall or stop for lunch at the restaurant first.
Facilities at Fox Canyon
The Rancho Sol de Mayo only has limited amenities, and it’s important to remember that there are no services once you get to Fox Canyon. That means no bathrooms, no chairs or umbrellas to rent, and no food or drink vendors.
So you’ll probably want to use the bathroom facilities at the main building before you start the short hike to Cañon de la Zorra. You’ll also need to take everything you need with you, but don’t bring more than you really need, because you’re going to be hiking it in and out!
The signs say not to take in any food or drink, but everybody had bottles of water with them. With temperatures reaching 90-100°F, you’ll need to stay hydrated. The most important thing is to “leave no trace,” so make sure you don’t leave trash behind when you leave.
I wouldn’t take anything especially valuable with you, because there’s only a small area to put your bags down, and your belongings will be out of view when you’re in the water.
Cell service at the restaurant and parking area is very limited, and there’s no service on the trail or in the canyon. As a safety precaution, it’s a good idea to let someone know that you’ll be out of communication and when you expect to return.
The Rancho Sol de Mayo Restaurant
The Rancho Ecológico Sol De Mayo has a restaurant on-site, but the opening hours seem to be a bit more flexible than the online listing.
We returned to the main building after our hike at about 4pm, and we were hoping to buy some bottles of water, but they were already closed. If you plan to eat at the restaurant when you visit Fox Canyon, I’d recommend contacting the rancho beforehand to check if it will be open.
I’d also recommend packing backup water and snacks in your car, in case they close early.
The restaurant is pretty rustic, with picnic tables on a covered patio area, and a menu featuring options like steak tacos, shrimp tacos, and quesadillas. However, they were really good at dealing with my son’s nut allergy, which was a surprise for a small restaurant in a remote location.
The food was delicious and everyone enjoyed their lunch. I had a pretty good octopus taco, but my stomach started feeling a little bit unsettled about an hour or two later. Nobody else had any issues, so I’m not sure if it was a problem with my food.
Anyhow, it’s worth adding some digestive aids like Tums or Imodium to your first aid kit in case you get an upset stomach when you’re down at the waterfall.
Hiking to Cañon de la Zorra
Once we’d finished our lunch, we got ready to start the short 10-15-minute hike to Cañon de la Zorra. The first 200 meters are pretty flat and straightforward, but after that, the trail splits to the left towards the base of the waterfall or to the right towards the top of the waterfall.
I’d recommend wearing sturdy footwear with good grip, such as tennis shoes or hiking sandals, for this part of your visit to Fox Canyon. It’s also safer to carry your things in a backpack instead of a bag slung over your shoulder, so your hands are free to grab the ropes and railings along the path.
When the path divides, head left if you want to swim in the pool straight away. The path starts to descend more steeply here, and it gets pretty rocky and slippery. There are also some switchbacks with rocky steps and railings or ropes to hang on to.
To view the waterfall from above, take the right-hand path when the trail divides. This part of the trail is quite rocky and uneven, but there are some fantastic viewpoints as you get closer to the waterfall. The desert landscape, cacti, and mountains in the distance contrast with the cool pool of water with palm trees and lush vegetation growing around it.
Hiking to Cañon de la Zorra with children
If you’re visiting Cañon de la Zorra with young children, you’ll want to be particularly careful and keep a hand on them during the hike to the canyon. There are many places where they could easily trip and fall a long way.
I felt pretty comfortable with my 11-year-old and 8-year-old on this hike, but I’d have been a lot more nervous if they’d been much younger than that.
This is definitely not a walk you can do with a stroller, so if you’re taking a baby or toddler, I’d recommend using a baby carrier instead of just carrying them in your arms. This leaves your hands free for grabbing hold of railings.
Exploring Cañón de la Zorra and Sol de Mayo Waterfall
Your first sight of the 40-foot Sol de Mayo Waterfall will take your breath away. The waters tumble over the rocks into a deep pool, while all you can see around you is a dry, desert landscape. It looks just as you’d imagine a desert oasis, and you’ll definitely want to capture it on camera.
When we got there, we set up our things in a small, flat area near the pool, and the kids were keen to get straight into the water.
It’s worth taking some flip flops or water shoes with you because you’ll have to scramble around some rocks to get in and out of the water. The floor of the pool is also covered in sand and small pebbles, which is not too painful but could feel uncomfortable on sensitive feet.
The canyon was very quiet when we visited. There were two groups there when we arrived, but they left after a while, and we had the place to ourselves until another couple of groups arrived. There were probably no more than 7-8 people there aside from ourselves.
I’d imagine it gets busier in the high season around fall and winter, but it was almost deserted when we were there, which was very cool!
Swimming in the Sol de Mayo waterfall
We visited in June, and the river cascading over the rocks was more of a trickle than a deluge. There was hardly any splash as the water met the pool, and you could swim right up to the waterfall and put your hands in it.
If you visit Cañon de la Zorra in the wet season, I imagine the water levels will be higher and the Sol de Mayo waterfall will look more dramatic.
The pool is pretty kid-friendly, with a large, shallow area where your kids will probably be able to touch the floor of the pool easily. The water gets quite a lot deeper beyond that, but the water color changes as it gets deeper. You can easily see where the floor starts to drop off, and you just need to be mindful of that.
The large rocks around the pool are great for kids to jump off or slide down, and my sons really enjoyed playing in that area. They weren’t so keen on the little fish in the water, which like to nibble at your feet, a bit like a fish pedicure treatment!
It didn’t feel painful, but they tickled my sons’ feet and felt a bit uncomfortable, so we were constantly shuffling our feet to shoo the fish away.
Exploring the rest of Fox Canyon
Away from the main Sol de Mayo waterfall, there are some other areas to explore. The water drains away from the waterfall cascade pool and travels down over rocks into a second pool. We saw another group of people who had set up their things there and were swimming in that pool, but it looked like it was a bit more difficult to get to.
You could head upstream along the riverbank, where you might find some deeper areas in the river to swim in. The trail follows the river for a few miles, so you could go as far as you want and then head back to the Sol de Mayo waterfall.
You can also walk up to the top of the waterfall and look down into the pool. Thrillseekers might even want to jump into the pool, but this might not be safe when the water levels are as shallow as when we visited.
Altogether, we spent a couple of hours playing in the water. The kids felt totally safe wandering around, swimming up to the waterfall, and sliding down the rocks by the water’s edge. We had a great time, and it was a fantastic way to spend the day.
FAQs
Here are some of the frequently asked questions about visiting Cañon de la Zorra:
When is the best time to visit Cañon de la Zorra?
You can visit Cañon de la Zorra all year round. The canyon gets the most direct sunlight in the morning, and by early afternoon, the sun has traveled behind the mountains and the water is in shade.
Should I take a day trip to Cañon de la Zorra or stay over?
Cañon de la Zorra is a popular day trip from Los Cabos and is also one of the popular things to do in La Paz. Although you will only spend a few hours in the canyon, there are more hiking trails at the Rancho Ecologico El Refugio. You can also relax after your hike in the free Santa Rita Hot Springs (25 minutes from Cañon de la Zorra).
You could stay over and visit some other locations in the Santiago area. The desert town of Santiago is worth visiting, and you can also visit Los Barriles waterfall (45 minutes from Cañon de la Zorra) and Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park (1 hour 20 minutes from Cañon de la Zorra). That said, this is a small area and nothing like the accommodations in Cabo.
It’s better as a day trip unless you are comfortable with rustic lodging and being off the beaten path.
Where can I stay over at Cañon de la Zorra?
Rancho Sol de Mayo offers camping facilities and also has 7 cabins available to rent. These will accommodate 2-6 people and are clean but pretty basic, with no WiFi and limited electricity. They’re a good choice if you want to get away from everything and unwind in nature, and the cabins’ rooftop terraces are the perfect place for stargazing.
If you’d prefer more comfortable accommodation, you’ll find a few hotels in Santiago. It’s a small town, so the choice is limited.
What to bring to Canon de la Zorra
Remember, there are no facilities in the canyon, so you need to take everything you will need with you. I’d suggest carrying it in a backpack instead of a beach bag, so your hands are free to grab railings on the steep descent into the canyon.
- A hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Eco-friendly sunscreen will also help protect the natural environment
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Flipflops or water shoes that you can wear to walk up to the water’s edge
- Towels: Microfiber towels will be lighter and take up less space in your bag
- Lunch or snacks, and a bag to hold your trash
- Lots and lots of water: however much you think you need, double it!
- First aid kit, including some Tums or antacid
- Cash to spend at the restaurant
You might also want to take a camera with you to capture photos in the beautiful surroundings.
Is Cañon de la Zorra Worth Visiting?
Cañon de la Zorra and Sol de Mayo waterfall are some of the natural wonders of Baja California Sur. The desert landscape of the Sierra de la Laguna is absolutely breathtaking, and the waterfall itself is just how I’d imagined a desert oasis would look.
The journey to Cañon de la Zorra will be longer if you’re traveling from Todos Santos or Pescadero than if you leave from Los Cabos. However, even with the extra travel time, it’s definitely worth a day trip from either location.
Cañon de la Zorra is a family-friendly day trip for kids aged 5+, and the peace and solitude makes such a change from more developed resorts like Los Cabos. It’s a great spot to unwind, and my sons had a great time playing in the stunning natural surroundings.
