The trek to the Pyramids superimposed on an aerial of San Miguel, to indicate approx distance and grade
A lot of people have quite correctly expressed concern regarding the trek to Cañada de la Virgen. Perhaps the following (based on our best information, and our own hike) will help. The visitor center is just off the SMA to Leon road (67), and here you will buy tickets (30 pesos) and get on a bus which will take you to wherever the driver decides to drop you off. This varies, as although the ten kilometer cobbled road is beautifully built, the proposed turnaround at the end hasn’t yet materialized. Thus, the drivers stop considerably short of this wherever they feel they can most easily turn around (each driver has his own idea of this), which adds considerably to what will eventually be a 900 meter trek over rising ground to the archeological site.
The best way of describing the journey now, is to compare it with walking in SMA from down by the River, all the way up Canal and San Francisco to the very top where it makes a turn and becomes Salida Real a Queretero. This is also pretty indicative of the varying grades involved (although it may be a slight exaggeration, and the last stretch is quite flat, not like the top of San Francisco). Eventually, when the turnaround is completed, the trip will be reduced to that indicated by the solid yellow line in the above photo with the Jardin at the center (you can click on the photo to make it larger).
You are out in open desert, so a hat or even an umbrella is useful, as is a stick (its a bit rugged in places). A bottle of water is essential. This is not a trip, in our opinion, for anyone with any kind of mobility problems. That said, if you can possibly make it, it is well worth the effort.