Pico Perico

Overview

Perico (Parrot peak), is the second highest peak of Cerro de Las Mitras and the one that stands out when viewing the mountain from downtown Monterrey. Perico as most of the high peaks on Las Mitras, has steep slopes to the south and towering cliffs to the north and is one of the most climbed on this mountain.
Since it is located in the center of the mountain flanked by lower peaks, the views from it`s summit are spectacular; to the east one can see three peaks, Piloto, Lobos and Apache, then the city of Monterrey with Cerro de la Silla in the background; to the west are three more peaks, Pirámide and Cuauhtémoc (the highest), with Piñón between them but not visible. A great deal of the Sierra Madre Oriental can be seen to the south and Sierra del Fraile to the northwest, farther to the north and northeast are three Sierras: Gomas, Milpillas and Picachos.
The normal route to the summit is rated class 4.

Getting There

One has to start on the same trail (on the northern slopes) that is used to climb the other western peaks. From Gonzalitos Ave. take Avenida Paseo de los Leones to the west, drive until it dead ends and turn left, then turn right on the very next street; keep going west a few more blocks to calle Sevilla and turn left, drive all the way up and park by the curbside. The trailhead starts behind the concrete arch. Follow the clear trail up the canyon and then go right (west) as it reaches a towering wall and then follow the famous 'Paso de las Bicicletas" narrow stretch leading to the mines; go through them and once on the other side, keep hiking horizontally passing one big canyon, then as you reach the next one there is a blue marker painted on a rock indicating "perico", going up this steep gully that is wooded but also full of very loose scree, zig-zag up to the base of a tall wall and climb up this class 4 8 meter wall aided by a long chain followed by two more short free climbs and then scramble up another steep stretch of trail to the Perico-Pirámide saddle . From here head east (left) up the steep and narrow ridge scrambling at times and doing an easy class 4 free climb just before the summit.
The summit is big enough for a big group of climbers to stand on even though it looks small from the other peaks. It takes from 3 to 4 hours to get there. Many people climb Pico Pirámide in tandem with Perico, this is done climbing the trail west of the Perico-Pirámide saddle along the rocky ridge between them (class 3 scramble), and it takes between 20 and 30 minutes.

Red Tape

No permits are required to climb it. The trailhead is being pushed up further each year by the housing developers, shame on them!

When To Climb

It can be climbed year round in dry conditions, but the best months are October trough April.
The key is "dry"; some stretches of the trail become very slippery in rainy weather; several people have suffered fatal falls in those conditions.

Camping

The only suitable spot is inthe area near the entrance to the mines, but not very big though.

Mountain Conditions

The mountain is surrounded by the Monterrey metro area and the weather on it is basically the same.
The following web page is for Monterrey`s weather:

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/local/MXNL0068

Images

View Pico Perico Image Gallery - 8 Images