 As you approach Peña de Bernal by road you can see from quite a distance that it's truly an awesome rock, as it stretches upwards to nearly 2,000 feet. It has been established that Peña de Bernal, in mass, is second to Ayer's rock in Australia, and in height, third behind the Rock of Gibralter and Rio de Janeiro's Sugar Loaf. It's hard to find a spot in Bernal where the Peña doesn't provide a dramatic backdrop for a building, street, square or other scene.
Elevation 2510 m (8234.91 ft) AMSL
Location San Sebastián Bernal, Ezequiel Montes, Querétaro, México
Range Sierra Gorda
Prominence 350 m (1148.294 ft)
Type Porphyrytic monolith
Age of rock ~ 100 million years
Translation Bernal Peak (Spanish) Peña de Bernal is located in San Sebastián Bernal, a small town in the Mexican state of Querétaro. The town features open-air restaurants with live music, gift shops, and more to rest and eat before or after climbing the Peña de Bernal.  According to Leonor López Domínguez of México Desconocido, the porphyrytic monolith was formed some 100 million years ago during the Jurassic period, when it must have been at least three times higher than today.
Many people make a pilgrimage to the highest point hikeable, visiting a little chapel about halfway up. On the Spring equinox, people gather all dressed in white to form a human belt around the monolith. To get to Peña de Bernal fly to Mexico City and take a bus to Querétaro ($20), from Querétaro to Bernal is another bus that's about $3. Photos of Peña de Bernal |
