Visiting Cañon de La Zorra: The Dreamy Baja Oasis

Last updated on March 31, 2026

Imagine being in the middle of the Mexican desert, watching a stunning waterfall cascade into a refreshing swimming hole. Sounds like a dream? It is!

The Baja oasis, Cañon de la Zorra, is a magical place. Called Fox Canyon in English, this hidden gem in Baja California Sur is the perfect spot to cool down on a hot day.

Whether you’re looking for a unique day trip from Los Cabos, Mexico, or spending more time exploring the Baja Peninsula. Visiting Cañon de la Zorra is a must-do activity when visiting Baja California Sur. This blog post will share everything you need to know about visiting Cañon de La Zorra, from cost to transportation, and what to expect here.

Quick facts about Cañon de La Zorra

• 🚶🏼‍♀️Distance: The trail to the overlook is around 1 mile or 1.6 kilometers round-trip.
• 🗻 Elevation gain: 125 feet or 38-meter gain
• 💵 Cost of entry: $150 pesos ~$8 USD (cash only)
• 😮‍💨 Difficulty level: Easy (however, there are steep stairs)
• 🔄 Trail type: Out and back
• ⏰ Time to spend there: 2 to 4 hours (depending on how long you want to enjoy the oasis)
• 📍Location pin to Cañon de La Zorra: Google Map pin

How to get to Cañon de La Zorra

Cañon de La Zorra is located about 30 minutes outside the town of Santiago. To get to Santiago, drive for around an hour on Highway 1D from Cabo San Lucas. You can map directly to “Cañon de La Zorra” on Google, or you can map to Rancho Ecologico Sol De Mayo. The Ecopark is where you’ll park and pay to enter.

🚘 In total, the drive from Cabo San Lucas to Cañon de La Zorra should be around an hour and forty-five minutes.

We aren’t aware of a public bus going from Cabo San Lucas to Santiago. So if you want to visit Fox Canyon, you’ll need to drive your own car, rent a car, or take a guided tour. Having a vehicle is definitely the easiest way to get around Baja California Sur and will allow you to do really fun day trips like this!

The drive through Santiago is on a paved road, taking you around the beautiful oasis in the center of town. This oasis is why this area is a small but thriving farming village. Without this constant water source, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to survive year-round here.

Eventually, you’ll reach a dirt road that you’ll drive on for about 20 minutes until you reach Rancho Ecologico Sol De Mayo. The road is suitable for all vehicles, although you will pass two cattle guards that can be narrow for larger vehicles (like an RV or fifth wheel).

We drove to Cañon de La Zorra from Los Barriles, which is a bit closer than Los Cabos. Google time said 45 minutes, but due to the soft sand, it took us closer to an hour.

🛵 If you’re driving to Cañon de la Zorra on a motorcycle or scooter like us, be warned that there is soft sand on this road. It’s doable to navigate through, but if you’ve never driven in deep or soft sand before on a bike, it’s easy to crash. You’ll see in the video below that our friends spilled their scooters on the way out there. 😧

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What to bring to Cañon de La Zorra

The main reason to visit Cañon de La Zorra is to cool off in the oasis’s refreshing water. Baja Mexico can be brutally hot even in wintertime. But with the oasis’s constant supply of fresh water and mountain water runoff, the water temperature is brisk year-round.

You walk around 15 to 20 minutes to get to the oasis swimming area and waterfall (more on that in the next section). The path is mostly exposed with a few spots of cactus and trees. Bring sun protection with you, like a sun hat, sunglasses, and a long-sleeved SPF shirt.

It’s easy to get dehydrated in the desert of Baja. Aim to drink a liter of water every two hours or so. There is no water at the oasis, so bring your own water bottle. We recommend this reusable water bottle, which has a built-in water filter. On hot days in Baja, we like to add an LMNT hydration pack to our water. LMNT replenishes the electrolytes you’re losing outdoors without adding nasty ingredients or unnecessary sugars.

🌮 You can get food at the restaurant and hotel, but we made sure to fill up before arriving. If preferred, you can bring snacks. However, we saw signs that said no food or drink.

This one goes without saying, but wear comfortable shoes suitable for hiking and getting wet. The path down to this Baja oasis is unpaved and rocky. We were both glad we had comfortable shoes. Dennis wore his Earth Runners (when doesn’t he?) while Liz wore Chachos. Of course, you’ll want to bring any photo or video gear with you (see our gear here).

The last thing you should bring is a bathing suit and a towel to drive off in. Even though the water is cold, you won’t be able to resist jumping in! Get the gear here:

• 👕 Long-sleeve SPF shirt
• 🕶️ Sunglasses (we love that these are made from recycled plastic)
• 🧢 Sun hat
• 🥾 Comfortable hiking/water shoes (like Chacos)
• 📸 Camera equipment
• 🚰 Reusable water bottle
• 💧LMNT hydration packs
• 👙Bathing suit to swim in the water (if desired)
• 🥪 Water and snacks

Rancho Ecológico Sol de Mayo camping

Camping is allowed at Cañon de La Zorra for small RVs, overlanding vehicles, or vans. The narrow cattle guards do not make it suitable for wide RVs (like our Class C RV). We saw a class B RV camping there during our visit, and it looked like the most peaceful spot.

You can easily visit Cañon de La Zorra on a day trip, meaning you don’t need to camp overnight. However, it’s nice to know it’s an option for those who want a more leisurely visit. There are no hookups (electric, water, or dump) there, so you must be able to camp off-grid. It was $250 MXP per person to camp in 2023, but you can get up-to-date pricing on iOverlander.

There is a small restaurant at Rancho Ecologico Sol De Mayo, and it appears to have a lodge with one or two rooms to accommodate guests overnight. Make sure to stop by and say hi to all the animals on site. They had donkeys, chickens, turtles, fish, and goats! 🐐🫏

What to expect at Cañon de La Zorra

Fox Canyon is in a protected biosphere called the Biosfera Sierra La Laguna. This designation is given to the area for its ecological importance to the region. Your $150 pesos (cash only) entrance fee helps fund the maintenance of the trail and ensures this area stays pristine and protected for generations to come.

Someone should be there to greet you at the pay station and will ask you to write down your name and phone number. After paying, continue on the trail toward the canyon. It took us about 15 minutes to weave through the cacti and palms sprinkled throughout the landscape.

There was one section that had stairs built into the rock that were quite steep. I consider the trail overall to be easy, but this section could be challenging for some.

There’s an overlook at the top of the hill (before the stair section) that gives you the best vantage point of the oasis. This Baja oasis is stunning from above and below, but I really think the birds-eye view is unique!

Once you get down the stairs, there’s a small patch of sand to set your belongings before you reach a rocky, grassy entrance to the swimming hole. The main swimming hole (pictured above) is where we spent most of our time. But if preferred, you can hike up to the top of the waterfall by following the trail before the stairs.

Dennis traversed the rocky cliff and got to the top of the waterfall, walking around for close to an hour while we swam! One of the most popular activities to do here is jump off the rocks or the waterfall named Cascada de la Zorra (Fox waterfall).

The waterfall was a bit high for us, so we opted to jump from one of the lower rocks. The swimming hole is surprisingly deep, but always make sure it is safe before jumping.

The river winds through the desert, creating smaller swimming spots to enjoy. There weren’t many people there when we visited in April. However, if it’s too crowded for you, the spots off to the side are a more private retreat.

🐍 We were told water snakes (non-poisonous) frequent the waters here. We didn’t see any on our trip, but we did see a few fish! Keep an eye out for snakes if you’re not a fan of them. I’ve also heard of a mudslide in 2024 that transformed the landscape. So, don’t be surprised if it looks a bit different from the images you see here.

As you can see, Fox Canyon or Cañon de la Zorra is a must-visit destination on any Baja road trip. Let me know what you think about this epic destination below. And don’t forget if this guide was helpful to you, let me know in the comments below.

CHECK OUT MY OTHER BAJA MEXICO GUIDES

• 7 Unmissable Day Trips from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico: This guide will share 6 other amazing day trips from the Los Cabos area.
• 10 Must-Visit Destinations on a Baja Road Trip: Looking for more amazing places to visit along the Baja Peninsula? Check out our 10 favorites here.
• 9 Amazing Waterfalls in Mexico You Need to Visit: These incredible waterfalls will take you from the desert of Baja to the jungles of Chiapas. See our must-visit waterfalls in Mexico here!