Tabacundo - Cananvalle

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Unknown

Just an hour and a half north of Quito, you'll find the small town of Tabacundo. It's well known for the numerous rose farms that you'll find throughout this area. This is a good ride to introduce you to the landscape.

Be sure to bring enough water. Sunscreen is always necessary. A light wind jacket is a good idea, it can get chilly on top of the Cerro and on the way down.

Be careful with dogs along the way, not many of them but they can scare you.

The local dish is "Fritada" fried pork meat with "Mote" boiled corn and some potatoes. If you are a vegan or have special food requests you better bring your own.

You can start at any point in Tabacundo, just be careful when you crossing the Highway. I did it (as mapped) at the only red light that you'll find along the main road.

This ride heads along a dusty and dry trail. Be careful as most of the time there is the possibility to come across cars along the ride. The beginning is your warm up, just take it easy and stay hydrated. The climb will start gradually with plain sections and short climbs. After about 50 min, depending on your speed, you'll have the longest climbing section until you reach the top of Cerro Cananvalle.

If the weather is clear, you'll have great views of Cayambe Volcano along the way. This is not a really hard trail, but you'll be climbing at 3,000 meters above sea level (9,842 ft.). The downhill is fun and depending on if it was rainy or not, you could find some gravel parts.

Along this section you'll see a lot of greenhouses, most of them are rose plantations. It is possible that your next Valentine's Day rose bouquet will come from one of these farms.

Once you finish the downhill section, the rest of the journey will be in urban areas, be careful with the traffic. I hope you enjoy your ride.