San Pedro Martir Aspens at altitude of about 9.000 ft.

Located in Baja California about 3 hrs drive southeast of Ensenada is the Parque National Sierra San Pedro Martir which was founded in 1947. It is about 170,000 acres and has a variety of flora and fauna similar to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the USA.   As visitors start the ascent to this national park off the main highway from Ensenada the terrain changes rapidly from arid coastal plains, to high chaparral and once above 1500 meters it becomes  thickly forested glens with many trails and campsites for hikers and backpackers. In addition to a recreational area, the Mexican  government selected this site for its national observatory and largest telescope because of its exceptionally clean air.