Saddleback Mountain ("Cerro de la Silla"), pictured above, consists of four individual peaks. From north to south (left to right in the picture above), the peaks are called Antenna Peak (because there are antennas on it, just visible in the picture), North Peak, South Peak, and Virgin Peak. All four peaks are between 5741 feet and 5971 feet above sea level. Since Monterrey itself is at 1837 feet above sea level, the Cerro de la Silla towers almost a mile above the city.

View of Cerro from Apodaca (from the NE)

View of Cerro from 15 miles South

View of Cerro from 2 miles west

While Saddleback Mountain looks like a saddle when viewed from the west or northwest--as in the larger picture at the top of the page--a change in perspective definitely changes the appearance of the mountain. The picture above to the left is a view of Saddleback mountain when viewed from about 10 miles northeast, in a city called Apodaca. While the peaks can still be ascertained, it no longer looks much like a saddle. Likewise, in the second picture, viewing the mountain from about 15 miles south of the mountain, reveals yet another perspective. The third picture is a view of Saddleback Mountain looking directly east towards it at its base, about 2 miles to the west of the mountain.

Hiking/topo map of Cerro de la Silla (1.2MB)

Last weekend (August 5th, 2001) some friends, my wife, and I attempted to climb Antenna Peak--the easiest of the four peaks (so they say!). While my friend and I came close to making it to the top, we finally gave up. This time of year the temperature get's hot early so if you don't make it to the top by the time the sun starts beating on you, it's best to turn around. However, we did get pretty high up and got some pictures of Monterrey from that vantage point. Feel free to click on any of the following images to see a larger version of the image

While my friend and I took 3 hours to get "almost" to the top, there were many others who were obviously in much better condition than us and had been attacking the mountain as their weekend exercise for who-knows-how-long... They reportedly zipped to the very top of Antenna Peak in just 1 hour and 40 minutes. They definitely earned my respect. That's almost a mile vertical in under 2 hours.

If you're interested in climbing the Cerro de la Silla, be sure to check here. Also be sure to do it in the early morning, especially during the hot months (May-September). The sun and the heat of Monterrey are not things to be taken lightly. Also be sure your tennis shoes or hiking boots are in good, comfortable condition. I believe my feet got worn out from my old tennis shoes more than anything else.