Colima to Huasca de Ocampo Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Colima to Huasca de Ocampo is 438 miles (705 km), about 8 h 7 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Colima — Level 4, Do Not Travel; Jalisco — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Michoacán — Level 4, Do Not Travel; State of Mexico — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Hidalgo is the Mexican state that contains Huasca de Ocampo. This route passes through a state at the advisory's highest level. Read the full advisory before you plan this drive.
Volcán Nevado de Colima National ParkTeatro Morelos de MaravatíoRayón National ParkTulaMuseo El RehileteTeatro de la Ciudad San FranciscoMuseo de Mineralogía de la UAEHEl HilocheEl Chico National ParkColimaHuasca de Ocampo
Route from Colima to Huasca de Ocampo with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance438 mi (705 km)
Driving time, no stops8 h 7 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-54 → MEX-54D → MEX-110 → MEX-15 → MEX-15D → MEX-M40D → MEX-85 → MEX-105
Mexican states on the routeColima (Level 4), Jalisco (Level 3), Michoacán (Level 4), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-54D, MEX-15D, MEX-M40D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 17.5 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below9

Driving this route in a car with U.S. plates

Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP)Required: this route is outside the zones where U.S.-registered cars can skip the temporary import permit (Baja California, Baja California Sur and part of Sonora)
Mexican auto insuranceRequired for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you drive

Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.

What the drive from Colima to Huasca de Ocampo is like

MEX-15D (189 mi) and MEX-110 (83 mi) carry about 62% of the 438 miles. MEX-54D, MEX-15D, MEX-M40D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-54, MEX-110, MEX-15, MEX-85, MEX-105 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 5 states: Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, State of Mexico, Hidalgo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Colima to Huasca de Ocampo, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
MEX-540–66Colima
MEX-54D6–3024Colima, Jalisco
MEX-5430–399Jalisco
MEX-11039–10465Jalisco, Michoacán
connecting roads104–1062Michoacán
MEX-15106–1126Michoacán
MEX-110112–13018Michoacán
connecting roads130–1344Jalisco
MEX-15D134–323189Jalisco, Michoacán, State of Mexico
MEX-M40D323–40279State of Mexico, Hidalgo
connecting roads402–4031Hidalgo
MEX-85403–41411Hidalgo
local roads414–4228Hidalgo
MEX-105422–43210Hidalgo
local roads432–4386Hidalgo
  • Mile 15 of this route: Colima → Jalisco (state line)
  • Mile 82 of this route: Jalisco → Michoacán (state line)
  • Mile 130 of this route: Michoacán → Jalisco (state line)
  • Mile 137 of this route: Jalisco → Michoacán (state line)
  • Mile 305 of this route: Michoacán → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 355 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 385 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 399 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)

Stops between Colima and Huasca de Ocampo

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo El Rehilete (mile 416), El Hiloche (mile 427)
  • Nature and outdoors: Volcán Nevado de Colima National Park (mile 19), Rayón National Park (mile 301), El Hiloche (mile 427), El Chico National Park (mile 428)
  • Museums and history: Teatro Morelos de Maravatío (mile 284), Tula (mile 368), Museo El Rehilete (mile 416), Museo de Mineralogía de la UAEH (mile 423)

Volcán Nevado de Colima National Park

Mile 19 · National Park of Mexico · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

This national park in western Mexico protects the upper slopes of two volcanic peaks, Volcán de Colima and Nevado de Colima, in the states of Jalisco and Colima.

Teatro Morelos de Maravatío

Mile 284 · Opera house · 1 mi from the route

Maravatío's Teatro Morelos is a late-19th-century theater in a French-influenced neoclassical style, designed by architect Rafael Guerrero Torres. It opened on January 11, 1879, with a performance by opera singer Ángela Peralta.

Rayón National Park

Mile 301 · National Park of Mexico · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Just outside Tlalpujahua, Rayón National Park (Parque Nacional Rayón) marks the start of the area's famous butterfly reserve country, which stretches south and west from here.

Tula

Mile 368 · Archaeological site · 1 mi from the route

Once the Toltec capital, the Tula archaeological zone is best known for its Atlantes, basalt warrior figures over four meters (13 feet) tall crowning the main pyramid. Visitors also see a ball court, the Burnt Palace and the Coatepantli wall, carved with snakes devouring skeletons.

Museo El Rehilete

Mile 416 · Museum · 0.1 mi from the route

Kids head to Pachuca's interactive museum El Rehilete for its planetarium, observatory, dinosaur park, botanical garden and archaeological walk, plus a historic DC-3 airplane and a fire truck they can explore.

Teatro de la Ciudad San Francisco

Mile 423 · Theatre building · 1 mi from the route

The Teatro de la Ciudad San Francisco is a theater in the historic center of Pachuca de Soto, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo.

Museo de Mineralogía de la UAEH

Mile 423 · Mineralogical museum · 2 mi from the route

Inside the central building of the state university in downtown Pachuca, the UAEH Mineralogy Museum displays minerals and rocks and is one of the longest-running museums of its kind in Mexico.

El Hiloche

Mile 427 · State park · 0.3 mi from the route

Bosque El Hiloche is a state park of about 100 hectares of forest in Mineral del Monte, Hidalgo, and one of the geosites of the Comarca Minera Geopark.

El Chico National Park

Mile 428 · National Park of Mexico · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In Hidalgo, El Chico National Park is known for towering cliffs such as Las Ventanas and Peña del Cuervo, popular with climbers, and forest wildlife including gray foxes, ringtails, armadillos, hawks, falcons and woodpeckers.

When you get to Huasca de Ocampo

Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla

Waterfall · in Huasca de Ocampo

Basalt columns more than 40 meters tall line a ravine near Huasca de Ocampo, formed when lava cooled quickly on contact with water. Alexander von Humboldt described the Basaltic Prisms (Prismas Basálticos) after his visit in 1803.

More drives to Huasca de Ocampo

From Colima to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Colima to Huasca de Ocampo?

About 8 h 7 min of driving without stops, over 438 miles.

How far is Huasca de Ocampo from Colima by car?

About 438 miles (705 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.

Do I need a permit to drive my U.S. car from Colima to Huasca de Ocampo?

Yes. A temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) is required for a U.S.-registered car on this route, which is outside the zones where it can be skipped. Mexican auto insurance is required for every vehicle.

Is it safe to drive from Colima to Huasca de Ocampo?

The U.S. State Department rates Colima Level 4: Do Not Travel; Jalisco Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Michoacán Level 4: Do Not Travel; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Colima to Huasca de Ocampo use?

In order: MEX-54, MEX-54D, MEX-110, MEX-15, MEX-15D, MEX-M40D, MEX-85 and MEX-105. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Colima and Huasca de Ocampo?

Closest to the road: Tula (archaeological site, mile 368, 1 mi from the route); Museo El Rehilete (museum, mile 416, 0.1 mi from the route); El Hiloche (state park, mile 427, 0.3 mi from the route). All stops are described above.

How we put this guide together

Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway mile markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route (roughly 2 to 7 miles depending on the type, farther for World Heritage sites): at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, with no more than five of one type, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place and city descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.

Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.