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

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Cuautla to Huasca de Ocampo is 132 miles (213 km), about 2 h 53 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider 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. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Convento de Santiago ApóstolIztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National ParkBosque de los Arboles de NavidadAcozacMuseo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense BicentenarioTexcoco CathedralPaleontological Museum in TocuilaMexican Air Force MuseumEl Chico National ParkCuautlaHuasca de Ocampo
Route from Cuautla to Huasca de Ocampo with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance132 mi (213 km)
Driving time, no stops2 h 53 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-115 → MEX-115D → MEX-142 → MEX-85D → MEX-85 → MEX-105
Mexican states on the routeMorelos (Level 3), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-115D, MEX-85D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 5.3 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 Cuautla to Huasca de Ocampo is like

MEX-115 (26 mi) and MEX-85D (16 mi) carry about 32% of the 132 miles. MEX-115D, MEX-85D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-115, MEX-142, MEX-85, MEX-105 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 3 states: Morelos, State of Mexico, Hidalgo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.

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

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–22Morelos
MEX-1152–1311Morelos
MEX-115D13–2815Morelos, State of Mexico
MEX-11528–4315State of Mexico
local roads43–5714State of Mexico
connecting roads57–581State of Mexico
MEX-14258–7315State of Mexico
connecting roads73–774State of Mexico
MEX-85D77–9316State of Mexico, Hidalgo
MEX-8593–10916Hidalgo
local roads109–1178Hidalgo
MEX-105117–12710Hidalgo
local roads127–1325Hidalgo
  • Mile 21 of this route: Morelos → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 88 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)

Stops between Cuautla and Huasca de Ocampo

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Bosque de los Arboles de Navidad (mile 32), Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario (mile 57), Texcoco Cathedral (mile 62), Paleontological Museum in Tocuila (mile 63)
  • Nature and outdoors: Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park (mile 30), Bosque de los Arboles de Navidad (mile 32), El Chico National Park (mile 122)
  • Museums and history: Acozac (mile 45), Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario (mile 57), Texcoco Cathedral (mile 62), Paleontological Museum in Tocuila (mile 63), Mexican Air Force Museum (mile 82)

Convento de Santiago Apóstol

Mile 10 · Convent · 8 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In the town of Ocuituco, the Temple and Ex-convent of Santiago Apóstol (Templo y Exconvento de Santiago Apóstol) belongs to the UNESCO-listed group of 16th-century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl, inscribed in 1994.

Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park

Mile 30 · National Park of Mexico · 8 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park, also called Izta-Popo Zoquiapan, protects the land around Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, Mexico's second- and third-highest peaks, where the states of México, Puebla and Morelos meet.

Bosque de los Arboles de Navidad

Mile 32 · Park · 1 mi from the route

Bosque de los Árboles de Navidad in Amecameca, State of Mexico, is a tourist park with a greenhouse, covering about 400 hectares.

Acozac

Mile 45 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Acozac is an archaeological site in the municipality of Ixtapaluca, State of Mexico, located at kilometer 30 of the federal Mexico City–Puebla road, heading toward Ixtapaluca.

Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario

Mile 57 · Museum · 0.1 mi from the route

The museum at the Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario opened in 2011 with a permanent exhibit, Encuentro con Nuestras Raíces, a hall of art from the State of Mexico and three temporary galleries.

Texcoco Cathedral

Mile 62 · Cathedral · 0.7 mi from the route

Texcoco's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception occupies a former convent built by the Franciscans in the 16th century, one of the order's early convent complexes in the Americas.

Paleontological Museum in Tocuila

Mile 63 · Paleontological museum · 0.7 mi from the route

The Paleontological Museum in Tocuila, in Texcoco, State of Mexico, is a fossil museum displaying part of a rich deposit of Late Pleistocene animals from the Americas.

Mexican Air Force Museum

Mile 82 · Aviation museum · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

At Santa Lucía Air Base, the Military Aviation Museum, run by the Secretariat of National Defense, displays historical material from the Mexican Air Force.

El Chico National Park

Mile 122 · 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 Cuautla to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

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

About 2 h 53 min of driving without stops, over 132 miles.

How far is Huasca de Ocampo from Cuautla by car?

About 132 miles (213 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 Cuautla 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 Cuautla to Huasca de Ocampo?

The U.S. State Department rates Morelos Level 3: Reconsider 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 Cuautla to Huasca de Ocampo use?

In order: MEX-115, MEX-115D, MEX-142, MEX-85D, 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 Cuautla and Huasca de Ocampo?

Closest to the road: Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario (museum, mile 57, 0.1 mi from the route); Texcoco Cathedral (cathedral, mile 62, 0.7 mi from the route); Paleontological Museum in Tocuila (paleontological museum, mile 63, 0.7 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.