Irapuato to Huasca de Ocampo Road Trip: Distance, Time & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Irapuato to Huasca de Ocampo is 220 miles (354 km), about 3 h 47 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Guanajuato — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Querétaro — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; 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.
Celaya CathedralCerro de las CampanasTulaParque Cultural HidalguenseCentro Interactivo Mundo FutbolMonumental Clock of PachucaMuseo de Medicina Laboral y Centro Cultural Nicolás ZavalaEl Chico National ParkIrapuatoHuasca de Ocampo
Route from Irapuato to Huasca de Ocampo with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance220 mi (354 km)
Driving time, no stops3 h 47 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-45D → MEX-47D → MEX-57D → MEX-M40D → MEX-85 → MEX-105
Mexican states on the routeGuanajuato (Level 3), Querétaro (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-M40D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 8.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below8

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 Irapuato to Huasca de Ocampo is like

MEX-47D (53 mi) and MEX-45D (46 mi) carry about 45% of the 220 miles. MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-M40D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-85, MEX-105 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 4 states: Guanajuato, Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo. Of the 8 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.

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

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–44Guanajuato
MEX-45D4–5046Guanajuato
MEX-47D50–10353Guanajuato, Querétaro
MEX-57D103–13734Querétaro, State of Mexico
connecting roads137–1392Hidalgo
MEX-M40D139–18546Hidalgo, State of Mexico
MEX-85185–19611Hidalgo
local roads196–2048Hidalgo
MEX-105204–21410Hidalgo
local roads214–2206Hidalgo
  • Mile 63 of this route: Guanajuato → Querétaro (state line)
  • Mile 104 of this route: Querétaro → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 137 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 167 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 181 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)

Stops between Irapuato and Huasca de Ocampo

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Parque Cultural Hidalguense (mile 199), Centro Interactivo Mundo Futbol (mile 199), Museo de Medicina Laboral y Centro Cultural Nicolás Zavala (mile 209)
  • Nature and outdoors: Cerro de las Campanas (mile 61), Parque Cultural Hidalguense (mile 199), El Chico National Park (mile 209)
  • Museums and history: Celaya Cathedral (mile 37), Tula (mile 150), Centro Interactivo Mundo Futbol (mile 199), Monumental Clock of Pachuca (mile 205), Museo de Medicina Laboral y Centro Cultural Nicolás Zavala (mile 209)

Celaya Cathedral

Mile 37 · Church building · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Celaya's main Catholic church, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, occupies the space of a former chapel that was annexed to the neighboring Temple of St. Francis.

Cerro de las Campanas

Mile 61 · National Park of Mexico · 12 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Rising within Querétaro City, the Cerro de las Campanas is a hill that is protected as a Mexican national park.

Tula

Mile 150 · 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.

Parque Cultural Hidalguense

Mile 199 · Park · 0.2 mi from the route

Formerly Parque David Ben Gurión, Pachuca's Parque Cultural Hidalguense reopened in 2025 after a major renovation, with a monumental chess board, an artificial lake with fountains, a skate park and Byron Gálvez's restored artwork known as el Pisal.

Centro Interactivo Mundo Futbol

Mile 199 · Museum · 0.2 mi from the route

Centro Interactivo Mundo Fútbol is an interactive museum devoted to soccer, located in the city of Pachuca de Soto in the Mexican state of Hidalgo.

Monumental Clock of Pachuca

Mile 205 · Monument · 2 mi from the route

Rising over Plaza Independencia in Pachuca's historic center, the Monumental Clock tower was built between 1904 and 1910 to mark the centennial of Mexico's War of Independence.

Museo de Medicina Laboral y Centro Cultural Nicolás Zavala

Mile 209 · Museum · 0.9 mi from the route

Occupational medicine and mining history are the focus of this museum in Mineral del Monte, Hidalgo, which keeps the original facilities, furniture and medical equipment. Pachuca's mining archive and museum runs it.

El Chico National Park

Mile 209 · 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 Irapuato to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

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

About 3 h 47 min of driving without stops, over 220 miles.

How far is Huasca de Ocampo from Irapuato by car?

About 220 miles (354 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 Irapuato 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 Irapuato to Huasca de Ocampo?

The U.S. State Department rates Guanajuato Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Querétaro Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; 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 Irapuato to Huasca de Ocampo use?

In order: MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, 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 Irapuato and Huasca de Ocampo?

Closest to the road: Parque Cultural Hidalguense (park, mile 199, 0.2 mi from the route); Centro Interactivo Mundo Futbol (museum, mile 199, 0.2 mi from the route); Museo de Medicina Laboral y Centro Cultural Nicolás Zavala (museum, mile 209, 0.9 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.