By 6 p.m. most evenings, someone is already climbing out of Playa Pedregal in shoes that were not built for gravel, headed for the same hill the rest of the neighborhood eventually finds. It has no sign, no gate you'd recognize as an entrance, and a name most visitors mangle on the first try. Locals just call it Cerro de la Z. Cartographers call it Cerro Prieto. Either way, it tops out at 245 meters, about 804 feet, and it is the closest thing Pedregal has to a shared front porch.
What most write-ups skip is that this hill has more than one way up, and the way you approach it changes the walk entirely. If you live on the Playa Pedregal side, you get a public, paved climb open to anyone willing to do it. If you live closer to Camino Del Aguila, your route runs through streets that read as private the moment you hit them. Same hill, same view at the top, two very different mornings.
One Hill, Two Very Different Climbs
The route most people mean when they say they're "doing the Z" starts down near Playa Pedregal and works its way up through cobblestone streets to the summit. It is roughly three miles round trip with about 700 feet of climbing, rated moderate, and it takes most walkers an hour and a half to two hours if they stop for photos, which they will.
The other approach starts further up the hill itself, near Villa Dorada at the end of Camino Del Aguila. From there the road becomes Camino Del Cielo, and the climb to the top is closer to 450 feet over well under a mile, doable in twenty minutes for anyone in reasonable shape. It is the shortcut version of the same summit, but it runs past a gate that one hiker's own trail notes described flatly as for tenants only. If you don't live on that stretch, you may find yourself turning back and rerouting to the public side.
| Route | Distance | Elevation gain | Access | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playa Pedregal cobblestone climb | About 3 miles round trip | Roughly 700 ft | Open, no gate | Anyone in the neighborhood |
| Camino Del Aguila via Villa Dorada | Under 1 mile round trip | About 450 ft | Passes a residents-only gate | Those living on that side of the hill |
| Downtown approach via Miguel Ángel Herrera Street | About 45 minutes on foot from the center | Similar total gain | Free, wide paved service road, no vehicles | Visitors staying in town, no car needed |
There is also a third option that rarely gets mentioned alongside the first two: walking up from downtown Cabo San Lucas itself, via Miguel Ángel Herrera Street, on foot in about 45 minutes with no fee and no traffic to dodge. It is the version used by people without a car and without a Pedregal address, and it is the one where you're most likely to pass actual joggers from town rather than tourists working through a bucket list.
What's Actually Waiting at the Top
Whichever door you use, the summit itself is the same, and it is smaller than the reputation suggests. There is an observatory up there, and it is closed to the public, so the payoff is entirely the view: a 360-degree sweep that puts the Pacific to the west and south, the marina and bay laid out below, and the mountains rolling north behind the neighborhood.
The crowd at the top tells you something too. Reviewers who have done the public climb repeatedly note that the other hikers are mostly locals out for exercise, not tourists working through a checklist. That is unusual for a viewpoint this good in a resort town, and it is worth knowing if what you actually want from an evening walk is quiet rather than a line for photos.
The Timing Locals Already Know
There is no shade anywhere on the hill, which matters more in Cabo than it does almost anywhere else. Midday here is not a suggestion to skip, it is close to a requirement. The walk works at two times: early morning, before the heat sets in, or the hour before sunset, when the light does something to the water that no photo quite captures and the temperature finally drops enough to enjoy the climb instead of surviving it.
Sunset is also, not coincidentally, when the walk turns into an evening rather than just exercise. Come down from either side of the hill around dusk and you land right back in the part of Pedregal built for exactly that transition.
The Reward Got a Little More Official This Year
For years, the unofficial finish line for a Cerro de la Z sunset walk has been a drink somewhere with a view good enough to justify the climb. In 2026, one of those options picked up a credential that makes the case for itself: El Bar de Don Manuel's, inside Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, was named a winner of the Forbes Travel Guide 2026 Hotel Star Bars Award, recognized for its cocktail program, service, and its specific sense of place rather than a generic resort bar checklist.
Two drinks worth knowing before you go: the guava margarita, a twist on the version everyone already expects, and the Pedregal Reyes, built to taste like the neighborhood it's named for. The bar runs a taco menu from 6 to 11 p.m. that pairs with both, and the dress code is resort casual, meaning sundresses work fine for women and men should plan on a collared shirt with sleeves. It is bookable to the public through OpenTable, so you do not need to be a hotel guest to walk in for a drink after coming down off the hill.
A few practical details worth having before you go:
- Don Manuel's bar runs daily from roughly 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., so a post-sunset stop around 7 or 8 fits comfortably.
- The taco menu that pairs with cocktails is only available from 6 to 11 p.m.
- Reservations through OpenTable are the easiest way in without a wait.
If You Want Something Other Than a Cocktail
Not every evening calls for the bar. El Farallón, also part of Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, sits carved into the same cliffs and runs a sea-to-table menu out of an open-air kitchen, with the ocean close enough that you can hear it over the conversation. It leans more toward a full dinner than a quick stop, and it is the pick when you want the view to come with a real meal.
For something less connected to the resort entirely, Loretta Restaurant Pedregal is worth the extra effort to find. It is independent, intimate, and does not take reservations through OpenTable, so calling ahead directly is the move. Regulars point to the sea bass in white wine sauce, and the setting feels more like a neighborhood secret than a hotel amenity.
If the evening calls for something more casual, and you're bringing a dog along on the walk, Mar y Leña Steakhouse has an outdoor patio built for exactly that, complete with a firepit for once the sun is fully down and the desert air starts to cool off fast.
The Walk Doesn't Change, But What You Do After It Just Did
None of this makes Cerro de la Z a new discovery. People have been climbing it for exercise and for the view since long before any bar in Pedregal had a Forbes plaque to point to. What changed in 2026 is that the most obvious finish line for the walk now has a credential attached to it, and the neighborhood's daily ritual has a slightly better reason to end where it already ended.
If you're new enough to Pedregal that you haven't picked a side of the hill yet, start with the Playa Pedregal route. It's open to everyone, it's the one most of your neighbors already know, and it puts you close enough to Don Manuel's, El Farallón, Loretta, or Mar y Leña that the only real decision left is which door you feel like walking through when you get back down.
For more on what makes specific pockets of Pedregal worth knowing, from the water infrastructure behind the neighborhood's pricing to what the calendar looks like each summer, Jorge Gómez keeps writing about the details that don't show up in the average listing. Let's Connect if you'd like to talk about what else is worth knowing before you make a move in this neighborhood.
