The cross-country bicycle tour enthusiast will also find much of value in the vicinity of Hidalgo, and Monterrey in general. The bicycle makes accessible a wonderful area of desert hills and mountains to the northwest known by the name of the most prominent of its rock formations: "La Popa" which resembles an old-fashioned sail-ship's stern. Within view of this 200-meter tall rock formation is a sparsely populated area of high desert, which owes its dryness to the rain shadow of the mountains that that form the three potreros Grande, Chico, and Garcia. Spectacular desert scenery awaits the cyclist who traverses the Popa's relatively few dirt tracks. Curiously, because they weave through hills and traverse deep breaches (puertos) in the mountain chains, very little elevation gain (aside from the subtle tilt of the plateau itself) is involved traveling the Popa's craggy landscapes. Similar scapes, suitable for long distance tours, extend for hundreds of kilometres to the west, within the states of Coahuila, Chihuahua and beyond.

Surpassing the Popa in size, scenery, and back-country bike touring possibilities are the mountains of the Sierra Madre Oriental. These tall, parallel ridges, often more than 3000m in elevation with the highest summits exceeding 3700m (12000') abut the city of Monterrey and separate the lowlands to the east from the high plateaus to the west. There is about a kilometer of elevation difference between the two flanks of the Sierra, and as a result the rivers run in a trellis drainage pattern, constrained for a while to run in a valley between two parallel ridges, then unexpectedly breaking through a ridge forming a spectacular canyon before reaching the next, lower, open valley to the east. The area sees scant rainfall (the 'rivers' are really dry beds of gravel most of the time) and the few villages contained within these mountains typically have difficult access, fewer than 100 people, and no electricity or most other modern amenities. As is usually the case in areas so remote, the locals are friendly and for a few pesos they will gladly prepare for the passing traveler a simple meal of eggs, beans, and corn tortillas. A network of roads and tracks exists, roughly following the riverbeds making for mountain bike touring of the highest quality.