From Mazatlan, Mexico to Copper Canyon
Heart of Chihuaua State
11/13/2002 - 12/10/2002
Both our Lonely Planet guide to Mexico and the travelers we met along the way said a trip to Copper Canyon is well worth the inland side trip. We talked to many people, read our travel guides, and decided to head into the heart of the Sierra Madre to explore the Copper Canyon and the surrounding labyrinth of canyons.
Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) is actually about 20 canyons carved out of the Sierra Madre by six rivers. Combined, these canyons are over four times larger than Arizona's Grand Canyon. Canyon visitors described mile deep canyons, Yosemite like waterfalls, and a terrain similar to the Sierra Nevada and Bryce Canyon. They described 12000-foot high mountain peaks, and canyons plunging from about 8000 feet at the rim to 1500 feet at the rivers. The base of some canyons enjoyed sub-tropical climates. This sounds like something we must see.
On Wednesday 11/20, we hopped a first class bus from Mazatlán to Los Mochis, about 6 hours north. The bus ride included great accommodations and two (silly/stupid) movies. The Jackie Chan movie "The Tuxedo" appeared bootlegged and subtitled, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was quite humorous (dubbed in Spanish) in "Jingle all the way". We occasionally watched between naps and while we passed a few hundred miles of agricultural scenery. A couple of crop dusters skimmed the fields, each passing just yards in front of our bus.
First stop, Los Mochis, Sinaloa Mexico
Los Mochis is a fairly large (pop. 190K) Mexican industrial and agricultural city with some accommodations for tourists. Most of the tourists are simply passing through on the way to the train station and Copper Canyon. We arrived in Los Mochis around 3:00 pm, checked into a hotel, and headed off to find an early dinner.
Our dinner of paella at the España Restaurante was huge and filling, but contained ingredients of less than expected quality.
We chose inexpensive accommodations at the Hotel America. The simple and clean (enough) room would have been fine, but the rock solid bed made it difficult for us to get a good night sleep.
Into the Sierra Madre
First stop, Los Mochis. This is a complimentary view of town through the main town plaza.
Ferrocarril Mexicano -- the Chihuahua-Pacifico Railway
The foothills of the Sierra Madre from the window of the Chihuahua Pacifico Railway..
We awaked at 4:15 am to shower, grab a cab, and get to the train station by 5:00 am. We purchased tickets on the first class train to our destination -- Creel. We hopped aboard the 6:00 am train and headed off into the Sierra Madre.
The Ferrocarril Mexicano train "Chihuaua Pacifico" (or CHP or "Chepe") takes travelers from the town of Los Mochis near the Pacific coast of Mexico, to the heart of Chihuahua state and the Capital city of Chihuahua. It is about a 10- hour trip from Los Mochis to our destination of Creel (Kree-EHL). Creel is a good "jumping off point" to tour the many canyons and waterfalls.
On the 400+ miles of track from Los Mochis to Chihuahua, the train rises from just above sea level to over 8000 feet in the first 200 miles. To accomplish this, the engineering is impressive. There are 86 tunnels, 39 bridges, and one 360-degree looping turn over the length of the railway.
The Train Trip
The Primera Express train included the engine, a dining car, a bar car, and two passenger cars -- each holding about 60-80 passengers. The food was good and the view out the "right" side of the train was great. We had a very enjoyable ride as we watched the world go by, read our books, and napped as required.
About 1.5 hours before arriving in our destination of Creel, we stopped at for 15 minutes at Divisidero. This was our first "full-on" view of Copper Canyon. We also had the opportunity to buy Tarahumara crafts, snap a few photos, and grab a snack before jumping back on the train.
Tarahumara crafts at the Divisidero stop. Robin buys 4 baskets by trips end. We give one basket away to friends. Duncan fears more baskets in his future.
"Pay- so?" Sure... how about a peso for a picture? A shy Tarahumara girl gets a peso, we get a photo.
The view of Copper Canyon from Divisidero. A few days later, we have a similar view from our room at the Hotel Mirador in Posada Barrancas.
Creel
The church on the town square in Creel (Kree-EHL).
We arrived in Creel just after 3:00 pm and headed off looking for a hotel room. Based upon our painful sleep the previous night, we sought to spend a few more bucks to find a more comfortable bed. We stayed at the Lodge At Creel, a nice Best Western that had several clean, comfortable, heated cabins, and a large lodge building. Breakfast was included.
We spent two nights at the lodge and learned that beds are an important part of a human's daily comfort/rest cycle. The beds at the Lodge were too soft. Robin said she felt like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, looking for a bed that was "just right". We finally find one a couple of days later in Posada Barrancas.
The tour to La Bufa
The morning after our first night in Creel, we sought out an interesting tour that would give us a good sampling of the Copper Canyon area. The front desk person at the lodge said her favorite tour was to La Bufa -- an all day tour that covered "five spectacular canyons" and about 130 miles.
We found a tour at the local hostel (Margarita's) and added ourselves to a list of six people already signed up. Only upon departure did we realize that the Suburban truck only comfortably seats 7, and we were passengers 8 and 9. Oh well, we (3 of us) crammed into the back seat between the wheel wells and each wished for skinnier hips. Over 30 miles of this trip were on steep, dusty, windy, unpaved roads. On the roughest stretch (nearing La Bufa), we hoped for a big view "payoff" and we got it. We also had an opportunity to get out and hike down the road a couple of miles, which allowed us to stretch and reposition our hips. It was slow-going and grueling on the return trip, but we decided the views of the "five spectacular canyons" were worth it.
The steep, lush hillsides down in the La Bufa valley reminded us of Kauai.
Kids take first steps. Just born roadside near La Bufa.
Robin & Duncan on return trip from La Bufa. Still smiling!
Our Last night in Creel
The group of Baja Ha-Ha friends we met up with in Creel. All on different itineraries, but a coincidental merge occurs at the Hotel Margarita Bar.
On the tour-truck returning to Creel, we saw three other cruisers from Mazatlán that had made the trip up to Copper Canyon. We tracked them down and found a few more friends.
We met up with Ron and Bette on Francis V., Donna and Don on La Mouette, and Betsy, Larry, and Greg from Shadowfax in the Margarita Hotel bar. From there, a group of us went out to a quick dinner and headed back to our respective hotels for the night.
The next morning, we went to the Tarahumara Museum in Creel, visited the Mission local craft store, and hopped the train going back toward Los Mochis. Our plan was to stop in Divisidero and spend the night at a nice hotel there on the canyon rim.
Posada Barrancas
The Hotel Mirador in Posada Barrancas, just down the tracks from Divisidero.
While on the train, we tried to purchase tickets to our next stop in Divisidero. The very friendly conductor/porter asked us why we would want to stay in Divisidero -- it was too touristy and there was only one hotel. What we really should do is continue one more stop to Posada Barrancas. There are three hotels there and he recommends the Hotel Mirador (the most expensive).
We took his recommendation (joking that his family probably owned the place) and had a wonderful time during our short stay. The bed was among the best we've slept on, the views were spectacular, and the talented, courteous staff made us feel very welcome.
Lobby of the Posada Barrancas. The night before we enjoyed a giant fire in the fireplace while two singers/guitarists (bartender and the front desk manager) serenade all 15 guests with authentic Spanish and Mexican ballads.
A stained glass window in the stairwell near our room -- depicts a Tarahumara in a canyon field.
The swarm of hummingbirds that feed all day at the Mirador. The sun sets on Copper Canyon.
Poncho (slang for a San Franciscan) wakes from his siesta at the Hotel Mirador Bar.
Our morning hike out on the rim of Copper Canyon.
A Tarahumara family at home on the cliff below the Hotel Mirador.
Return trip to Mazatlan
These hummingbirds dine frequently, and with a fine view.
We could have spent several days at this Hotel and enjoyed it thoroughly, but our budget would not allow it and we were anxious to get back to the boat and warmer weather (it dropped to the 30's at night).
The trip back on the train started around 2:00 pm and ended at 9:30 pm, but after almost 4 hours traveling in darkness (with a 2 year old Mexican boy climbing the seats, running the aisles, throwing toys, while screaming/crying), we were ready to get off the train.
The cab took us to our intended hotel in Los Mochis, but it was already full. A snap decision took us back to the bus station awaiting a first class midnight bus back to Mazatlan (is there a song there?). The bus was very comfortable and we slept almost 5 hours. We arrived back at the boat by 6:00 am and slept until almost 9:00 am. We had a great trip, but it was good to be "home".