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| Copper Canyon Riding the Train in the Sky Only one rail journey has been called “the world’s most exciting train ride” by the Society of American Travel Writers. This is the Chihuahua-Pacifico line, affectionately known as Chepe (pronounced che-pay), the “train ride in the sky.” This unique, breathtaking access to Mexico’s Copper Canyon complex was noted as one of the top ten most spectacular train trips in the world during a recent year’s Tourism World Day. | 
| Chihuahua-Pacifico, a top world-spectacular train trip. |
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For our part, we found that taking in the splendor of Mexico’s Copper Canyon as independent travelers was easier than we imagined. We chose to be nimble and comfortable. We arrived in our own transportation, our small, high-clearance SUV. We arranged our own lodging, meals and tours along the way because this suited our self-directed schedule. We spent a little and saw a lot. We are not fluent in Spanish, but we are familiar with phrasebooks, road signs, and a few common verbs in the present tense. We try also to always exercise common courtesy. By planning our Copper Canyon journey loosely in advance, we were able to get the most and the best out of riding the Chepe.
In brief, while the train journeys from Los Mochis at the low end all the way to Chihuahua, the span between Creel (we heard most locals pronounce it “krill”) and El Fuerte offers the best vistas of the canyons available from Chepe.  | Copper Canyon offers endless panoramas. |
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Since the train offers the only overland transportation between these destinations (zero roads between them), we parked our vehicle with a hotel on the top end. We could just as easily have chosen to begin at the lower elevation and end the train portion of the journey in the mountains. We chose to make our trip in late November. We did this to take advantage of fall colors, enjoy crisp, cool and predictably dry weather. The elevation changes dramatically from sea level to alpine, so we packed for layering our clothes. Light cotton shirts and shorts were for lower elevations. We had the gamut and needed it all including long sleeved cotton shirts and jeans, sweatshirts, lightweight windbreakers, scarves, gloves and hats for the mountains.  | Rock formations shaped by eons of weather appear human. |
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For Prices and Schedule – First Express Effective September 29, 2011 From Los Mochis and From Chihuahua, visit: Information and reservations (011-52-614) 439-7212 Another number listed for use within Mexico is 01-800-122-4373
International 1-888-484-1623
While we intended to eat out for the most part, we also packed a number of food items and gear for food preparation. We were very happy that we had along our small propane single burner, a small saucepan and bottled water. We were able to make instant coffee in the mornings when coffee was either not to be found or it would have taken too long to get a cup. In the afternoon or evening, we could also enjoy a cup of hot tea. We also had along snacks such as trail mix, dried and fresh fruit, individually wrapped cheeses and whole grain muffins and cookies. Again, these were more for convenience. And, as it turned out, at one hotel stay, we encountered a group of travelers whom we joined for happy hour. We added some of our attractive snacks to their spread and passed a delightful evening in a remote spot that had little to offer in the way of appetizers. For keeping in touch with home during travels, we carry a cell phone. Access was not always available. When that happened, we found that the hotel phone service was affordable and gave us the peace of mind of checking in with family members.
Creel was to serve as our upper end base camp. Our first Copper Canyon destination stop on the way there was Basaseachi Falls, a cascading treasure of the Sierra Madre. But first, we needed to enter Mexico and begin the 12 day journey.
Stop-over Hermosillo
We entered Mexico through Nogales and stopped at KM 21 to get our visitor and car papers. We continued on Highway 15, taking the Periferico as we entered Hermosillo to bypass the downtown area. Our first overnight stay was at Hermosillo’s Hotel San Sebastian [link to http://www.hotelsansebastian.com.mx/] at the junction of Highway 15 and Highway 16. Over time we have found the hotel consistently clean, secure and reasonably priced. The hotel dining room offers menu dining and a buffet. In the morning, we could exit the parking lot, ease into eastbound traffic and be on our way. Mexico 16 east from Hermosillo was our chosen route to Basaseachi because it is good paved road. It is scenic, lightly traveled, meandering and slow going. The 248 miles to Basaseachi took us about eight hours with a couple of brief Scooby snack stops at interesting small villages along the way. Basaseachi Falls
There’s a breath-catching energy you sense when you look below your feet. You see a churning mass of water rush toward the brink. You also know that you’re not in the U.S. any more. The trail to the top of the 806 ft. high Basaseachi Falls leads to footbridges with handrails and staggered chain link barriers. No U.S. national park permits visitors so close a meeting with such powerful natural forces.  | Note the man (white hat, far left) seated beyond the fence at the fall's brink. |
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The quiet surprised my husband and me at the fall’s staggering brink. The roar of the water must emanate well below the top. Basaseachi Falls in Mexico’s state of Chihuahua has been called the single most impressive land feature between the Grand Canyon of the Colorado and Mexico’s south-central volcanoes. It’s the twentieth highest in the world, the fourth highest in North America and Mexico’s highest.  | View of Basaseachi Falls from across the canyon. |
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In the Tarahumara language, Basaseachi is said to mean either “place of the cascade” or “place of the coyotes.” Most of the 25 inches of yearly rain here falls in summer. That makes July and August the prime months for falls viewing, but we found every view angle impressive even in drier November. We intended for our visit to be our kick-off on a journey to the Copper Canyon complex. The falls' soaring, misty other-worldliness made it a perfect choice.
The falls reside at about 6,600 ft. elevation in Basaseachi Falls National Park, the only officially designated national park in the northern Sierra Madre. The settlement of the same name and the park are easily accessible by a well-maintained road.
Of the two access roads to the park, we approached the first one when we turned south off Highway 16 past KM 276. This leads directly into the village of Basaseachi. Along the few blocks of the main street are a few small places to eat and lodgings before the park entrance that leads to the top of the falls.
 | | Log cabins provide great park access. |
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Our log cabin at El Rincon de Basaseachi (GPS Location: N 28◦ 11’ 36.7”, W 108◦ 12’ 33.4”) [link to http://www.basaseachi.com/index.html ] provided a wood stove and plenty of much needed firewood. It included a double bed, a bathroom, kitchenette with a burner, and plenty of blankets. In the morning, after our hike around the top of the falls, we drove to the second, more eastern access road into the park to get a more panoramic perspective. The two access roads lie only about five miles apart on a paved road. To get there, we headed north through town and turned eastward onto Highway 16, then south onto Chihuahua 330 and followed signage, turning westward into the park overlook area.  | The accommodations were pleasant, private and clean. |
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We were prepared to pay the 10-peso per person fee, but there was no one available to accept it. It was a case of scenic grandeur with casual management. We found a souvenir stand with a few packaged snacks for sale and a young man who showed us some available rooms. A part-time independent guide approached us and offered to escort us on the trail to the bottom of the falls. The recommended amount of time to allow for the hike is about three hours. We thanked him and opted for a shorter unescorted hike. He didn’t pressure. He and his dog had wood to deliver in his truck. We breathed in the clear mountain air and knew that our journey had truly begun.
The settlement lies at an elevation of 7,700 ft. in a pine forest valley. Looking like a 19th-century-logging town, Creel was named in honor of the diplomat Don Enrique Creel. The city's railroad has made it a supply center for the Copper Canyon region and gateway to the Sierra Madre Mountains.  | | The train station at Creel, elevation 7644 ft. |
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For lodging, we searched the internet prior to our departure and discovered a solid option in Creel, Best Western The Lodge at Creel [ http://www.thelodgeatcreel.com ]. As it turned out, the hotel accommodations were lovely with an in-room fireplace and toasty warm in spite of the icy weather. The dining room was cheery and the food delightful. There was even a hot tub.
Creel proved to be most “citified” of the communities we visited in the Copper Canyon. We found a bank where we could access cash, a number of restaurants and coffee opportunities, a laundry and even a coin operated car wash.
Shopping for crafts is something we enjoy. Creel offered lots of shops that displayed Tarahumara crafts, but where we felt as if we had found the most interesting and well-priced handmade items was at the Loyola museum gift store (Museo Loyola) near Cusarare.  | Tarahumara dwellings include cave shelters in the Copper Canyon cliffs. |
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As we waited to board the train to begin our rail journey in Creel, we met a young man in his twenties who expressed interest in practicing his English. Several of the attendants and other riders appeared to know him well as a frequent traveler. There is congeniality among those who rely on the rail line for regular transportation, as we soon discovered. We learned there are two trains daily in each direction: Primera Especial (first class) and Segunda Clase (second class). The differences are important. Generally, first class trains have a restaurant and bar car. They have comfortable seats, tidy bathroom facilities and security. The train trip takes about 13 hours one way. We found first class prices affordable, especially in view of the fact that we had come a long way just to ride the train and see the canyons.  | Aboard the first class "train ride in the sky" acommodations proved outstanding. |
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Second class is very economical, about half the price of first class. The accommodations are not designed for comfort or viewing. It can be crowded. We understand there is no restaurant or bar car. And very importantly, the ride takes longer, about 15-16 hours. We purchased our tickets at the station in Creel. We arrived about an hour in advance of departure to do so, and had cash for the purchase as was suggested to us. Arriving early added to the fun. We met an interesting group of Mexican tourists from Uruapan who were vacationing together to enjoy the train experience. There was a young couple from the UK, full of life and passion about photography, who were honeymooning.
 | Fast-moving scenery is close enough to touch. |
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Once aboard, we discovered why this train journey as been referred to as the "train ride in the sky". The entire rail trip from Los Mochis to Chihuahua has 36 major bridges and 87 tunnels. The train wends on a serpentine route from an elevation of more than 8,000 feet at its highest point to sea level at Los Mochis. Many suggest that travelers depart west to east. We solved the issue for ourselves as to which route is better by riding in both directions, with El Fuerte as our “bottom end” point and Creel as the “top.”
Some say the reason for emphasizing the west-to-east (lowland to highland) route is better canyon viewing during daylight hours. The most spectacular scenery lies between Temoris and Cerocahui, on the western flank of the Sierra Madre. The train departing from the low end travels this section during peak sunlight hours (10 am-12 noon). The train coming from the high end can actually enter this area after sundown during the winter months. We had also read that the best views are generally from the windows on the south side of the train. The spirit of sharing prevailed on our journey. When one of our newfound friends saw some spectacular sight, they would motion for us to join them wherever they stood. We moved from one side to the other. We entered the vestibules, the open areas between cars, snapped photos and then made room for others who were intrigued with the scenery. True to many guide books, we found the best out-of-train viewing of the canyons at two stations: Divisadero and Posada Barrancas.  | The 15 minute Copper Canyon stop. |
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Both of these are scheduled stops on the train route. The Divisadero stop lasts for about 15 minutes to allow for canyon viewing and browsing local crafts. For us, since the stop came in the afternoon during travel at some altitude, the aroma of food cooking in the outdoors vied for our attention. We skipped the crafts, caught great “magic hour” photos with shadows in deep relief and ordered up a plate of possibly the best chilis rellenos ever. They were prepared atop a clean, sizzling hot oil drum and served on a paper plate. We carried them back onto the train to not waste a bite. The Posada Barrancas stop was even more brief than Divisadero. Fortunately, the canyon views were a short walk to the rim. We had to hustle to get back on the train, but it was worth the effort to catch the views in the waning sunlight.
The young man we had met earlier at the station and my husband had a conversation about travel interspersed with some exchanges about computer and electronics technology.
 | Steep canyon walls, waterfalls and reflective pools appear one after another. |
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Later in the journey, we encountered the young man again in the dining and bar car and enjoyed another lively conversation. The meals on the Chepe, by the way, were well-priced, attractively served and flavorful.
Our young friend asked us where we were staying in El Fuerte. This was a leg of the journey where we had figured we would investigate and choose lodging after we arrived. The young man assured us that his brother, a physician from Los Mochis, was picking him up at the station El Fuerte.  | Tarahumara weavers' skill is legendary. |
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He laughingly told us that the drive from Los Mochis to El Fuerte was short, unlike the long final 90 minutes it would take on the train. His brother and he would gladly take us to a hotel they knew in El Fuerte to make sure we were safely settled in. The hotel, Hacienda San Francisco [ http://haciendasanfrancisco.comli.com ], was near the top of our list of hotels to investigate. True to our friend’s word, the gentlemen liveried us in the brother’s Lexus to meet the hotel staff and help us arrange for lodging. We exchanged contact information with our new friends and bid them safe journey with our thanks.
The hotel is designed in the colonial style around a brightly painted courtyard filled with caged birds. Guest rooms face the courtyard where comfortable chairs invited us to sit with a book or a newspaper. The desk clerk showed me the bottled water dispenser that provided both hot and chilled purified water. Instant coffee was already set up for the morning, complete with cups, sweetener and powdered creamer.
We found ourselves surprisingly affected by the dramatic change in altitude. Creel lies at an alpine 2338 meters while El Fuerte is at 180 meters elevation. A tropical absence of ambition overtook us. Still, we wanted to explore.
During our evening stroll, we discovered that we were only a little more than two blocks from the town plaza where there were shops, restaurants and an ice cream shop.
 | | The colonial style courtyard Hotel San Francisco |
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For dinner, our friends had recommended El Meson del General Bar & Grill, a restaurant with a long local history that specializes in seafood. We chose the langostino (crayfish), a regional specialty, and the meal was spot-on for our tastes. The next day, we visited another of the hotels we had noted in our guide books as a likely lodging choice, the Hotel Posada del Hidalgo. This hotel offered panoramic vistas from the hill above it. It also boasted a stunning, lushly green garden courtyard where pink bougainvillea trailed over a gurgling fountain. We visited the nearby replica of the fort for which El Fuerte was named and self-toured its museum, along with dozens of elementary school age youngsters in crisp uniforms. We found ourselves surprisingly affected by the dramatic change in altitude. By early afternoon, we realized our time in El Fuerte was drawing to a close. We were chatting with the cab drivers outside our hotel about what we might enjoy seeing in the hours that remained. One of them offered to take us to the Miguel Hidalgo Dam, a drive of only about 15 minutes (about 12 km) north of town. His fee was modest enough, and in the end with our tip it came to about $15 total.  | A backdrop of towering mountains rings Miguel Hidalgo Dam. |
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Miguel Hidalgo Dam, built in 1952, was constructed to provide water to the huge adjoining agricultural area. The waters of the Rio Verde in Sinforosa Canyon, the Rio Batopilas from Batopilas Canyon, the Rio Urique from Urique Canyon and the Rio Chinipas from Chinipas Canyon all contribute to the El Fuerte River. Of the three dams that make agriculture possible in the very fertile El Fuerte Valley, Hidalgo is known for excellent Black Bass fishing.
Two other popular excursions we will have to take another day around El Fuerte include a trip to a set of petroglyphs and a floating tour on the river (We bring along insect repellent for those tropical river no-see-ums). Other travelers we encountered chose Bahuichivo and Cerocahui as close off-rail points of exploration. These stopovers offer lodging, recreation and provide a gateway from which villages and ranch communities can be explored.
Cerocahui is a small mestizo village established around a church built more than 300 years ago. The village is not much affected by the outside world. It has only recently acquired electricity and telephone. It lies nestled between mountains with the Cerocahui River dividing the village in two.
Side Trip to Batopilas
For us, the side trip from Creel to the 18th century mining settlement of Batopilas, also often called the “Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  | | The Lost Cathedral was accessible after all. |
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Once is the operative word because the road was steep, challenging, precarious, at times perilously rutted and at others mired in silt.
Just outside of this jewel of a long-ago silver mining town lies another amazing site that’s lost in time, the “Lost Mission” at Satevo. While all the guide books we consulted insisted that the mission was a four kilometer walk from town, with our SUV we were able to drive right to it, rustle up a guide who procured the keys from a neighboring house, and we enjoyed a private tour. It’s possible, but not easy, to drive to Batopilas via the only road, known as the “best and worst road in North America.”
We opted to stay at Hotel Mary, a charming inn that happened to have parking behind a gate that closed at night, a rarity in Batopilas.
Other travelers mentioned to us that we would be served dinner if we went to a yellow house at the end of the street and took a seat on the porch. We went to Doña Mica's as we were told and soon a young woman appeared with bowls of homemade soup. (We learned later that it is more customary to let the proprietor know we were coming and give her a few hours notice.) The meal that followed was satisfying and tasty. We amused ourselves through dinner by examining the dozens of business cards that were lodged between the vinyl tablecloth and its glass cover. We noted that a well-known ornithologist whom we had met in our travels had dined at our table, along with a visitor from a famous Tucson desert park.  | | Challenges on the road to Batopilas. |
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While we were glad to have made the journey in our own vehicle, we would not recommend this self-drive for any but the most adventurous and unafraid. Bus transportation also brings travelers to Batopilas. At best, this would be an exhilarating and wildly scenic journey. For those who are subject to vertigo, the trip is just not recommended.
Mennonite Country
On the final leg of our journey, we opted for a travel opportunity for those who visit the Copper Canyon from the north: Mennonite Country. In our spirit of “spend a little, see a lot,” we try always to cover new ground, so our return trip to the U.S. took us through Mennonite farm communities, called “campos,” that look more like Iowa or Indiana than Mexico. We were amazed to see farm equipment distributors of such size that we would have thought we were in Montana again.
When we stopped for fuel at a Pemex station, we were served by a fair-haired young man who wore a flannel shirt and coveralls. He spoke Spanish, German and English with equal fluency to the customers.
Following the advice of travelers we had met, we headed north and took a westerly turn toward the small un-congested Santa Teresa border crossing into the states. This slight jog into New Mexico sidesteps the giant, congested Juarez, El Paso border completely.
The Copper Canyon Complex
 | The landscape is a complex collection of six major canyons. |
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The Copper Canyon, or Barrancas del Cobre, are said to have been created by 60 million years of volcanic eruptions, erosion and faults. The landscape is really not one canyon but a complex a collection of six major canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. It is four times larger and 280 feet deeper than Arizona’s Grand Canyon.
The Tarahumara Tarahumara is the name given the Native American people who inhabit the Copper Canyon. The people call themselves Rarámuri, a name that refers to their ability and practice as expert long distance runners. The contemporary Tarahumara are Mexico's second largest native group.  | Color and texture distinguish Tarahumara clothing. |
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For the most part, Tarahumara people live in cave shelters and in small wood and stone cabins in remote canyon areas. Drought in recent years in northern Mexico has not helped Tarahumara living conditions. As a farming people, corn is a main staple crop along with beans, potatoes and apples. Some Tarahumara farmers raise goats and cattle. Fishing, small game hunting and herbs contribute to the diet as well.
The Tarahumara also supplement their livelihood through crafts such as carving and weaving. These arts and crafts are available for sale along the Chihuahua Pacifico rail route.
The Mexican Government recommends asking for permission when taking photos and visiting Tarahumara land.
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