Copper Canyon

Copper Canyon the Cheap and Easy Way

If You're Driving Down Spoil Yourself

When you think of the Copper Canyon Train do you think of packaged tourists in matching jackets being herded onto sanitized passenger cars never speaking to a Mexican who isn't selling souvenirs?

You probably decided that wasn't for you.

But take heart.  The reality is that it's easy to make the trip on your own.  And if you're driving into Mexico there's something you should know about.

The road between Creel and Guachochí is paved and in good condition and passes through some of Mexico's most beautiful scenery.   Now the drive across Chihuahua State can be one of the best parts of your trip.

Here's the strategy:  Drive to Creel a railroad town in the Tarahumara homeland high (at 2300 meters) on the Western Sierra Madre.  The next day take the train through the canyons to El Fuerte on the coastal plain.  Overnight there and take the train back.  Spend as much time in Creel as you like and then drive down; the scenery on the way to Guachochí is as spectacular as anything in the canyon complex.

Want to do it from the coastal highway instead? Okay here are directions for El Fuerte

See Map of Chihuahua State

Let's cover these one at a time.

Driving to Creel

From the east the natural way to go is through Chihuahua City.  From the west consider going through Nuevo Casas Grandes; the roads are all paved and in good shape.

Creel

Creel has a wide range of accommodations from hostels to first-class hotels.  For RVers there is a campground called Villa Mexicana at the south end of town one mile from the train station.

See map of Creel

Tours from Creel

Lots of places including Villa Mexicana offer tours.  The catch is that you need a minimum of 4 people to go on them.  Tarahumara Tours has an office in the town square; if you go there between 8 and 9 am there's a chance you can link up with other independent travelers.  If not ask at the Hotel Cascada or the Lodge at Creel.  A typical 3-hour tour will cost US$17 per person.  See if you can get a tour that will leave you at Divisadero in time to catch the train there: good time saver.

The Copper Canyon Train

• Here are some things you need to know.
  • • Creel is on Mountain Time even though the map shows it is on Central Time.

      The train station is located one block north of the town square.

      El Fuerte is a better place to turn around than Los Mochis because it's a nicer town.  More important the train gets into Los Mochis very late and on returning leaves before the buses and taxis are running.

      Summer is the busy season so if you're doing this in the winter getting a seat shouldn't be a problem.

          This was the situation in February of 2001:

• • • Schedule:

      	Lv Creel for El Fuerte	Lv El Fuerte for Creel
      Primera Express	11:30 am	7:26 am
      Clase Económica	1 pm	8:40 am

      The trip takes 7-8 hours. The train can be as much as an hour late at each station even if there aren't any problems.

      Fares:  The Primera Express costs US$45 each way the Económica Turística US$22.  Pay in pesos.

      Options:  The Clase Económica doesn't have meal service unless you count vendors selling instant noodle mix and gets into El Fuerte after the restaurants have closed.  With the Primera Express there's a chance one will still be open; in fact though the food on the train is good and it isn't over-priced.

      Going the other way you get a choice.  The Primera Express costs more and is full of packaged American tourists but the cars are newer and cleaner.  Taking the Clase Económica is exactly like riding on a Mexican bus.

    • Because of the difference in fares economically-careful travelers should consider carrying a really good lunch on the Clase Económica and skipping supper.

El Fuerte

The train station is several miles from town so figure on US$3-4 for the taxi.  The hotel choices are as follows all with clean rooms with private baths in ascending order of rates:

The San Francisco is noisy at all hours.  The Pueblo Bonito is nicer and quieter.  The Río Fuerte B&B (includes breakfast) is beautiful.  Recommendation: try here before looking at the more expensive places.  The Hotel Pescador is almost as nice as the Río Fuerte B&B.  The Posada del Hidalgo is the premier hotel in town.  The Hotel El Fuerte charges as much as the Posada.

See Map of El Fuerte

Driving between Creel and Durango

The suggested route takes you past Samachique Guachochí San Pablo Balleza and San Juan to CHIH 24.  If you're going the other way the turnoff from CHIH 24 is at Km 36.3.  Take the bypass around  Parral.

Hotels are easy to find in Guachochí Parral Rodeo and Durango.

For RVers here are some possibilities between Parral and Durango:

• • • Just south of Parral at Km 407.8 Motel Villa Cariño has parking for RV's US$12 (expect a lot of traffic during the night).

      At Km 161.4 at the north end of Rodeo Los Arcos Hotel has room for RVs (the back gate is wider than the side gate) US$12 for RVs US$24 for rooms has a small restaurant.  2½ hours from Durango.

      In Durango Motel México has some RV spaces.  Here are the directions:

      Coming into Durango from Parral:

      • At Km 2.1 go left toward Torreón.

        In .25 mi (.4 km) between two sets of railroad tracks angle right. In .15 mi (.2 km) go left on Blv Felipe Pescador.

        At a traffic circle with a statue of Pancho Villa on a rearing horse take the second street H. Colegio Militar.

        In .4 mi (.6 km) go right onto 20 de Noviembre; the motel is on the right. 

      Coming from Zacatecas:

      • Watch for a police station on the right at Km 283.4.

        In .7 mi (1.1 km) go straight for Mazatlán and Parral.

        In .8 mi (1.3 km) reach a traffic circle with a statue of Pancho Villa on a rearing horse.

        Angle left onto H. Colegio Militar.

        In .4 mi (.6 km) go right onto 20 de Noviembre; the motel is on the right.

               See Map of  Durango

• • • To continue toward Parral:
      • Go right out of the motel entrance.

        In .5 mi (.8 km) after a Pemex on the right go right on Victoria.  Get into one of the right two lanes.

        In .6 mi (1.0 km) go straight at Blv Felipe Pescador.

        In .15 mi (.2 km) between two sets of railroad tracks angle left.

        In .25 mi (.4 km) go right at a tee onto Blv Luis Donaldo Colosio.

        Buses run to downtown on 20 de Noviembre the street in front.  To come back take any bus marked Techno.

Final Suggestion

Mind your manners and be polite to the packaged tourists you meet on the train.  For what they're paying they at least deserve that.