Almost four centuries after the arrival of the first Spanish explorers to the state of Chihuahua, Mexico's Copper Canyon again poises on the brink of discovery.
On a clear, frosty December morning, the Chihuahua Al Pacifico train lurches promptly out of the station at 7:05 a.m. A sleepy conductor passes through the first class car, calling for tickets.
"Por favor, senor." I say, "But how far is it to Creel?" The conductor pauses for several seconds, appearing to give actual thought to this common question.
"Five hours," he finally replies, adding a careful "mas o menos" (more or less) to avoid personal responsibility for any unscheduled rock falls, mud slides or emergency bridge repairs we might encounter along the way.
The city of Chihuahua quickly slides away into the darkness behind us. Within minutes, the handful of passengers who share my car are slumped and dozing in their seats, lulled by the rhythmic motion of the train. Ahead and to the West, the sky glows with the emerging dawn. Energized by the anticipation of another great adventure and warmed by a cup of bitter instant coffee, I settle back with a deep sigh of contentment. On the seat beside me are my map, my camera and a pair of good binoculars. Ahead, the Copper Canyon. Vamonos!
As an incurable romantic and shameless daydreamer, I have long felt a special attraction to that vast region of northwestern Mexico know as the Copper Canyon. Long visited only by explorers, missionaries, and prospectors, this huge expanse of canyons and Sierras are a living museum of The Old West. As the Copper Canyon's fame spreads beyond Mexico's borders, a steadily growing number of curious, trailblazing travelers are being drawn to the area. Like other do-it-yourself adventures aboard the "Copper Canyon Express", I'd felt the irresistible allure of the "Last Frontier". After all, with genuine cowboys and Tarahumara
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Indians at virtually every bend, not to mention ancient Spanish missions and lost liver mines, what more could a restless 49-year-old boy ask for?
My own interest in the Copper Canyon goes back to the early seventies, when I was researching my book, The People's Guide to Camping, Backpacking and Boating in Mexico. It was only recently, however, that I had the opportunity to explore the Copper Canyon in the detail it deserves. When Skip McWilliams offered me a three-month position as resident guide and "guest organizer" at his lodge in Cusarare and Batopilas, I couldn't pack my gear fast enough.
Although it lies just a few hundred miles south of the US border, the Barranca del Cobre has long been ignored by the beach-happy tourists and travel writers. The reasons for this oversight are largely practical. For all of its attractions, travel into the Copper Canyon has never been easy, although hotel accommodations and transportation have improved dramatically in recent years, they seldom achieve the standards of comfort and reliability that so many pampered tourists demand.
A bone-weary writer described the regions of early travel in the Barranca when he said, "Inaccessibility is the principal feature of the country." Almost a hundred years later, this description still applies. Other than the spectacular railroad line from Los Mochis to Chihuahua City, only one narrow highway yet manages to penetrate these forbidding sierras. Beyond a few torturous jeep trails, the principal means of transportation is by foot or saddle animal. In the Old West style, trains of pack mules carry food, passengers, and freight between isolated settlements. In Creel, the area's principal tourist center, burros still out number tour buses and taxis by about 50-to-1. Although you'll see a few satellite dishes beside log cabins, turn-of-the-century customs and conditions still prevail throughout much of the region.
Background Information
There is yet no single travel guide to the Copper Canyon, but the usual guide book series provide a brief, useful overview of hotels and transportation.
Topo maps (1:50,000) are sold at the Tarahumara Mission
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store near the train station in Creel. This is also the bet source of books, postcards and Tarahumara crafts. Profits benefit the Indian Health Clinic.
If you take the train, I recommend riding from the West (Los Mochis) towards the East (Creel and Chihuahua City). This takes advantage of daylight hours and provides the best views. On the other hand, if you are pressed for time, many tourists find it more convenient to make their connections via El Paso or Chihuahua City. Note, too that luxury bus service from El Paso-Ciudad Juarez to Chihuahua is excellent and quite inexpensive. From Chihuahua, buses depart frequently for Ciudad Cuauhtemoc and Creel. Buses run daily at 7:00 a.m. from Chihuahua City to Creel and from there to Los Mochis.
The inaccessibility of the Barranca del Cobre system of canyons and sierras is a direct result of its tremendous area and rugged topography. (By comparison, The Grand Canyon in the US, is a rather modest ditch.)
Although peaks rarely go higher than 8,000 feet, gorges over a mile deep are common. It is no wonder that distances here are measured in hours or days of travel time, not by miles or kilometers. (As an example, on a good day, the bus trip from Creel to Batopilas takes about nine hours to cover 85 miles of highway!)
WEATHER
Unless you are attracted to boiling hot and humid weather, avoid the lower canyons in spring and summer (May through October). Overall, my recommendation is to visit the Copper Canyon between November and April. This period offers the best balance between the high, cool sierras and the warm, subtropical lowlands.
If you visit only the highlands, the weather will be moderate in summer and pleasant-to-chilly in winter. Expect freezing nighttime temperatures around Creel from late November through early March. In tough years, snow may blanket the high forests while scarcely a few miles away, but down, orange groves flourish in the canyon bottoms.
You can also expect some rain in both summer and winter. Hikers should be well prepared for sudden temperature changes. If it rains heavily, rivers can rise as much as twenty feet in a
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very short time.
Food
The Copper Canyon features "cowboy cuisine". Expect to pay $4 to $6 for typical norteno fare of beef, beans, eggs, tortillas and estatdo (hash). If you're desperate, hamburgers are also available in Creel and Batopilas. Vegetarians should pack a lot of snacks.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The good news for budget travelers is that cheap rooms are available: $5 to $15 is common. These vary in comfort and cleanliness so don't be shy about inspecting the room or moving on to another hotel.
In Creel, you won't go wrong by staying at Margarita's, a friendly guest house/hotel with cheap dormitory beds and good family-style food. Margarita also offers semi-private and private rooms at very fair prices. Margarita's is located at Mateos 11, on the corner of the plaza.
The most interesting and comfortable accommodations in the Canyons can be found in various lodges. These range from pleasantly rustic log cabins to a lavishly restored Victorian-era hacienda in Batopilas. Although they aren't cheap, these lodges give fair value, especially when you consider the high cost of food in this region, and the comfort and services provided. Rates vary from about $60 to over $100 a day per person, usually including meals.
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Carl Franz and Lorena Havens will be returning to the Copper Canyon this fall to the Copper Canyon Hiking Lodge (800-776-3942). They are the author/editor of The People's Guide to Mexico (9th edition, John Muir Publisher) and several other books on travel and adventuring in Mexico and Central America.
Carl will be an AOL guest in the Travel Forum, September 25, 1994 to answer questions regarding Mexico.
Excerpt from Mexico Travel Monthly Report, 3/94
To receive a complimentary copy of the Mexico Travel Monthly Report, write to MTA, P.O. Box 1498, Imperial Beach, Ca. 91933, or send e-mail to AOL member MEX FILES. Report covers diverse subjects, from sportfishing, roads less traveled, Mexican regulations, ferry/train schedules, retirement, and more.