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A train winding through a forested mountain valley beside a river in the state of Chihuahua

Sample journey · 8–10 days

The Copper Canyon by rail, from Sinaloa to the Chihuahua highlands

El Fuerte, Cerocahui, Divisadero, Creel & Chihuahua

Photo: Braulio Gómez / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Most journeys to Mexico head south, to Oaxaca, the Yucatán and the Caribbean. This one turns north, into the Sierra Tarahumara, where several river-cut gorges together form the Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre), a system deeper in places than Arizona's Grand Canyon. Through it runs the railway everyone calls El Chepe: from the Sinaloa plain it climbs by bridges and tunnels until the coastal palms give way to pine and the window frames ever deeper valleys.

The journey is shaped so that the train is the backbone, not a transfer: you board it several times and step off each time to stay a while, in colonial El Fuerte, in the mission village of Cerocahui, on the canyon rim at Divisadero and in the mountain town of Creel, home to Rarámuri communities. It suits travellers who enjoy slow movement and simple mountain lodges, don't mind cold nights at altitude and want to see a Mexico that is rarely written about.

The route

The journey

  1. Los Mochis
  2. El Fuerte
  3. The El Chepe train
  4. Bahuichivo & Cerocahui
  5. The Urique Canyon
  6. Divisadero
  7. Creel & Lake Arareko
  8. Chihuahua
  1. The Río Fuerte flowing between green, wooded banks near El Fuerte, Sinaloa

    01Days 1–3 · Los Mochis & El Fuerte

    A colonial town by the river

    From the airport at Los Mochis it's about an hour and a half inland to El Fuerte, a small colonial town of arcaded squares, founded in the sixteenth century as a staging post on the Spanish road north. Two nights here let you recover from the flight and begin without hurry. In the morning, a boat or a walk along the Río Fuerte with a local guide: herons and egrets are often on the banks, otter tracks sometimes, and ancient petroglyphs on the riverside rocks. In the afternoon, narrow streets, a small museum on the hilltop and a shaded plaza; in the evening, a first taste of Sinaloa cooking with river fish. On the morning of day three you board the train, and from here the line begins to climb into the mountains.

  2. The El Chepe train curving along the line through the hills of Urique municipality in the Sierra Tarahumara

    02Day 3 · The El Chepe train

    By bridge and tunnel into the mountains

    This part is the railway itself. Completed in the 1960s, the line crosses dozens of bridges and tunnels; in one place it loops around a hill to gain height, in another it hangs above the gorge of the Septentrión. The first hours are dry scrub and cactus, then the valleys narrow and the air cools. The best seats are usually on the right-hand side heading into the mountains, and between carriages there are places to stand at an open window. The ride to the halt at Bahuichivo usually takes around six hours, but timetables and train types change, so we check the exact times before you travel. At Bahuichivo a car meets you, and in about twenty minutes you drop into the Cerocahui valley.

  3. A rocky river between trees and boulders on the floor of the Urique Canyon in the Sierra Tarahumara

    03Days 3–5 · Cerocahui & the Urique Canyon

    A mission village and the deepest gorge

    Cerocahui is a quiet village around a mission church founded by the Jesuits in the late seventeenth century, surrounded by orchards and hills of oak and pine. Two nights here are for a slower rhythm: a walk to a waterfall, a ride on horseback along the slopes, or simply an evening on a veranda as the valley darkens. One full day goes on a trip with a local guide to the Cerro del Gallego lookout, which opens onto the Urique Canyon, considered the deepest in the whole system. The more intrepid can continue on a switchbacking dirt road all the way down to the village of Urique on the canyon floor, where mangoes and oranges grow: it's several hours each way and a long day, but the landscape turns from pine to tropics within a single day. Back for dinner in the mountain cool.

  4. A small building perched on a cliff edge above the vast Copper Canyon, Chihuahua

    04Days 5–7 · Divisadero

    A night on the rim

    One more short leg by train, about two hours to Divisadero, where the railway runs right up to the canyon rim. Two nights here, at the heart of the journey: from here you can see where the Urique, Copper and Tararecua canyons meet, and at sunset the rock walls turn the coppery colour that gave the canyon its name. By day, trails along the rim and down into the canyon with a local guide, Rarámuri craft stalls by the station and, if you like, the cable car and suspension bridges of the adventure park. Evenings here are cool, a warm jumper is needed even in summer, and winter nights are cold. Morning at Divisadero, with mist still lying in the valleys, is the reason to stay the night rather than simply pause on the train.

  5. Woven baskets with coloured patterns on a stall in the state of Chihuahua

    05Days 7–10 · Creel & Chihuahua

    Rarámuri country and the road to the plains

    The last leg by train, about an hour to Creel, a timber mountain town more than two kilometres up. Two nights here: a walk around Lake Arareko among the pines, the rock towers of the Valley of the Monks and the old mission of San Ignacio. This land belongs to Rarámuri communities, so we visit with local guides and on their terms, don't photograph people without permission, and buy the woven baskets and textiles directly from the women who make them. If you like, a full day out to the Basaseachi waterfall. On day nine it's about four to five hours east across the high plains to the city of Chihuahua for a final night: the cathedral, the Pancho Villa museum and a quiet evening before the flight home.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    El Chepe from the window

    A railway climbing from cactus to pine forest, with bridges over gorges and a loop around a hill.

  2. 02

    The Urique Canyon

    The view from Cerro del Gallego and, for the intrepid, the road down to mango orchards on the canyon floor.

  3. 03

    Morning at Divisadero

    Three canyons in one view, and mist in the valleys before the first train arrives.

  4. 04

    Around Creel

    Lake Arareko, the Valley of the Monks and Rarámuri crafts, with local guides and on their terms.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • At a slower pace

    A third night at Divisadero or Cerocahui allows a longer hike into the canyon, or simply a day with no train and no road.

  • With Batopilas

    From Creel, a long and dramatic road down to the old silver-mining town of Batopilas on a canyon floor: two more nights for experienced travellers.

  • Choosing the season

    In autumn, after the rains, the mountains are green; spring is dry and bright. Summer is hot on the canyon floors, and winter can bring snow to the heights.

  • With Mexico City or Baja

    From Chihuahua it's easy to fly on to Mexico City for a few evenings of museums and food, or to continue from Los Mochis to Baja California by ferry or plane.

Practical considerations

  • The best months are roughly October–November and March–April. From July to September afternoon rain is usual, and from December to February nights in the mountains are often below freezing, sometimes with snow.
  • Divisadero and Creel lie more than two kilometres up: days are warm but evenings cool, so bring warm layers and comfortable shoes for the trails.
  • Train types, timetables and ticketing change, so we check and book each leg before you travel.
  • We always check current official travel advice for the states of Chihuahua and Sinaloa before you travel, and shape the route, transfers and local guides around it.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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