If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Info on Copper Canyon Mexico
We are planning to take the train thru the Copper Canyon in Mexico. Any
assistance on the best time to go and stopovers and sights in the Canyons would be appreciated. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Info on Copper Canyon Mexico
"Don Howe" wrote in message news:zK8xb.499858$6C4.13032@pd7tw1no... We are planning to take the train thru the Copper Canyon in Mexico. Any assistance on the best time to go and stopovers and sights in the Canyons would be appreciated. I don't know if there any best times. The best part of the Copper Canyon train trip is the section between Creel and Boca. The rest is just about all flat open country and my personal opinion is that you need to be a major train buff to enjoy that part of it. Copper Canyon is really a series of canyons and some of the places in that area are just as interesting, if not more so, than the places you can reach by train. I particularly enjoyed Batopilias. The narrow gravel road that drops 7,000 feet to the canyon floor is not for those who have a fear of heights, but the scenery is spectacular. Batopilias is very rustic and quite charming. There are a number of small inns there. I enjoyed the Casa Monse which over looks the river. My personal opinion is that the best way to see the really scenic parts of the Copper Canyon train ride is to board the train in Creel and ride down to El Fuerte or one of the small towns in the canyon. Temoris looked to be interesting but I didn't have the time to stop there when I was through there. According to my somewhat unreliable guidebook accomodations for visitors are limited there. El Fuerte is reported to have nice hotels and restaurants. If you can I'd suggest stopping in Divisadero for longer than the 15 minute stop over the train allows. The view of the canyon is spectacular there and it's a good place to shop for baskets and other Tarahumara crafts. The meals being cooked for the train passengers on up turned steel drums are also interesting (and tasty). The next time I'm in that area I'll either grab a bus in El Fuerte or ride the train back to Creel. The long slow trip from Los Mochis to El Fuerte can be interesting in the morning when you're looking into the backyard of all the small homes built along the tracks near Los Mochis, but coming back into town at night I found that section very tedious. There is both a first class and second class train. Second class is clean and comfortable, but the food service is very limited, so you should pack a big lunch. Most of the locals and quite a few tourists ride that one and it's what I would recommend unless you have an aversion to rubbing shoulders with the locals. I enjoyed the area around Creel. You'll see little sawmills in that area of a sort that vanished from the Pacific Northwest nearly 50 years ago. Basaseachic falls is a nice side trip. If you're in that area the Menonite country near Cuauhtemoc is interesting. The Menonites make a justly famous mild cheese as well as many other enterprises. Their restaurants are an interesting blend of cultures. Dennis |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Info on Copper Canyon Mexico
I don't know if there any best times...
I can tell you that if you are going in the summer and planning to visit the towns in the bottom of the canyon, be prepared for Phoenix-like heat. But I'm a tourist for all seasons, so any time is a good time to go to Copper Canyon for me, even in winter when it's pretty dang cold in Creel. The best part...is the section between Creel and Boca. The good parts of the canyon from a train standpoint are considered to be west of Creel, and the last time I took the train a couple of years ago, one didn't get to this part of the trip until after dark (except during summer). So summer perhaps does have that advantage. One particularly nice part of the canyon for hiking is La Barranca de Sinforosa, but it involved a long bus ride to Guachochic and spending two nights there, which back then had NO redeeming features and probably still doesn't. But the birdwatching was great and I'd consider going back if my wife weren't so comfort-loving (I did the trip when I was single). ...Batopilias. The bus ride to Batopilas is spectacular. I recall that we left early in the morning, got there about 2 pm, and because of the bus schedule, one had to either leave the next morning, or stay at least one more night as returns buses only go every other day. Again, I don't know if my info is accurate, but a few years back there was one $300/night hotel as well as a couple of $3 a night places (I stayed in the latter, la Casa de Monsé). I helped an English outdoor ed course find and then negotiate with a guide to take them on a several-day long trip through the mountains. ...see the really scenic parts...is to board the train in Creel... I'd take the bus to Creel since it's fast and there are many departures daily out of Chihuahua and as noted, the trip's somewhat scenic and interesting (if you''re not used to riding old trains), but the area W of Creel is better. Creel has gotten to be quite an ugly place (and I'm talking about attitude since it has become overrun by gringos; even Margarita's niece cheated me last time I was there), but I'd stay in Creel the first night, and then spend most of my time visiting outlying villages like Batopilas. The long slow trip from Los Mochis to El Fuerte can be interesting... Unfortunately I don't recall anything "interesting" about Los Mochis. But once many, many years ago a friend and I took the train to Los Mochis over Christmas. Out in the middle of the sierra, another train derailed in front of us, blocking our path to Mochis, so we have to wait several hours at the site for another train from Mochis, then we walked around the derailment and got on the "new" train to continue our journey. Except the new train has NO heat and all the windows were cracked. We froze our buttocks off, but it was kind of funny. The blanketed and the blanketless all huddled together in groups all the way to Mochis, passing around bottles of pulque to keep warm. There is both a first class and second class train. I hope this is still true, because second class was so much better than first class. First class is sterile and as you mention, there are hardly any locals. Second class was fine and cost much, much less. Instead of buying ticket in advance, we simply showed at the station in Chihuahua and got on...no problema. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Info on Copper Canyon Mexico
"Jon" wrote in message m... The bus ride to Batopilas is spectacular. I recall that we left early in the morning, got there about 2 pm, and because of the bus schedule, one had to either leave the next morning, or stay at least one more night as returns buses only go every other day. Again, I don't know if my info is accurate, but a few years back there was one $300/night hotel as well as a couple of $3 a night places (I stayed in the latter, la Casa de Monsé). I helped an English outdoor ed course find and then negotiate with a guide to take them on a several-day long trip through the mountains. I missed the $300/night place. There's a very plain looking little hotel near the Casa Monse. There's an older very picturesque building that's been converted to a hotel in the middle of town. We also saw a nice little inn on the side of town where you come in. I believe there are others, but it's been awhile. There are at least two restaurants in town. We ate at the charming little Casa by the Bridge, which is both the name of the place and directions to it. Interestingly the restaurants were the only places in town you could buy a beer, even the tienda didn't carry alcohol, and we very much wanted a couple of cold beers after the drive down. I'd take the bus to Creel since it's fast and there are many departures daily out of Chihuahua and as noted, the trip's somewhat scenic and interesting (if you''re not used to riding old trains), but the area W of Creel is better. Creel has gotten to be quite an ugly place (and I'm talking about attitude since it has become overrun by gringos; even Margarita's niece cheated me last time I was there), but I'd stay in Creel the first night, and then spend most of my time visiting outlying villages like Batopilas. I'm sorry to hear that. We tried to stay at Margarita's the last time we were there, but they were full. They sent us to a nicer place that also had excellent meals that were very reasonably priced if you bought them with your room. Dennis |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Info on Copper Canyon Mexico
...We tried to stay at Margarita's the last time we were there...
It was only $5 or so, but it was kind of a shock. After all, I'd stayed there on and off since the 1980's, and at least one time we paid the full price without getting any of our meals because Margarita didn't have any money. We just said, "No problema." I recall that on one trip Margarita had just built a big fancy new motel...at which *no one* was staying (plus someone else had just built a giant KOA campground), and it looked like there were far more hotels than the market can support. In any case, Creel is not a place I dread going through, but it definitely has lost ALL of its charm and I'd mostly use it for a base from which to go elsewhere. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Technobarbarian wrote: *"Don Howe" wrote in message news:zK8xb.499858$6C4.13032@pd7tw1no... We are planning to take the train thru the Copper Canyon in Mexico. Any assistance on the best time to go and stopovers and sights in the Canyons would be appreciated. I don't know if there any best times. The best part of the Copper Canyon train trip is the section between Creel and Boca. The rest is just about all flat open country and my personal opinion is that you need to be a major train buff to enjoy that part of it. Copper Canyon is really a series of canyons and some of the places in that area are just as interesting, if not more so, than the places you can reach by train. I particularly enjoyed Batopilias. The narrow gravel road that drops 7,000 feet to the canyon floor is not for those who have a fear of heights, but the scenery is spectacular. Batopilias is very rustic and quite charming. There are a number of small inns there. I enjoyed the Casa Monse which over looks the river. My personal opinion is that the best way to see the really scenic parts of the Copper Canyon train ride is to board the train in Creel and ride down to El Fuerte or one of the small towns in the canyon. Temoris looked to be interesting but I didn't have the time to stop there when I was through there. According to my somewhat unreliable guidebook accomodations for visitors are limited there. El Fuerte is reported to have nice hotels and restaurants. If you can I'd suggest stopping in Divisadero for longer than the 15 minute stop over the train allows. The view of the canyon is spectacular there and it's a good place to shop for baskets and other Tarahumara crafts. The meals being cooked for the train passengers on up turned steel drums are also interesting (and tasty). The next time I'm in that area I'll either grab a bus in El Fuerte or ride the train back to Creel. The long slow trip from Los Mochis to El Fuerte can be interesting in the morning when you're looking into the backyard of all the small homes built along the tracks near Los Mochis, but coming back into town at night I found that section very tedious. There is both a first class and second class train. Second class is clean and comfortable, but the food service is very limited, so you should pack a big lunch. Most of the locals and quite a few tourists ride that one and it's what I would recommend unless you have an aversion to rubbing shoulders with the locals. I enjoyed the area around Creel. You'll see little sawmills in that area of a sort that vanished from the Pacific Northwest nearly 50 years ago. Basaseachic falls is a nice side trip. If you're in that area the Menonite country near Cuauhtemoc is interesting. The Menonites make a justly famous mild cheese as well as many other enterprises. Their restaurants are an interesting blend of cultures. Dennis * -- nutgrass103 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ nutgrass103's Profile: 539 View this thread: 57126 |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Technobarbarian wrote: *"Don Howe" wrote in message news:zK8xb.499858$6C4.13032@pd7tw1no... We are planning to take the train thru the Copper Canyon in Mexico. Any assistance on the best time to go and stopovers and sights in the Canyons would be appreciated. I don't know if there any best times. The best part of the Copper Canyon train trip is the section between Creel and Boca. The rest is just about all flat open country and my personal opinion is that you need to be a major train buff to enjoy that part of it. Copper Canyon is really a series of canyons and some of the places in that area are just as interesting, if not more so, than the places you can reach by train. I particularly enjoyed Batopilias. The narrow gravel road that drops 7,000 feet to the canyon floor is not for those who have a fear of heights, but the scenery is spectacular. Batopilias is very rustic and quite charming. There are a number of small inns there. I enjoyed the Casa Monse which over looks the river. My personal opinion is that the best way to see the really scenic parts of the Copper Canyon train ride is to board the train in Creel and ride down to El Fuerte or one of the small towns in the canyon. Temoris looked to be interesting but I didn't have the time to stop there when I was through there. According to my somewhat unreliable guidebook accomodations for visitors are limited there. El Fuerte is reported to have nice hotels and restaurants. If you can I'd suggest stopping in Divisadero for longer than the 15 minute stop over the train allows. The view of the canyon is spectacular there and it's a good place to shop for baskets and other Tarahumara crafts. The meals being cooked for the train passengers on up turned steel drums are also interesting (and tasty). The next time I'm in that area I'll either grab a bus in El Fuerte or ride the train back to Creel. The long slow trip from Los Mochis to El Fuerte can be interesting in the morning when you're looking into the backyard of all the small homes built along the tracks near Los Mochis, but coming back into town at night I found that section very tedious. There is both a first class and second class train. Second class is clean and comfortable, but the food service is very limited, so you should pack a big lunch. Most of the locals and quite a few tourists ride that one and it's what I would recommend unless you have an aversion to rubbing shoulders with the locals. I enjoyed the area around Creel. You'll see little sawmills in that area of a sort that vanished from the Pacific Northwest nearly 50 years ago. Basaseachic falls is a nice side trip. If you're in that area the Menonite country near Cuauhtemoc is interesting. The Menonites make a justly famous mild cheese as well as many other enterprises. Their restaurants are an interesting blend of cultures. Dennis * -- nutgrass103 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ nutgrass103's Profile: 539 View this thread: 57126 |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Copper Canyon Tour Companies | [email protected] | Latin America | 1 | October 21st, 2003 08:03 AM |
Taxi Mexico International Airport to Bus terminal Norte | NVRosie | Latin America | 3 | October 14th, 2003 09:47 PM |
What's your favorite Travel Guides? | King | Latin America | 23 | October 13th, 2003 04:05 PM |
Need info on travel from Mexico - Cuba | RK Evans | Latin America | 2 | October 6th, 2003 02:37 AM |
Mexico City--6 hours | Les Wright | Latin America | 18 | September 21st, 2003 07:16 PM |