Copper Canyon

By Richard Arghiris

Immense, inspirational and rugged, the Copper Canyons in northern Mexico are as wild as they are lively. Lakes, rivers, springs, waterfalls, rock formations and gorges await exploration in this pristine region, 40,000 square kilometres (25,000 square miles) in area and four times deeper than Arizona’s Grand Canyon.

Carved out of the Sierra Madre mountains by six rivers, over twenty canyons comprise this astonishing natural wonder. Exceptional evergreen forests pervade the region’s heights, while its depths are scorched by a searing, subtropical climate. The 655 km (407 miles) Chihauaha-Pacific railway line traverses the canyons on an east-west axis, providing unparalleled and outstanding views of the land.

At the heart of the region, at an altitude of 2,810 meters (9,200 feet) lies the town of Creel. Surrounded by pine forests, this rugged settlement of log cabins and lumber mills serves as the most convenient jumping off point for canyon excursions. Guides, maps, mountain bikes and four-wheel-drive vehicles are widely available in Creel, served by buses, the Chihauaha-Pacific railway and numerous lodgings.

Close to Creel lies the Complejo Ecoturistico Arareko, an indigenous land-owning co-operative or eidejo owned by the Tarahumara. There are fifty thousand Tarahumara Indians that populate the region with sparse farms and cabins. They are considered the spiritual and legal custodians of copper canyon country. Their name in their own language is Raramuri, meaning “those who run fast.” As accomplished long-distance runners, they can cover wild stretches of hundreds of miles barefoot without stopping.

The Tarahumara can be seen in and around Creel in their traditional clothing. The men wear loin-cloths and puffy-sleeved shirts, the women don bright skirts and headscarves.

Simple hikes in the eidejo lead to interesting and unusual rock formations. The Valley of the Frogs contains surreal amphibian-like boulders. The Valley of the Mushrooms holds structures resembling enormous toadstools. The Valley of the Gods, nine kilometres (six miles) away, contains vast phallic shaped rocks worshipped as symbols of fertility and life-force.

Other popular destinations in the eidejo include Lake Arareko and the Cusarare waterfall.

Further flung excursions lead to places like the sweltering town of Batopilas—a rough-looking, brutally arid town, formerly renowned for its mine. The town is most easily reached by a lengthly bus ride, the ultimate in precarious “chicken bus” trips. After rising and falling through several enormous canyons, a drop of 1,800 meters (6,000 feet) to the side, the road makes hundreds of turns and hair-pin switch-backs in a single stretch.

The Chihuahua-Pacific train ride is the perfect conclusion to any copper canyon trip. The westward journey, as far as Los Mochis on the Pacific coast, takes eight hours to complete from Creel. Hour after hour, one incredible edifice rolls on after another. Mountains, canyons, forests, lakes, engulfing stone corridors and monumental pillars. Finally towards dusk, the landscape flattens into desolate, cacti-spotted desert.