A visit to the bottom of Mexico's Copper Canyon
by Stephanie Bernhagen
Words can not do the trip to Batopilas in the Copper Canyon justice. We have to rank it among the most awesome sights we have seen. Drive time from Creel is 4 ½ to 5 hours. Allow more time if you are stopping for lots of pictures and/or lunch (that you packed) on the way. The total distance is about 87 miles, with about 40 miles of that being gravel/dirt. We learned before leaving Batopilas that going just ahead of Holy Week is a good time to go as the road has been graded and big rocks removed for the many people who will be traveling the road during Holy Week.
Be sure to stop at the Pemex just before the turn to Batopilas for the bathroom, and fuel if needed. You won’t get fuel in Batopilas. There are no lights or running water in the Pemex bathroom. They must use buckets to flush with.
The road from Creel to the Batopilas turn is as good as any good US highway, with beautiful mountain scenery. As you leave Creel look to the right and you will see people living in caves on the edge of town.
When you make the turn to Batopilas you will quickly realize what you are in for over the next 3-4 hours. The road is now dirt and becomes rough. Rather we thought it was rough, but it was a highway compared to what lies ahead. The scenery for the first 14 miles or so will make you think what am I doing this for? Actually this road has a government stamp for RVs as they have brought a trailer to the village of Kirare (Quirare)! You will also see a small house with a solar panel and satellite dish. The fun is about to begin!
You will now start down a good grade through a canyon and along mountainside with only one lane and few pull off spots. Time to pray you don’t meet anyone before you get through this section. Once through this section you will continue your descent into the canyon along switchbacks that seem to go on forever. There are several good spots to take pictures of these switchbacks.
By now you may have already found that the natives and Indians get around by hitching rides. When we were close to Batopilas an Indian hopped in the back of our pickup for the rest of the trip. He was dressed in the traditional wrap-around shorts. His being along met we had to go slower so he wasn’t bounced around any more than necessary. When we reached Batopilas he jumped out and disappeared. No thank you. Use your own judgment whether you want to pick these folks up. Safety probably isn’t an issue though.
The road into the canyon continues up and down and winds around with awesome rugged scenery with every color you can think of for the last 25 miles. There are a couple of spots that were steep enough that our 2-wheeldrive truck had a little problem with traction – but it doesn’t take much for that to happen. There are only one or two other sections where the road is narrow without many pullouts. You will be watching for rolling dust in the distance to assure you have enough time to find a pullout. We only had a problem with this once on our return trip where two cargo trucks were coming at us. We got over at the last minute.
None too soon you will see the bridge over the river to Batopilas. As we drove into Batopilas Paul asked if this was the only road as much of it is only one lane wide. Expect to pull over and let others through and with the pickups you may need to jockey to get around corners.
High clearance vehicles will have no problem making the trip but you may find using a tour guide easier than driving. The stress of driving that far on rough, narrow roads with some good drop-offs is tiring. Paul and I were exhausted and both needed a nap when we arrived in Batopilas and again when we got home.
While in Batopilas we met five American’s and their guide – Sam. He had brought them down in a van. They said he was good about explaining what they were seeing and stopping for photos. His English was good too. Here is Sam’s contact information (not verified recently):
Samuel Zamarron Perez
Casa De Huespedes Perez
Calle Oscar Flores #257
Creel, Chih., Mexico
01-635-456-0391 (Mexico)
011-52-635-456-0391 (US)
Sam can make hotel arrangements at Chula Vista for 80 pesos per person. We are not familiar with this hotel, so can not speak for the accommodations.
Sam was agreeable with making reservations for the hotel we stayed at, which was Hotel Juanita. Hotel Juanita was one of three hotels recommended by The Three Amigos in Creel. The Three Amigos are a wonderful resource for the area. They rent Nissan Crew Cabs for trips to Batopilas and also rent bikes for day trips, but they did not push their services on us. Here is how to get in touch with them: Av. Lopez Mateos #46, Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico, C.P. 33200, 01-635-456-0036 or 01-635-456-0546 or info@amigotrails.com.
Back to Hotel Juanita, if you are driving yourself drive all the way through town and turn left right after the plaza (Plaza Principal). This turn is challenging for pickups, but is doable. At the next corner turn left and park. Hotel Juanita is on the right. We paid 300 pesos for our room – the penthouse on the third floor. It was large, had four single beds and a good size bathroom. There was a window you could step through onto the roof patio overlooking the river where you can watch the kids play in the water and the mothers do the laundry while you have happy hour or watch the sun set. We don’t think there are any washing machines in town. The shower water is not exactly hot, but the temperatures in Batopilas made the warm shower feel refreshing. There was no problem with our dog staying either. If you want the room we had ask for #10. I am sure the other rooms are equally acceptable, although we didn’t see any of them.
After we got settled we were up for the 4.3 mile trip down a narrow road on the edge of the mountain to Satevó cathedral. From Hotel Juanita back up on to the block you came around and continue through town. I was amazed to see a guy rebuilding engines right in the dirt street. Don’t put it in my vehicle! Stay to the left and follow the river. You can see Satevó cathedral off in the distance with a swinging bridge in the foreground.
We walked around Satevó cathedral admiring the exterior work. When we were at the back of the cathedral we greeted a fellow and asked about getting in the cathedral. He went and got a key and let us in. One of the interesting things he pointed out was that people are buried in the cathedral floor. We tipped him for letting us in.
We walked around town a little bit, than started looking for the restaurants that The Three Amigos had recommended. We could only definitely locate one of them – Restaurant Carolina’s. To get here walk up the same block you went around the Plaza Principal on and take a left to a second plaza (Plaza Chica). Restaurant Carolina’s is on the left side of the second plaza.
When we looked in the restaurant, even though it was early, we found the five Americans and their guide Sam. They invited us to come join them. We had a nice visit while we ordered and ate. It seems the five of them had driven one of their motorhomes to El Fuerte, where they hopped on the train and went to Creel. In Creel they hooked up with Sam for their trip to Batoplis. They were none too pleased when Paul told them how cheap the train is if you buy your own ticket instead of a package like they bought.
The meal at Restaurant Carolina’s was good. We had number 5 & 9. One was shredded beef tacos and the other was like a Mexican hash. We checked out the breakfast menu and made arrangements for the restaurant to be open for breakfast. I’m not sure if you need to make arrangements, but it was good to make sure we had a place for breakfast. Breakfast was among our best meal in Mexico, if not our best meal. Paul had pancakes and I had eggs and shredded beef. Yum! The Americans were back to join us for breakfast. They commented on how good the coffee was at Carolina’s. They also serve espresso & cappuccino. But bring your own chocolate! There are no sweets in town!
Other tips:
- First you will be changing back to Mountain time. This is important to know if you want a hot shower. Be sure to ask what time the water will be hot for your shower! You may even have to ask when they will have water. It has been intermittent, so bring plenty of water with you. When you go shower, send the man first since it gets hot first, & while he is showering women run the hot water in your shower. It will take at least 5 minutes to get there.
- Bring lots of film or digital camera picture capacity.
Also see Stephanie's Tips for RVing in Mexico.