Copper Canyon

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 or dirt. We learned before leaving Batopilas that going just ahead of Holy Week is a good time to go as the road will be graded and the big rocks removed for the many people who will be traveling the road during Holy Week.

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. 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.

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 was ahead. Actually this road has a government stamp for RVs as they have brought a trailer to the village of Kirare (Quirare)! I would not recommend taking your RV this far however! You will also see a small house with a solar panel and satellite dish. Looking at the scenery for the first 14 miles made me wonder why we were making the trip, but we soon saw why. The fun is about to begin!

You will start down a good grade through a canyon and along the mountainside with only one lane and few pull offs. 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 meant 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-wheel drive truck had a little problem with traction – but it doesn’t take much for that to happen.