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:
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, www.the3amigoscanyonexpeditions.com,
info@the3amigoscanyonexpeditions.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:
