An engineering marvel that took almost 100 years and $90 million to complete, the Chihuahua al Pacífico Railroad, nicknamed "el Chepe," opened in 1961. A 400-mile stretch of track links the communities of Los Mochis and Chihuahua, which depend on the second-class "Economica" train to get basic supplies. Tourists can travel the same route on the "Primera Express," with a more expensive first-class ticket.
Head to El Furte, close to the train terminal at Los Mochis, to begin your trip. The train is scheduled to leave early morning, but if you oversleep after a night watching the Mayo Indian "Deer Dancing," don't worry; in true Mexican style, the Chihuahua train has rarely been on time in more than 30 years.
From Los Mochis, the train takes you through Mexico's desert and into the Sinaloa farmland. Enjoy lunch in the dining car or drinks in the lounge car, as the train chugs higher into the photogenic Sierra Madre mountains. As pine forests emerge, clinging to rocky outcrops over deep-cut ravines riddled with caves, the train passes through 87 tunnels. At the 3,073-foot-long "Tunel la Pera," the train circles over itself at the three-level Temoris loop, making a 180° turn inside solid rock. The twisting track crosses 36 bridges, some more than 1,000 feet high.
The train stops at Posada Barrancas, 7,200 feet above sea level. Here the canyon ridge offers stunning views over the cavernous terrain of the Copper Canyon range, 372 miles long and 155 miles wide. A result of millions of years of volcanic evolution, the labyrinth of 200 gorges forms a series of six immense canyons, seven times larger than the Grand Canyon. Some canyons are deeper by more than 1,000 feet, their multicolored strata a contrast to the backdrop of snow-covered mountain peaks and stands of Ponderosa pine. Wild rivers and towering waterfalls cut through the area's plunging gorges.
The majestic Copper Canyon Nature Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is possible to disembark at any of the train stops to explore the fascinating cave dwellings of the indigenous Tarahumara people. You can visit Chino Caves, where people in tiny grottos make a subsistence living clinging to the side of the vertical rock. In Divisadero, near Posada Barrancas, the semi-nomadic Indians travel many miles through the snowy mountains, in their sandals, to sell their baskets at the open-air artisan's market. Excursions to the subtropical floor of the canyon offer hiking adventures.
