Copper Canyon Railway

Mexico once had a proud network of passenger trains. Almost all of them are gone — except the greatest of the lot. The Chihuahua al Pacífico, known to everyone simply as El Chepe, still runs, and it remains one of the most spectacular railway journeys in the Americas.

In some 673 kilometres it climbs from the Pacific port of Los Mochis, over the Sierra Madre Occidental, and down to the high desert city of Chihuahua — and in between it threads the Copper Canyon, the Barrancas del Cobre, a system of six great canyons carved into the Sierra Tarahumara. To do it, the line crosses 37 bridges and burrows through 86 tunnels, looping back on itself to gain height in a feat of engineering that took the better part of a century and was only finished in 1961.

This is also the homeland of the Rarámuri — the Tarahumara — the indigenous people famous the world over as endurance runners. Ride the Chepe slowly, breaking the trip along the way, and you get canyon, culture and one of the last great train adventures in North America.

The classic journey runs inland from the Pacific, gaining a couple of thousand metres of height as it goes.

It begins at Los Mochis, near the coast in Sinaloa, and after the flat farmland comes the first real stop: El Fuerte, a pretty colonial town — a designated Pueblo Mágico — and the place most travellers actually join the train to skip the dull opening miles.

Beyond El Fuerte the mountains begin, and the railway starts to show off. It follows river gorges, crosses the Río Fuerte on a long bridge, and climbs through tunnel after tunnel, curling through great loops to gain height. This is the wild, forested heart of the line — subtropical canyon country, green and steep after the summer rains.

Near Bahuichivo (the stop for the villages of Cerocahui and the mile-deep Urique canyon) the country opens out, and then comes the moment everyone waits for: Divisadero. Here the train stops for a quarter of an hour right on the rim of the Copper Canyon, so that everyone can walk to the edge and look out over the vast folded sierra — and buy a gordita from the Rarámuri women at the lookout.

From Divisadero the line runs up onto the pine-clad highlands to Creel, the friendly logging-and-tourism town that is the base for exploring the canyons on foot. The tourist Chepe Express turns around near here; the local Chepe Regional carries on across the high plains to journey's end at the city of Chihuahua.

There are two Chepe trains, and picking the right one matters. The premium Chepe Express runs the scenic core between Los Mochis and Creel (with a first-class extension on to Chihuahua on some days); the everyday Chepe Regional covers the whole line.

Real Chepe Express times (2026 — confirm before travelling):

That's about 9½–10 hours for the full scenic run, through El Fuerte, Bahuichivo and Divisadero (the canyon-rim stop). The Chepe Regional runs the longer Los Mochis ⇄ Chihuahua line more cheaply and more basically.

Good to know:

• ⚠️ Mind the time zone. Sinaloa (Los Mochis) is one hour behind Chihuahua — an easy way to miss a train.
• Don't do it in one go. Hop off at El Fuerte, Divisadero and Creel and rejoin a later train — that, not the through-run, is the classic Copper Canyon trip.
• Join at El Fuerte to skip the flat, dull Los Mochis–El Fuerte stretch.
• Book the Express ahead in the high seasons (spring and autumn); the Regional is easier to get.

Times as of the 2026 timetable. Confirm current schedules with the operator — see the Tickets section below.

Tickets are booked directly with Chepe (the Ferromex passenger brand) on chepe.mx, and the first decision is which train — and, on the Express, which class.

• Chepe Express — the tourist train, in three grades: Tourist, Executive and First class, all sharing the dining car, bar and open-air terrace car, with the higher grades adding more space and lounge access. This is the one to book for the scenery.
• Chepe Regional — the local service over the full line to Chihuahua, with simpler seating and a much lower fare. Fewer comforts, but a genuine slice of everyday Mexican rail travel.

A few pointers:

• Fares are seasonal and change, so we point you to Chepe for a live price rather than quote a figure that will date.
• Book ahead in high season (autumn and spring, and around Mexican holidays) — the Express and the popular Divisadero legs fill up.
• Buy segment by segment. Because you'll want to break the trip, book each leg (Los Mochis–El Fuerte, El Fuerte–Divisadero, Divisadero–Creel) rather than one through ticket.
• Bring pesos. The canyon towns and the Rarámuri stalls run on cash.

The whole point of the Chepe is to get off it. Bahuichivo is the stop for Cerocahui, a tiny mission village in a walnut valley, and for the road that drops from there to Urique; Creel is the base for almost everything on the highland side.

Two practical notes. Chihuahua is one of the Mexican states for which the US government advises reconsidering travel, and while the railway towns themselves are used to visitors, the sensible approach in the sierra is to walk and drive with a local guide rather than strike out alone. And the deep-canyon towns are a long way down: Batopilas sits some 1,800 metres below Creel, five hours away by bus, which makes it an overnight trip rather than a day out.

Because the Copper Canyon trip is best broken into stages, where you sleep is part of the planning — and one night on the canyon rim is close to essential.

• El Fuerte — characterful colonial hotels around the plaza, several in restored historic mansions; a gentle, warm place to spend the first or last night.
• Divisadero — a handful of rim-edge hotels perched right on the canyon, with balconies over the drop. Pricey and much in demand, but waking to that view is the memory people come home with — book well ahead.
• Creel — the widest choice at the highland end, from simple hostels to comfortable lodges, and the best base for canyon day trips.
• Cerocahui — quiet mission-village inns for those detouring down toward Urique.

The canyon is busiest in the autumn and spring shoulder seasons and around Mexican holidays; reserve the Divisadero rim hotels as far ahead as you can, as there are only a few rooms with that view.