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Copper Canyon "Our guides totally made the trip -- they took care of all the details and gave us enough freedom to enjoy ourselves while showing a concern for our whereabouts."Denise Sessions, March 2008 |
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Description & Itinerary Mexico's Copper Canyon is often referred to as bigger than the Grand Canyon.The canyon itself is a series of tributaries surrounding the Batopilas River. Our trip starts in the high country at about 9,000 feet, and before the end of the week we will have ridden into the depths of the beast. Our first days of riding will be above the canyon on dirt roads and singletrack trails that are the footpaths of the native Tarahumara Indians. These people have a unique culture. They rarely live in villages, but prefer to live in remote dwellings throughout the region. We will encounter many of them as we make our way through the changing ecosystems of the canyon. Our descent takes us from the tall pines up high to a vast variety of cacti on the canyon floor, by way of the only road etched into the canyon walls. Along the way we will stay in remote lodges far from the grid, where each room is lit by an oil-burning lantern. At the very bottom of the canyon we will find ourselves in the village of Batopilas and from here we will visit the Lost Cathedral of Satevo, before our return to Chihuahua. It's an experience not to be missed. Call us at 800-845-2453, we can tell you everything you need to know about this truly phenomenal trip. |
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The trip will meet at 6:30am MST at Quality Inn and Suites, 6099 Montana Ave, El Paso, Texas 79925, 915-772-3300. You will need to spend the night before in El Paso. The hotel has a complimentary breakfast.
We will be leaving El Paso early in the morning after having breakfast at the hotel. Once we get up into the Sierra Madre Mountains we'll enjoy a picnic lunch, and arrive in Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico in the late afternoon. It's a full day of shuttling, 6 - 8 hour ride. Creel is a remote town with a population of about 3,000. Creel is where the Tarahumara Indians frequently go to town, mixing with the Mexican culture. There is also some European influence and the cultures blend in perfect harmony and tolerance. We will be staying at a hotel in Creel, from which you can walk around town or explore the landscape.
We start our first day of mountain biking with a hearty breakfast at the hotel. Riding right from the hotel, we'll head out for a short climb to one of the adjacent plateaus, where we will be surrounded by pine trees and curious volcanic rock formations. The morning ride will be a mixture of dirt roads, ancient Tarahumara hiking trails and singletrack. An overlook gives us awesome views into the Rio Conchos river valley. Our lunch today will be served up Western Spirit style after a short descent into the Valley of the Monks. This afternoon we will ride to the crystal blue Lake Arareco and visit the Mision de San Ignacio. Upon our return to the hotel we'll have several riding options; a direct dirt road which will bring you home for a more relaxing afternoon, or a tight and technical singletrack stretch that will bring a smile to your face.
After breakfast we'll load up in our support vehicle and head south for a two and a half hour shuttle. On the way you will see many of the tributary canyons to Copper Canyon. After arriving in Samachique, we will start our riding on a dirt road which travels through small villages like Basigochi where the children often run out to greet us. On the way we will have two good climbs reaching almost 7,800 feet. Once we get to Quirare, our downhill will begin. The forest opens up as we descend through the ecosystems into the tropical vegetation, breaking out at a stunning view of towering canyon walls. The views are powerful as we continue downhill to the bridge over the Rio Batopilas. Here we'll regroup for lunch and get ready for a climb up to La Bufa, an old, small silver mining town. It's a full day's ride into the town of Batopilas, with several climbs, even though we will be dropping over 5,000 feet overall. We will see homes of the Tarahumara peppered along the hillsides with footpaths connecting them all to the river. They are an interesting culture as they do not live in villages, but prefer to live spread across the countryside. Our next three nights will be spent in the town of Batopilas, which is an old colonial, silver mining town located along the Rio Batopilas.
After a relaxing morning and a big breakfast, our morning ride will head downstream parallel the river to the "Lost Cathedral of Satevo." Not a lot is known about this unique place. However, the bell tower's bell is etched with a 1634 date, and it is commonly believed that the Jesuit Priests built this structure in the early 1700's. An eight mile out and back trip will bring us back to town for a tour of the ruins of San Miguel Hacienda. This huge complex was home to the US born silver magnate, Alexander Shepard and his family. We'll go back in time and discuss the 1880's silver trade and the very prosperous Batopilas Mining Company. The demise of this establishment came during the Mexican Revolution of 1910. A late lunch in town will set us up for an afternoon of options, a loop ride, a great hike which leaves right from town or a relaxing afternoon of siestas, shopping or other desires.
Another hearty breakfast will fuel us for our ride upstream today out of town on the San Antonio Aqueduct trail to the town of Cerro Colorado. The first couple of miles are a rocky challenge, but the route eventually opens up into a four wheel drive road. We'll ride through the warm desert environs, passing the cactus blooms, mesquite flowers and we'll cool off intermittently in the several stream crossings along the way. We'll greet the Indians we see along the way saying "kuira", which in Tarahumara means hello. Upon our return we'll have an option to bypass the technical stretch with a stream crossing, bringing us back to the main dirt road leading into Batopilas. A mid-afternoon arrival back will leave us time for town and hotel activities.
Today is the day we climb up and out of this spectacular canyon. After our continental breakfast, we'll pack our camelbacks with snacks and begin the big pedal. We'll give all the riders a head start of two hours before we follow up with the van. The early morning ride up the canyon is almost surreal. The first 15 miles to the Batopilas bridge is a full ride on its own. For those who choose to climb up the many switchbacks from there, enjoy! The van will pick people up along the way, and we'll all meet up in the cool pines for a nice lunch. After lunch we'll drive 1-1/2 hours to our lodge in a small village called Cusarare. After checking into the hotel we'll do a short ride to the town of Cusarare where we will visit a one-of-a-kind museum. Museo Loyola was put together to house over 30 rare and authentic 17th century paintings. This is a great addition to the adventure. This night's stay is in an off-the-grid lodge, where you'll have a potbelly stove and an oil lantern in your room and the biggest plushest bathrobes imaginable. Dinner will be family style tonight, where we'll enjoy an authentic home cooked meal.
From our lodge we'll bike into the heart of the Tarahumara. We'll pedal past caves where the Indians still reside, their way of living has remained unchanged for generations. Volcanic slickrock is a morning biking highlight. We'll pedal along a wonderful trail into the Tararecue Canyon where we will be able to see one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the area, 80 feet in height. Surrounded by pine trees, the waterfall cascades down to a jumble of huge boulders interspersed with deep plunge pools. Once back at the lodge, we'll load up in the van for a 40 minute shuttle back to Creel. After checking into the hotel we'll go into town for lunch. An afternoon ride is planned up to Cristo Rey viewpoint overlooking the Creel Valley. This sweet singletrack is the grand finale to our adventure. We'll have time to shop in town, and relax before having the farewell dinner in Creel.
After breakfast at the hotel, we'll load up to shuttle back to El Paso, Texas. We will arrive in El Paso in the early evening, and we recommend that you fly out of El Paso the following day.
We will return to El Paso between 5:00-6:00 pm on the last day.
Riding Surface: Variable, some granular surface singletrack, slickrock, dirt and gravel roads. |
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Jan 14 - Jan 21, 2010
Mountain Bike |
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 Western Spirit Cycling Adventures Toll Free: 800-845-2453 Local: 435-259-8732 More Contact Info
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