Copper Canyon Train + motorcycle
 

I will try first on this forum, even do the subject maybe would be better on 'Bike Transportation"..

I'm planning to go to Baja California, then cross the Gulf of California and get a train from Los Mochis to Crell.
I called couple phone numbers, but people there have no idea if I can or cannot ship my bike in the train with me.

Do you know anything about carrying your bike inside the train and which train company/line will do that?

Thank you

Chepe

Only the First Class trains do not carry freight/bikes.

And do you know if I just 'show up' at Los Mochis I can find a train in a day?
On the web site you point looks like that is only for the 'First Class' trains.
Any schedule for 'normal' trains?

Thank you for reply. :)

I don't know their schedules, do a Google.
There always seems to be room for one more in Mexico. :)

...edit: You might take a look at jumping on at El Fuerte rather than Los Mochis, unless you just like train rides. Also, it's my understanding that you'll want to sit in a rightside seat going in that direction.

I like trains, but not that much... Per your post I understood that Los Mochis to El Fuerte is just a plain, boring railroad trip right?

I will make a note and I will catch it at El Fuertes, getting seats to the rightside towares Crell.

Still having a hard time to find info on Google... but still looking. I will post here when I find something.
I found the ferry schedulle from La Pas to Los Mochis and it's very convenient: daily, from 13:00 to 21:00.

Google
 

chepe "copper canyon"

That was my first hit back. I called the 'chepe' company, and the lady over their only sells 'First Class' tickets and she is unaware how or who will sell/schedule motorcycle transportation...

Got something...
looks like you have to ship your bike on a different train (only freight)
Then remain an important question: the freight train departs before or after the First class?
I don't like the idea to depart, and the bike is not yet on the way. (rule number 4 or 5 when traveling abroad) :)
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We are not Copper Canyon train experts. We do know you can get to Creel either from Chihuahua City or Los Mochis each day on both the 1st and 2nd Class trains.Departures are early AM from each location, with the 2nd class departing about an hour after the first class. The Chihuahua City train generally arrives just after noon. The Los Mochis train arrives around 3 or later in the PM. Departures each way from Creel depend on when the train arrives headed your direction. We've heard there's not much food available en route, so you might want to bring a snack. We also understand that you can put a bike on the second class train, but not the first class. Bikes can be shipped on the freight train that arrives each day a few hours after First Class train. The trains do tend to be delayed fairly regularly. Note there are now security checks to get on the train as a result of the armed train robbery that occurred in November '98. The cost of the first class from Los Mochis to Creel is around $85 and the 2nd class about $45 US
--------------------

Maybe add 'schedule' to the search.
Also, not all information sites for that train refer to it as Chepe, so you may want to drop that.

These people know how loud the roosters crow and when the dogs bite for the CC area.... 3amigos

Patrick,
Thank you for the heads up on it.

You offer about giving a route from the coast. Would you mind?

I will be kind of short in time. I will be leaving Friday early from San Diego, down to Baja to La Paz (or Santa Rosalia) and get the ferry (I prefer La Paz) on Saturday at 1:00PM. Be in Los Mochis 9:00PM, find a hotel and on the road Sunday.
From there, I have to be at Creel on Monday for supper.
Tuesday I'm planning to attend the HU Mexico Meeting in October 9.

This is why I thought the train would be a good break on the trip. I will be ridding two up on a GS1150, full loaded, so bad dirty road is not really an option.

Thank you for comments and ideas.

Elton

Schedule from the 1st Chepe website link posted
Chepe :: services
This is 'economy' class

From the same website:
"Each economic car allows 68 passengers. The cars are provided with reclining seats, heat, conditioned air, snack machines and ecological system bathrooms. Each car is assisted by a porter.

Due to Federal Regulations, smoking is prohibited inside the Economic Class train.

The train has a package car that supplies service to the Sierra Tarahumara."

I believe that 'package car' is where your bike would go. This is how seafood gets from the coast to the CC and Creel area.

mollydog is exactly right but you could ride ride from topo to creel by heading right up the mountains via choix-tubares-mesa de arturo on up to creel. i left urique at around 8 in the morning and was checking into a hotel in el fuerte at around 4pm. the route is easy and possible even on a big bmw. if you are interested i can post the gps track.

The GPS track would be a big plus haggeo. If you can post it I would much appreciate.

Thank you
Elton

this track starts in san juanito through creel, urique and ends in el fuerte. opens with google earth.

san juanito-urique (copper canyon) west to el fuerte - ADVrider

Got it and saved. Thank you for sharing :)

:clap:

Checking with MapSource. It's all dirty road. Can it be done easy with a big 1150GS + wife + full luggage ridding by a guy who hes little off road experience?

let me refrase: how many miles of dirty road you have from the last 3 years and how hard was that for you? :)

Thank you.

I wouldn't recommend stopping at Yepachic either (closer to the falls), as I did. One other point that nearly caught me out along the Mex16 is the complete absence of ATM's - I called into a small town (maybe Yecora?) and was told I'd have to go 100 miles or so east to find one! Surprised me on a road that looks reasonable size on the map. And watch out for diesel on the bends!

The one ATM that is in Creel (maybe it's changed since last year) doesn't always work. I've seen a couple of riding friends very frustrated for a few days.

I've just remembered there was a really nice place east of Yepachic (wish I'd pushed on to it!), where I had some breakfast in the morning, which had some log cabins etc. In fact log tables and chairs if I remember correctly.

From my tracklog I reckon it was at N28 13.082' W108 14.823', 27 miles east of Yepachic and 3 miles before the Falls' turnoff.

Must be the one you're talking about, Mollydog?

I rode from Los Mochis to Yepachic in a day with no probs (apart from sliding off on diesel on Mex 16!), and if someone wanted to get to Creel I'd have thought this motel near the falls would be an ideal place to stop, then next morning a visit to the falls and a leisurely ride to Creel, which is mainly dirt road (shortest route to San Juanito).

Having said that, if I was doing it again I'd have to try the Choix/El Chorro dirt route, part of which I did when I rode from Justin's Moto Lodge (Cerocahui?) to Batopilas.

Hello MOllydog,
Can you remmember that Menonite place you mention with more details.
Looks like it could be the same place IanC is talking about, but

IanC, that GPS points at very strange place... no roads near by, south of Yepachic, North of Menelichic, really close to Huajumar. Could be this the place you saw the cabins?

Thank you

IIRC, dtop1 had posted about staying at those cabins in the past.
Sounds like the trick. if you're running short of daylight.
I got a cabin one time just before the falls (down that road on the left), nice place, but not a good deal at all.

motels near Copper Canyon
 

To Starsrout and Mollydog and IanC: the motel you speak of cannot be in Yepachic if you are that close to the Basaseachic falls.To wit , I know from having it listed in my booklet that you are speaking about the Posada de Cahuizori which is located on the north side of Mex 16 at marker km281 on the north side across from the PEMEX station with convenience store in the hamlet of Cahuisori .In ´05 it cost $14US for one person for which you get a cabin-style room with hot&cold water bathroom,TV and a wood burning stove for heat and it has a small restaurant. It is located 5km west of the actual village of Basaseachic and the turnoff to the falls and north rim of the Candameña Cañon. In Basaseachic itself there are a number of motels to choose from at prices a bit higher and if you want to get real fancy you can drive around the east end of the canyon via the road to San Juanito , about 8km around,then back into the National Park of Basaseachic Falls and stay at the Rancho SanLorenzo resort, tent site for $10 or cabins for the family or the whole riding club upwards from $55 ( in'05)
I have a guidebooklet available for folks interested in finding a regular inexpensive hotel for the night, nothing fancy, in a whole lot of places all over Mexico, including the one just mentioned and seven other towns along Mex 16 between Chihuahua and Hermosillo and ten other towns in the Copper Canyon country to the south , yes also Batopilas.
If you would like a copy mail me a certified cheque for $15US for USA destinations, $16 CDN for Canadian buyers and $17.50US for anywhere else in the world. These prices INCLUDE MAILING, hence the variance. Buy the booklet and save a mint on hotel prices, have peace of mind that there will be a place for you to sleep.No reservations required. Check out more details under an earlier posting referring to ¨How to find pensions / rooms for rent¨
Mail to Sjoerd Bakker RR 3 Norwich, Ontario N0J 1P0 Canada
By the way ¨Pension ¨ in Mexico refers to a pay-parking facility , not aroom for rent as in the French.
Also , I do not think that the folks running the place were Mennonites but just ¨regular¨ Mexicans , of course I didnot ask them but they did not speak German amongst themselves and the boss wasn´t wearing the typical bib-coveralls. The real Mennonite country starts farther east in the better farmlands in front of the mountains east of La Junta and around Cuauhtemoc and Alvaro Obregon where the whole countryside is full of their colonies.
I have been away form the site a few days , just wandering around Chiapas and Tabasco paved roads.

The GPS co-ords are correct, or at least they are part of my tracklog - if you're looking at WorldMap, or even the Wanderlust improved version, they show no roads there. I remember WorldMap being unusually bad all around this area.

In fact, I had to look twice at Mollydog's posted picture (in Creel). The place looks quite similar, although obviously it's not it. I remember the forecourt being quite steep (above the main road), and rough. It was indeed to the north of the road, with the small restaurant quite close to the road, and up a few steps.

In fact, although I've never met a Menonite before, the "religious woman and daughter" bit does sound right.

I got it. I download your tracks from your web site (very good. Thank you for sharing it), and then I can see you rode thru noting :) :)... I just bought WorldMap and so far used it only on Baja, Mexico. Not sure how reliable it is, but inference from your post looks like it's pretty good is it?. I will plan to get to that hotel on the first day from Topo. Maybe leaving hearly in the morning I will be able to do that.

some train info
 

This info relates to my trip on the train with my bike back in 2004 (so long ago now but seems like yesterday). My plan was to ride Topolobampo to Creel but I got a little lost and ended the day back in El Fuerte ready to catch the train. There was little info around at the time on the HUBB about this but it was possible.

The first train of the day was the first class train this did not have a goods van. The second did have the goods van and needed a plank to load the bike. The train was of a decent standard too. The tank needed to be empty but the guy at the station bought the lot for a fair price. At Creel it proved tricky to get the bike off the train and I had to enlist the help of some other passengers to get the bike onto a trolley and then from the trolley to the platform. The rear tyre had been deflated to stop the bike moving - wasn't best impressed with that but heho.

Splendid train ride though and while it was disappointing to miss out on the ride to Creel there is plenty of great riding once you get up there.

Hope this helps someone. Not been on the HUBB for a while.

Matt

Updating an old topic
 

Hey!

I'm looking at doing a very similar trip in about a week or so. I'm in La Paz now and want to take the ferry over to Las Mochis and then was thinking the train up towards Creel and then riding around.

Has anyone done anything similar lately? Better to just drive rather than take the train? Will I totally freeze doing it in January?

Thanks for any tips!

Wow, a blast from the past, previous post was 11 years ago!

Remember the post, but as for being able to recall anything useful from 2006, that's beyond me, sorry!

https://www.trenchihuahua.com/?gclid...MaAl0jEALw_wcB
Try this website , it will have all sorts of info to dig into- including schedule of service hours and trips.

Yep ,January and into late Feb COULD be pretty cold in the high country.And you cant expect to simply ride there once you get off the ferry .There is some rough dirt roads involved if you go the "direct way up through beyond Choix .
The paved route in is a very long way around ,but a great ride in spring ,summer and autumn .

Go back and read this thread. My post is quoted in post #12 which details out the paved route. But as mentioned, you can do dirt routes too ... there are two or three I know of. One is easy, but not sure of them so current, local knowledge best.

The paved way is easy and should be snow free until Creel. I was snow bound in Creel for 2 days in mid March when a Blizzard blew in, iced up all the roads. But it soon warmed back up and all good. Locals said this is COMMON.

I'd get down to Batopilas which is 2500 ft. lower and 20F warmer. I've been 4 times to Copper Canyon going back to 1998.
Last time was 2 years ago.

The paved route from the Topo Ferry is a great ride but LONG. See earlier threads for details ... and BY ALL MEANS ... buy Sjoerd's travel guide. Best there is for Mexico. :D:D:D:D:D

Thanks All!!! Glad to hear the info is still pretty current. Sounds like I may be better off leaving this for the warmer weather, but I'll do a bit more research.

Cheers!