Chepe Express Train Journey

Los Mochis can be the beginning or the end of the train journey. The city was born from a dream of a North American immigrants who built a sugar mill more than 100 years ago. Today Los Mochis is an agricultural center and a strategic communication point for the region. The city is 15 kilometers from the Pacific coast and Topolobampo. It was discovered in 1533 by the Spanish conquistador Diego de Guzmán; It is an area with very diverse and productive agriculture. It was populated by the indigenous Tehuecos Yoremes, Zuaques and Ahomes. There is a lot to do in the city, walk through the Sinaloa Park, visit the butterfly garden, its plaza and the museum. Then enjoy excellent regional cuisine in the restaurant “El Farallón” with its specialty seafood.

Historically, El Fuerte is one of the most important and interesting cities in northern Mexico. The city was founded in 1564 by the Spanish Francisco de Ibarra. It is located on the banks of the “Río Fuerte”, it has an old town characterized by the Spanish colonial style and it is culturally rooted with indigenous traditions. Leaving El Fuerte will start the most impressive route of the entire railway route. The CHEPE ascends several hundred meters along the Septentrion River. It doesn’t matter if it’s from north to south or from south to north, enjoy the breathtaking views. For example: the Chinipas bridge over the Chinipas river is the highest on the route. It is 102 m above the river and is 310 m long. Tunnel number 86 is the longest tunnel on the route at 2000m. As it was the last tunnel to be completed and the workers could take a well-deserved rest, they named it “Tunel el Descanso”. The Aguacaliente bridge with a height of 45 m is over El Fuerte river. At 498.5 m, it is the longest bridge on the Q line.

Bahuichivo is located approximately 67 km from Divisadero and at an altitude of around 1,600 m. From here you can reach the town of Cerocahui, where the old mission of San Francisco Javier is located. It was built in 1680 with marble stones. Here a group of nuns had a boarding school built for Tarahumaras girls. A few kilometers away is the Urique Canyon, the largest and deepest of the entire canyons system. From the “Cerro del Gallego” viewpoint at an altitude of 2,300 m you can see the bottom of the canyon, the town and the Urique river, which flows into El Fuerte river.

This station is 48 km before reaching Creel and 10 minutes from Posada Barrancas. Divisadero is the best place to admire the deep Copper Canyon and the Urique Canyon. It has a spectacular view of the Urique river which emerges near Norogachi and flows parallel to the Copper Canyon and the Urique Canyon, finally ending at the Fuerte river. For technical reasons, the railway line was built on the edge of the ravine and currently offers an amazing panorama, surrounded by mountains that are over 3,000 m high. At this station the train makes a 15-minute stop so that passengers can get off the train and appreciate the views of the Copper Canyon, then the train continues with the journey to the next station. From this point you can see a large part of the canyon system. Here 3 canyons converge: Urique Canyon, Copper Canyon and Barranca Tararecua. Another attraction is the “Barrancas del Cobre” National Park, which is only 10 minutes away and offers various outdoor activities such as: • 2,750 meter long cable car ride • 2,550 meter long zip-rider without intermediate towers. • Via Ferrata with rapelling practice • 7 station zip lines divided with suspension bridges. In this region there are three beautiful hotels that are architecturally built on the edge of the canyon on the rocks. The rooms are decorated in a rustic way, they have all the services. Some rooms have a private balcony or terrace that offers stunning views of the ravine.

Creel was founded in 1907 when the Chihuahua to Pacific railroad route was built. It has become a small town and is currently the largest and most important mestizo settlement on the railway route. The city is located at an altitude of 2,538 m and 256 km from Chihuahua. From Creel you can reach some other places of interest in the Sierra Tarahumara: The Copper Canyon, Tararecua, Candameña, Batopilas and Oteros; as well as to the Basaseachi and Cusarare waterfall.

Chihuahua is 1,440 m high and is the capital of the state of the same name. At approximately 247,087 square kilometers, it is not only the largest, but also one of the most prosperous states in all of Mexico due to livestock farming, mining, business tourism, and the timber industry. This is reflected in the beauty of the city, the orderly and clean urban panorama. Chihuahua was founded in 1709 by Spanish missionaries. Despite the distance to the country’s capital (Mexico City), the city played a very important historical role on several occasions, it was a refuge for politicians during the Mexican Revolution or Independence. Until recently (March 2020), Chihuahua was the starting or ending point of the Chepe train journey. Today the train only operates from Los Mochis to Creel and vice versa.