Train rides of your life

Los Mochis, Sinaloa, to Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico ​

Rocky and I know everything about each other. We are not biologically related, but when we were in high school, our teachers and classmates thought of us as one. I wasn’t Adam, a student hoping to be a journalist one day, and he wasn’t Rocky, an aspiring businessman. No, we were Adam and Rocky, one word, said in one breath. Our English teacher, Mrs. Morgan, used to say that we shared the same brain.

When we broke up after high school, we made a Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn-style pact to make sure we’d have an affair every year. And we did for many years, but life got in the way and it became harder to escape.

It was a text message discussion about a previous trip we took to Los Cabos, Mexico, when we had our epiphany. In all the times we had made trips south of the border, we had never strayed from the beach. But this time, Rocky and I decided to get to know Mexico by train, since our travels around the world had taught us that the best way to learn about a country and its people is to travel by train.

“Do you remember walking through the Grand Canyon?” Rocky sent a text in the middle of a work day.

“Of course,” I replied seconds later. “Still one of the best hikes ever.”

“Do you want to go one step further and explore a canyon that’s even bigger?”

“🙂” I replied. (This was at the dawn of the emoji era, and even though our kids told us not to bother trying to be trendy, we did it anyway.)

The Chepe Express meanders through the Copper Canyon in the Sonoran Desert for more than 220 miles. The Copper Canyon region is approximately 25,000 square miles, and the canyon system is larger than the Grand Canyon. It begins near the sandy shores of Los Mochis in the Mexican state of Sinaloa (on the eastern side of the Gulf of California) and makes four stops: El Fuerte, Bahuichivo, Divisadero, and finally Creel, in the state of Chihuahua.

Rocky and I flew to Los Mochis to spend a couple of days at the beach before boarding the train. We left the station at 8 am sharp and started our cross-country hike.

Like many European trains, the Chepe Express offers three classes of service: first class, business class and economy/coach. However, if you like the luxury treatment, the economy class seats are not for you. Comfort-wise, it’s like sitting on a park bench for eight hours. But we spent most of our time in the social car, taking photos and photographing the breeze, so we barely noticed.

The Sonoran desert, which stretches all the way to Arizona, is an anomaly. The soil is calcareous and the red caliche soil bakes under the relentless Mexican sun, emitting faint vapors from burning rock. But the foliage is green and lush. As the heavy train picked up speed and began the slow climb to 7,900 feet above sea level, the barren grasslands of the high plains gave way to honey mesquite, palo verde, and yucca trees and multiple species of cacti. We marveled at the unfettered and untamed wilderness as it took shape. Its beauty was heightened by the fact that although we were at the foot of a natural wonder similar to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, there were no crowds on the South Rim.

After eight hours of striding up the mountain, crossing several of the route’s 37 bridges and passing through most of its 86 tunnels, Rocky and I disembarked at Divisadero, the gateway to the Copper Canyon and the place where you can see three other canyons to get an idea of ​​the immensity of the region.

As we got off the train, members of the local Tarahumara tribe were selling handmade pottery and thatched baskets. Rocky and I start talking to some of the men and learn that the tribe is known for running through the canyon barefoot (or flimsy sandals).

We weren’t so adventurous anymore, but we asked in broken Spanish what hike we should do in Divisadero. The men directed us to a lesser-known trail, which we followed for amazing views of the ravine.

When we got back to the train, we agreed that this was the best hike we had ever done.

Sure, the Grand Canyon offers spectacular views and amenities along the way, but the Chepe Express and the people who live along its tracks offer a unique experience, complete with mountain hospitality and rare views not available in the USA — and we didn’t even have to leave North America.

Being away from our country and families for a few days and going back to the same high school routine while making new friends in a new culture along the way affirmed that some trips are best enjoyed with lifelong friends.

Fares start at $60 each way for seats in a tour cabin.

Adam Pitluk is the former editor-in-chief of american style magazine. Despite his decades-long affiliation with the airline industry, he prefers an economy class ticket on a slow train through the interior.