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| Government square El Fuerte |
Making tracks out of Los Mochis ("Los Mo-cheez"), I was heading north on SR23, excited to soon be entering the Barranca Del Cobre, (Copper Canyon). My first stop was the town of El Fuerte ("el fu-ert'e"), a picturesque village at the base of the foothills surrounded by the last remaining dry tropical forest in the state of Sinaloa. I parked at the lush tidy zocalo and set out on foot.
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| plaza water feature in El Fuerte |
Untouched by the expat invasion this sleepy little colonial architectural rich town is a joy to walk around. Or chill in the square with your favorite scoop or two from the many local vendors, listening to the Plaza's water feature as tons of birds scurry about chirping. In El Fuerte, you can also book a rail ticket and embark on the legendary scenic Copper Canyon rail line. A time period train and rail excursion snaking through Barranca Del Cobre the deepest canyon in North America.
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| top; entering Choix bottom; Barranca Del Cobre mountainous view |
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| clock tower overview of downtown Choix and the beginning to the Barranca Del Cobre |
Pushing on to my next stop 52km away was the small town of
Choix, (''Choice''). This was my last stop before actually entering the
Copper Canyon. I was in search of a better map of the area and a place to camp for the night. I located a small hotel with a secured parking lot where I popped my
RTT for the night. In the am I set out looking for a map and get the last of my provisions and fuel before hitting the trail.
Juan Reyes at the local chamber of commerce
(Turismo Choix) was so helpful, Juan printed out a map for me as well as writing down the directions through the canyon to
Urique, ("Urike") 127km away on primitive canyon roads. Armed with the knowledge and a map, 7km out of
Choix I turned onto the dirt trail shifted into
4wd and aired down.
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| top/mid; on the dusty track to Tubares bottom; Ranchito de Islas |
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| winding road leading to Tubares and the Copper Canyon |
The dirt country road quickly turned into a winding, hot, dusty track, passing homesteads and fenced livestock. River and creek crossings were often as most were dry. Climbing in elevation, the track was leading me through tons of epic scenery. Afternoon clouds started to build and pass quickly as I watched the shadows move across the mountains in the distance.
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| top; muddy crossing mid; upper desert cloud shadows bottom; scenic goat coral |
Mud holes, dropping temps and pending rain as I approached the
Rio El Fuerte, I followed it north clinging to the slippery track. Navigating along the river it started to rain heavily. I stopped at a small clearing located at the edge of a crumbling time worn mission in ruins, overlooking the
Rio El Fuerte. It was deftly inhabited by a small herd of goats getting out of the weather.
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| Rio El Fuerte 3000ft el |
I sat in the rig watching the rain come down, for about 45min. As the rain let up I got out to explore the old mission ruins among the goats and dogs
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| top;goats and dogs watch me mid; old mission ruins backside bottom; ruins facing river |
With the rain coming and going the track was getting a bit more slick and hard to navigate. I was determined to make it to
Tubares ("to-bares' ") about 25km away where I would make my first nights camp.
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| Rio El Fuerte view from mission ruins |
Tubares is a very small village located on the
Rio El Fuerte at about 1000m el. (3300ft). The wet conditions slowed me down to a crawl at times, also the fact that the sun was behind the canyon and getting dark fast.
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| top;roadside alter Tubares mid;Tubares camp bottom;Tubares cemetary |
I slid into
Tubares in the wet cold darkness as the track became a sloppy muddy mess. Pulling up to the centuries old mission I spied some local kids playing in the rain soaking wet and laughing, I asked them if it was okay to park they were all happy to say yes! I parked and got the rig in the right position to pop the
RTT then sat in the rig until the rain let up. But before too long I had a knock at my window I turned to look and let down my window only to see the wet smiling faces of 5 kids (pre-teen) one smoking a cig, all laughing dripping wet asking me questions in the dark, cold rain trying out their english.
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| Main street in the morning, Tubares |
With the kids gone I was still keeping dry and warm waiting the rain out, about 30min later the rain subsided I was able to pop the
RTT without getting soaked and climb in for the night. It was a long day driving and with the current weather conditions I was hoping that tomorrow would be drier.
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| heading to Tubares and the Copper Canyon |
In the morning I would cross the
Rio El Fuerte as I forged ahead to
Urique with some of the most steep and primitive road conditions yet to travel.
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| leaving the dry tropical dessert a little muddy |
Hope to see you on the Trail!!..
🚙.....
