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| Leaving Tubares crossing the Rio El Fuerte where it meets Rio Urique |
One of the things I love about Overland travel is that I get to wake up in a different place each day, and today is no exception!! Camped in the middle of a old tiny Mexican village called Tubares. I'm on my way to explore the Barranca Del Cobre (Copper Canyon) nestled in the state of Chihuahua. The Copper Canyon is the deepest canyon in North America (1870m Rio Urique),( Grand Canyon 1838m) only two other canyons are deeper in the world Rio Colca, Andes Peru (3625m) and Yarlung Zangbo Canyon in China (5382m). Today I cross were the Rio El Fuerte and Rio Urique meet as I venture deeper into the canyon to the village of Urique. With the weather cooperating I broke camp and headed north from Tubares over the modern bridge.
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| top; navigating the wet track bottom; heading deeper into the canyon |
Once across I was navigating the watery mud holes and was hoping not to fall in too deep. The overcast was burning off while I was enjoying the slippery track flinging mud around. Wide-eyed as heaps of incredible scenery was passing by, slowing down at every curve and scenic view as the iconic
Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) unfolds.
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| top; million dollar view roadside coffee break bottom; track winding through the mountains |
With the blue skies returning I stopped to have a late brekkie and brew some hot coffee. It just doesn't get any better than this, roadside eats with a million dollar view. It was working out to be a full day of
4wd-ing, with muddy slick conditions I kept my speed to a minimum and forged ahead.
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| top: climbing in elevation bottom: hidden camp 7900ft |
Soon the track was starting to climb with switchbacks and super sharp hair-pin turns. It was late afternoon when I started to look for a spot to camp. Spied a overgrown turnout and steered through it around the other side of an embankment where I leveled my rig for the night and popped my
RTT.
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| Morning camp view 7900ft |
Hidden from the track I was getting the last of the sun listening to the birds as the the night closed in. Camped at about 7900ft the forest canopy was a welcome site the fresh smell of pines and the cool clean crisp air filled by the smell of morning coffee,
"Buenos Dias, Mexico!!"
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| top: Mesa de Arturo bottom; turn off to Urique |
After brekkie I broke camp and headed out 35km to
Urique deep into the
Copper Canyon. The views kept coming breathtaking vistas with clear skies. The forest canopy was as thick and natural as anything you would see in the national forests of the
USA.
Mesa de Arturo was my turn off a winding 24km loose gravel and dirt track descending 1800m deep into the Canyon.
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| top; descending into the canyon mid; overview Urique,Canyon floor mid; up river canyon bottom; road crew tidying up |
A few kilometers down the track was
Mirador Cerrc del Gallego a well known vista point with stunning views and picturesque scenery of the the
Barranca Del Cobre,
Urique and
Rio Urique. At 550m.(above sea-level) the rural village of
Urique rests on the canyon floor along the shore of
Rio Urique, this is the deepest part of the
Barranca Del Cobre.
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| top Rio Urique Barranca Del Cobre deepest part bottom: canyon village of Urique |
This Time forgotten village has train tours and hikes into the canyon. I was in search of fuel and ice. Stopping at the little market for snacks and ice, I was told that ice was down the street and gas was the other way. Finally finding the gas pump located in a crumbling barn the pump was leaning heavily to one side as I was parked on a opposite incline while gas started to spill out before the tank was full, oh, well!
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| top; Village spy shop bottom; Rio Urique looking up to top of canyon |
With enough gas I found ice at the tailor shop, apparently they have a freezer and fill bags with water, a frozen bag with about 2qts worth of water $25p ($1.25us). Making my way around
Urique, life looks simple for the inhabitants of this rural little village.
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| top Climbing steep track after crossing Rio Urique bottom: someone chose poorly! |
Taking the only road, a loose gravel dirt track out of town I was about to cross the
Rio Urique on a recently built modern bridge. Clinging to the canyon wall I was skirting the rivers edge as I approached the bridge crossing to make the climb up over another mountainous dirt track.
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| top: cattle gate high country (UFO bottom rt of pic) bottom; high country view Barranca Del Cobre |
Shifting into
4wd-lo I started my crawl up leaving
Urique behind heading to
Creel 2330m about 100km away snaking through the
Barranca Del Cobre.
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| high country road sign tagged by Jefe's |
Hope to see you on the Trail!!..
🚙......
