This tour is run in conjunction with Copper Canyon Tours. Mike Huckaby and Cathy Waterman will lead the tour.
To read about Copper Canyon and the birds in the area see our reading lists.
Come with Nature Treks & Passages to a seldom-traveled area of 
Copper Canyon! We descend the Urique Canyon of the Sierra Madre on a six-day trek with seasoned Mexican and Tarahumara guides assisted by pack burros. Blending natural history and interaction with Indian families and traditional Mexican ranchers, we explore remote canyons, hot springs, and archaeological ruins.
Though best known for its mile-deep Copper Canyon, Mexico's northern Sierra Madre actually embraces 15 major canyon systems (barrancas) within an area of 75,000 square kilometers. Of the seven canyons considered "most notable", our trip takes in
one of the deepest. This route offers everything from magnificent views to Indian cave houses and rock art, birdwatching, visits with Indian families, gold mines, pine and oak forests, subtropical canyons and perhaps even a hot spring or two. Beginning in Los Mochis, our adventure takes us to El Fuerte, the famous Copper Canyon train ride, and on into the Sierra Madre. Led by experienced naturalist guides, you'll set out on an unforgettable six-day burro-supported trek into the very heart of the Copper Canyon wilderness.
Day One: Our first day together begins at the airport in Los Mochis, where you will be met by Cathy, your guide. There are convenient flights from Los Mochis to gateway cities in the American West and 
Southwest. After exchanging greetings and introductions, we’ll load our gear into a suburban and head to the tropical town of El Fuerte, about an hour and a half away. Founded in 1564 by Don Francisco de Ibarra, this charming colonial town is steeped in history. We’ll stay at the unique Rio Vista Hotel, operated by our delightful host, Chal Gamez. This hotel sits atop a knoll above the beautiful Rio Fuerte, and abuts the historic fort and museum.
Day Two: After breakfast, we’ll board the famous Copper Canyon train. The trip from the tropical coastal plain to the Sierra Madre mountains is considered one of the most spectacular train rides in the Americas. As the train winds through dozens of tunnels and over countless bridges, you'll be treated to a glimpse of the enormity of the canyon country and the adventure that awaits you the following day. It is also a journey back through time. The sight of horse-drawn carts, cowboys on horseback, and wood smoke curling from mud-chinked cabins makes us doubt our senses. As much as its timeless nature may surprise us, however, the Sierra Madre certainly is real. In fact, it would take volumes to adequately describe the history, ecology and people of this amazing country. In the days to 
come we'll do our best to share with you some of the information and experiences we've gathered during our years here. We'll arrive at the rim of the canyon sometime in the early afternoon and stay at a rustic lodge where we are treated to traditional Mexican fare and local family friendliness.
Day Three: After breakfast, we meet our Mexican/Tarahumara trail crew and load the gear onto the burros. By mid-morning we¹ll begin our trek into the Urique Canyon region. Our route takes us from Areponapuchic (7200¹ elevation) in a long and gradually descending northwesterly loop. We wind our way through mountains, mesas and canyons. Our descent from the highlands to the bottom of the Urique canyon will take the better part of two days. We usually hike about 4 to 6 hours per day. Allowing for the up-and-downs of side canyons, the elevation change on our winding 
trail is over 5,000 feet. We arrive at camp under a grove of orange and banana trees planted with seeds given to the Tarahumara by the Spanish hundreds of years ago. We soak our feet in a warm spring nearby while our crew prepares supper cooked over a wood fire.
Day Four: Continuing our descent, we'll note the transition from the temperate highlands to the warmer, sub-tropical canyon. Hiking through a series of hanging valleys, our day begins with the clear, chime-like serenade of the Brown backed Solitaire-and will likely end accompanied by frantically squawking parrots. The unique plant life of the Sierra Madre adds to this trail's interest. In the space of a few hours we might see cactus growing in Tarahumara apple orchards, kapok trees, cypress, organ pipe, wild grape and countless varieties of oak and pine. Arriving at the Urique River in the afternoon, we'll camp for the next three nights on a sandbar. As the sun disappears behind the cliffs, we are free to relax or to seek a private nook among the huge, polished boulders. Though the river can be quite cool, someone inevitably finds the warm, sandy beach and turquoise-green pools to be an irresistible invitation to go swimming.
Day Five and Six: You'll have two full days in which to experience the beauty of this canyon. Although we certainly encourage rest and contemplation, there are at least two especially noteworthy day hikes to lure you away from camp. The river passes through a very narrow gorge on these jaunts, so we'll be wading, helping each over boulders and dodging deep pools on our way to hot springs and hidden waterfalls. This is more of a scramble than a hike, so the pace can be slow and relaxed. Or we split in two, and allow the hardcore hikers to take the overland route for a truly world class hike. The birding can also be good, so be sure to keep an eye peeled for parrots and trogons.
Day Seven: It takes a while to break camp and load the burros, so we'll leave the crew to their chores and begin our climb out of the canyon shortly after breakfast. Now that we're all 'oldhands' at Copper Canyon trekking, you'll undoubtedly note many things that were missed on the inbound hike. If you're lucky, the intricate play of light and shadow on the cliffs above us may even reveal rock paintings or traces of ancient Indian dwellings. Whether you spy a 
simple shard of pottery beside the trail, or the tumbled stone walls of a shepherd's hut, there's always something new to discover. To be truthful, there's also another reason to sightsee and take it easy: it gives the burros an opportunity to overtake and pass us. In fact, if we plan it right, we'll roll into camp just about the time the coffee perks. A few words about the Tarahumara: According to the local people, we are the only outsiders to use this trail in many, many years. Although this particular canyon route passes through country that is very sparsely inhabited, there is always a chance that we'll meet Tarahumara, especially near our higher camps. It is important to know, however, that many of these people are so shy that they may prefer to observe us from a distance. When meeting on the trail, for example, it is not unusual for Tarahumara women and children to slip away as a stranger approaches, or to firmly turn their backs and refuse to speak. Our crew's experience and rapport with the Tarahumara is considerable. To maintain relationships of mutual trust and respect, however, we must never impose by taking photographs or approaching occupied dwelling caves and cabins without invitation. As they come to know us better, the Tarahumara women may offer beautifully woven baskets, dolls, drums and other small handicrafts for purchase. We encourage this, as it provides their families a small but very important cash income.
Day Eight: Our final day on the trail takes us back up the winding "staircase" trail to the top of the mesa. An optional side trek takes us to a Mogollon era cliff dwelling with potsherds and human remains. Depending on where we camped the night before, we'll complete our trek out of the canyon around early afternoon. Back at 
the lodge after hot showers we'll gather for refreshments and rehash our adventure together over a celebratory dinner.
Day Nine: We'll begin by spoiling ourselves with a leisurely breakfast of huevos rancheros, fruit, biscuits and coffee. We'll pack our gear and say our goodbyes. You’ll have some time for shopping before boarding the afternoon train unescorted back to El Fuerte. You needn't worry! You are met at the train station in El Fuerte and delivered to your accommodations for the night.
Day Ten: The next morning you'll be driven from the hotel to the airport in Los Mochis.
*Note: we may find it necessary to change our route due to weather conditions or other unforeseen events.
Trip cost for our standard 10 day burro assisted trip is $2300 based on double occupancy. The single supplement is $250. All meals, lodging, guiding, and ground transportation are included. The following are not included in the trip price: airfare, items listed on the equipment list; and tips for trip staff/guides and hotel staff. Tips are optional and when given should be directed towards the trip leader for disbursement. Standard in the industry for total tips is 3-5% of the land cost.
The cost for the rim rendezvous (5 camping nights flanked by 2 hotel nights) is $1575 based on double occupancy. The single supplement is $150.
Deposits, Payments, Refunds and Cancellation Policy
A nonrefundable deposit of $350 is due upon registration. The balance in full is due 45 days before trip departure. (If you register less than 45 days before trip departure, the full balance is due at the time of registration.) If we receive written notice of cancellation at least 30 days prior to trip departure, we will return all but the nonrefundable deposit.
Copper Canyon Trails reserves the right to cancel any trip due to inadequate sign-ups to make the trip economically feasible or any other circumstances beyond our control. In such a case, we will give you a full refund of the amount paid to Copper Canyon Trails. We also reserve the right to make reasonable changes to the itinerary where deemed advisable for the safety, comfort and/or well-being of the trip participants. If changes must be made, the trip participant will be responsible for additional costs of changes. Copper Canyon Trails does not give any refunds for unused hotel rooms, meals, transportation, trek arrangements or other unused services.
To register for this tour, contact Debra Tranberg at info@naturetreks.net or call (781) 789-8127. Before booking your trip please review the trip options and physical requirements.
Trip Options & Trip Difficulty
Trip Options: We offer two standard departures from the canyon rim where you get off the train.
1. The 10 day standard trip starts at the airport in Los Mochis, Sinaloa (airport code LMM), where you'll be met by our guide for an escort to the canyon rim where you depart the train the following day. You have an unescorted return by train at the completion of the hike to El Fuerte, where you'll be met for your transfer to the hotel, and transfer the following day to the airport in Los Mochis.
2. Alternatively, a group of six or more booking together, can be met at the airport in Chihuahua, Chihuahua (airport code CHH) for escorted van or bus service to the canyon rim. You can then finish your trip with the train ride to the coast for the total trip cost, or strike out on your own.
3.
Yet a third option is to meet us on the canyon rim. This is a seven night package, with a night on the rim on either end of the 5 canyon camping nights. This is a popular choice since Copper Canyon is such a remote area. It allows travelers the option to experience the best of the Urique Canyon while on a more extended tour of Mexico.
All backpacking trips are customized. We'll work with you on the departure dates, difficulty, and duration. We need 90 days advance notice. These hikes are fully SELF supported and generally limited to 6 people. In addition to the "What to Bring" list, you should provide the following gear with which you are comfortable: 30 degree Fahrenheit sleeping bag, pad, tent (optional). A sleeping bag liner is recommended. We provide all the food for meals and snacks, stoves and fuel, and a tarp for cooking in inclement weather. Please let us know if you have dietary restrictions. We always have a local along. Backpacks differ from burro assisted mainly in that we cook for our local guides, and don't have the infrastructure the Mexican crew provides. As always, we appreciate their Point of View and the fact they they're probably related to people we run in to on the trail; and after all, we are the visitors.
Canyoneering is a growing sport, and that's especially true here. Lots of people ask about kayaking, and it's just not feasible in most water. You'd spend most of you time portaging. But it is a great area for canyoneering. There is not much rappelling, but spectacular riverside hiking generously seasoned with a variety of pools, cascades, and boulder fields. We take canyoneers. Our multiday trips are long because put-ins and take-out points are limited. Our standard gear is a drybag lashed to a poolraft. These trips are awesome! Groups size with guides limited to four.
Trip difficulty:
This adventure involves several days of moderate to strenuous hiking over rugged terrain. The trails, barely more than goat paths, are steep, with loose volcanic scree making the down-hills sometimes difficult. However, all gear is carried by burros with the exception of a light day pack with water and items for the day. The descent involves @3500 feet (9-10 miles) in one day of the two day descent as the first available spring determines where we can camp. Depending on which day we decide to make the long descent the other is much shorter with the following days being optional before climbing @3500 feet up in one day and @2500 feet the next. We try to allow people to go at their own pace, dividing the guides to allow the fast walkers to be out ahead and the slower, under no pressure, behind. Good health and good physical condition are essential but age is not always a factor.
Weather: These trips are scheduled during the dry, cool winter season in the Sierra Madres. Our fall and spring dates will have the warmest temperatures when the canyon bottom can be in the 80's- 90's and the rim at night in the 60's. November through February dates are cooler with the canyon bottom in the 60's and70's (nights 50's) and the rim 40's-50's (nights 30's). Winter storm systems periodically affect this area (particularly Dec-Jan) and can cause freezing temperatures and snow on the rim and rain in the canyon bottom with the lowest recorded temperature at 45 degrees.
Suitability: This adventure involves several days of moderate to strenuous hiking over rugged terrain. A good sense of balance is helpful and comfortable hiking boots are essential for the sustained downhill. The canyon rim is over 7000 feet so those living at sea level may not be aware that they need acclimatization.
Feb. 11-20-2010
Urique River
Feb 28- March 10 2010
Caballo Blanco Ultra Marathon Trip
March 10-18 2010
Urique River
April 8-17 2010
Oteros River
Price - $2300.00
A US passport valid six months beyond your anticipated date of return to the US is required. Those with foreign passports should contact the Embassy of Mexico for details.