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If you’re taking the CHEPE train and not getting off and exploring areas along the way (silly, silly) the Divisadero station is your only chance to look down (way down) into a major canyon.  For that reason the train stops here for 15 minutes–long  enough for passengers to enjoy the view from a vantage point right across the street from the station. It’s also long enough to grab a snack.

Even if you’re not hungry do yourself a favor and head for any one of the handful of food stands on the train  platform and get yourself some of the best gorditas we’ve ever tasted. Trust us, these lightly fried thick corn cakes stuffed with combinations of meat, cheese, beans and vegetables have the food on the train beat by many, many miles.

The Divisadero train station: Get your views! Get your souveniers! Get your gorditas!

The view of the Urique Canyon from the Divisadero viewpoint which is right across from the train station.

Shop with a view! Tarahumara craft stands at the Divisadero lookout.

Some of the best gorditas we've had were at the Divisadero station.

We grabbed some gorditas and headed into the neighboring town of Areponápuchi for some more canyon exploration.

Areponápuchi is a funny place. On the one hand it feels like a small town. Skinny dogs hang out in front of the tiny tienda. Dented trucks kick up dust even on the pavement. Laundry is hung out to dry on every available surface.

Sunset in the Urique Canyon from the Mirador Hotel in Areponápuchi.

On the other hand it’s got some fancy and expensive tourist facilities, including the Mirador Hotel which is, by  many estimations, the best property in the Balderama  Hotels chain.The Mirador Hotel certainly wins best location and best view as its perched literally on the canyon rim and every single one of its 48 rooms has a balcony facing the Urique Canyon–the deepest in the Copper Canyon system.

Panorama of the Urique Canyon from Areponápuchi. (click for full size panorama)

An almost-full moon rises over the Urique Canyon as seen from Areponápuchi.

Urique Canyon from Areponápuchi.

There are some very steep, very windy and very narrow roads around the Copper Canyon. Some hairpins were so tight that we had to back down sections in order to make the next turn.

The next day we met up with Gustavo Lozano, a rare combination of expertise, passion, humor and an excellent grasp on English. Oh, and he doesn’t conduct his tours in an obnoxious Hummer like they do from the Hotel Mirador.

Anyway, Gus took us and our companion, Dave Hensleigh from Authentic Copper Canyon (who gets more and more excited as our expedition gets further and further off the beaten path) on a day trip out to a section of the Copper Canyon, just off the Urqiue Canyon, that few visitors ever see.

It happened like this. The previous morning at dinner Gus showed up and asked if we’d ever been to the Oteviachi Canyon–one of the six canyons in the Copper Canyon system. We all shook our heads and said nope. He said he’d pick us up at 9 the next morning.

None of us, except Gus, really knew where we were headed and that was  just fine. We drove through San Rafael but quickly turned off the pavement onto a dirt road that lead to a Tarahumara village called San Alonso. Gus had business here. Namely an SUV full of donated books, toothbrushes and athletic equipment for the school children.

Children at a Tarahumara school in San Alonso.

San Alonso was the last village we saw. From there the terrain became pristine–just trees (including 18 kinds of oak according to Gus) and canyons and circling buzzards and and wacky rock formations and the odd, faint footpath to mark the passing of human feet.

A side canyon off the Urique Canyon near Oteviachi.

Odd rock formations, possibly lava, atop the rim of the Urique Canyon near Oteviachi.

The Urique Canyon from Oteviachi.

There is a road, of sorts, through this area and that’s because a spectacular lodge was built out here. It’s called the Hostal Oteviachi and Gus used to manage it. These days it’s mostly empty and that’s a real shame since the place has a spectacular location that rivals the Hotel Mirador–right on the canyon’s edge.

Panorama of the Urique Canyon near Oteviachi. That's Gus on the left. (click for full size panorama)

The Tarahumara are talented and creative basket weavers. This Tarahumara woman rarely looked at what she was doing while her hands moved with practiced swiftness.

Areponápuchi's Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations were low key but the small cemetery was still filled with color as locals paid their respects to dead loved ones.

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1. WAY Off the Train – Copper Canyon, Chihuahua, Mexico (Part 2)
2. You Can Get There From Here – Copper Canyon, Chihuahua, Mexico (Part 8)
3. Death Drive (sort of) to Batopilas – Copper Canyon, Chihuahua, Mexico (Part 5)
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