i'm planning a trip to Copper Canyon and although, i've found tons of info online, its becoming frustrating and tedious.

i just need a few basic questions answered by someone who has done the trip.

1. is it possible to hop on and off the train between stations?
2. which station do i need to get off at to go to Batopilas?
3. is it safe for a female to do this trip alone?
4. is it recommended to start in Chihuahua or Los Mochis... or does it matter? (I'm coming from Monterrey, so Chihuahua would be ideal)

5. any other info, advice, or helpful tips that i should know?

thank you!

1.

it possible to hop on and off the train between stations?

Perhaps, but the trains don't run every 15 minutes, so you really need to be sure you can afford to wait an hour or two, or more(I recall the schedule to Creel being twice a day) There are buses to Creel as well, by the way. They're probably more convenient, but far less interesting than the train ride.

2. Don't remember.

3. Yes, why not? Its a relatively safe area as far as I know.

4.This is where it gets complicated. The guidebooks recommend you take the train from Los Mochis for the most scenic route, and having taken it, I agree it is VERY scenic. There WAS only one train a day from Los Mochis, one a tourist train that was 3 times the price, but gave a full days' light. That ran every other day. The other was a regular train, and that was plenty scenic enough. It was daily, if I recall.

You CAN catch the train from Chihuahua, I believe. There is also a bus from Chihuahua, now they have a reliable road running to the Copper Canyon. I took that bus TO Chihuahua from Creel with little trouble at all. Not nearly as scenic, but much faster.

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START FROM LOS MOCHIS

Whatever the time of the year, it is best to begin from Los Mochis at the western end of the line. This more or less guarantees seeing the best scenery of the route in daylight, even if the train should be delayed (which, happily, these days is rare!). Starting from Chihuahua, any unforeseen delay may mean you reach the most scenic part just as the sun is disappearing below the towering canyon walls - perhaps only minutes too late for good photographs of the most exciting and awe-inspiring part of the whole journey.
STAY OVERNIGHT

About half the passengers travelling this line stop overnight somewhere in canyon-country. Most select Creel, the biggest town between Chihuahua and Los Mochis, named for a former Governor of Chihuahua who was vice-President of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad, the company which started building the "Copper Canyon" line.

But Creel is not really very close to the canyons. The scenery around Creel is attractive but nowhere near as spectacular as it is around Divisadero, the viewpoint where the daily trains each way stop for a few minutes to allow travellers to disembark and take photos.

http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1253 ... per-canyon

This article is more or less accurate. I can vouch for all but the divisadero hotels. I stayed in a cheap hostel in Creel, and took trips from there to the main canyon for a few dollars by minivan. I also went down to the mining town at the bottom of the canyon, and I must tell you this.. it's pretty creepy, almost haunted in feeling. Definitely Drug growers territory. We wanted to get out a few hours after we arrived.

They've changed the timetable now so that the first class and economy trains run on alternate days now, which I imagine was to reduce delays - as the guide books told me that getting the 2nd class train from Chihuahua to Los Mochis would mean I'd see all the best bits in darkness, whereas actually it didn't get dark until we got to El Fuerte, meaning we saw all the best bits in light. So I think it's now OK in either direction.

Personally I'd skip staying in Creel to stay in or around Divisadero / Posada Barrancas / Areponapuchi to be near the Canyon. For me the only reason to be in Creel was to get the bus to Batopilas (which is well worth it - most spectacular bus ride I've ever done).

Now I remember. It was Batopilas I went to.

On the way down, we hitched a ride on the back of a pickup truck. It battered us all over the place at 35mph, on roads that looked too dangerous and curvy to bear the speed. Much of the time I had to turn away so I wouldn't know how close we were to the edge at a precariously dangerous speed. Still, it was one heck of a ride and a gorgeous view. We found out later that regulars to the town did it at 15mph, to save both their trucks and their lives.

Got there, got a room, and found out there wasn't much to do, though it WAS amazing how hot and humid it was. We stayed overnight, and couldn't wait to get out the next morning. We were told that since the army took over drug enforcement, the Army was in the game as well, and not much had changed. We were also told not to wander too far off the main paths. One could feel the desperation of all those miners, even then, and the utter depression of living in a hot, humid hole in the bottom of the canyon with no company except for tourists and drug farmers. Nice stream, I must say that, even though we didn't wander far from the road to it, on advice. I note that this just wasn't my feeling, but that of my younger and more adventurous companion.

So, I say, get the next bus out in the morning and make it a pleasant day.

On the way back we took the bus up, glad to avoid another back-jolting pickup ride. We thought we'd walk up, but apparently its a 60 mile trip and would have taken us 2 days of heavy slogging up a mountain road. So, we put out a thumb for the bus, and it stopped for us. Nice ride up in the morning, too.

When we were there we asked if it was safe to hike around the area and were told yes, by several people. We hiked along the river to what the Lonely Planet calls the Lost Cathedral, although all the locals and the signs refer to it as the Mision de Setuvo. It's a lovely hike along the river, with beautiful canyon views, and the guys restoring the Mission were happy to let us climb up the ladders onto the roof, which was cool. You can also walk in the opposit direction and cross the river to visit the ruined Hacienda, which is also pretty nice.

There's only one extended stop at Divisadero, fifteen minutes or so to grab a view some souvineers and a gordita, otherwise no hopping. Get off at Creel for the refurbished school bus to Batopilas. The tickets are sold at one of the gift shops in town, though I can't remember which one, and the bus departs very early. But the trip down is as amazing and thrilling as advertised. There are indeed drugs on the bottom, but I didn't get the same bad vibes others did. Find a friend on the way down and I'm sure you'll be fine.

And what to do in Batopilas? Besides the Lost Cathedral, depending on your tolerance for adventure, you can rent equipment at a Creel outfitter and arrange a guide with pack burros in town or in Batopilas for the hike to Urique. You can take a strenuous, but worthwhile trek through the canyon and camp beneath the cave dwellings of the Tarahumara Indians. This can't be done in the summer, though, because of the searing heat.