The Copper Canyon: Places to Explore

Veins of silver—mined on and off since the time of the conquistadors—made this remote village of fewer than 2,000 people one of the wealthiest towns in colonial Mexico. At one time it was the... Read more

Cerocahui is a quiet mountain village set amid towering pines. Cerocahui is a favorite stop for birders—nearly 200 species of birds have been spotted in this part of the Sierras.... Read more

For a city ringed with highways and pocked by parking lots, Chihuahua has a really pleasant center. Here you'll find a pair of lovely plazas and more trees than you will probably see in any northern city... Read more

Surrounded by craggy, pine-covered bluffs, Creel is a mining, ranching, and logging town that grew up around the railroad station. The largest settlement in the area, it's also a gathering place for Tarahumara... Read more

At these whistle stops five minutes apart on the Continental Divide, the views of the Copper Canyon are unforgettable. A couple of romantic hotels hug the rim of the canyon in Posada Barrancas; in Divisadero... Read more

Smart travelers come to El Fuerte, a rather sleepy town of some 45,000 residents, to board the Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico. But tour operators also use El Fuerte as a base for hiking, birding... Read more

At the western end of the Chihuahua al Pacífico railway line, Los Mochis (population 335,000) sits near the Gulf of California. It's a friendly, but not terribly good-looking, town. Unless they're... Read more