Barrancas del Cobre and Creel’s pine-framed canyon rims

Barrancas del Cobre drops from Creel’s high pine plateau into a vast canyon system in northern Mexico, where cliffs, rail and Indigenous life meet.

Barrancas del Cobre, known in English as Copper Canyon, is a sprawling system of deep gorges carved into the Sierra Madre Occidental in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.Copper Canyon The mountain town of Creel stands on the high plateau above the rims, giving Western European travellers a base between pine forest and plunging cliffs.

From high plateau to canyon depths

The core of Barrancas del Cobre is a network of six major canyons that cut westwards across the Sierra Madre Occidental in northern Mexico.network of six canyons Together they cover an area of around 65,000 square kilometres (25,000 sq mi), extending between the central plateau and the coastal plain leading to the Gulf of California.65,000 square kilometres

Several rivers cut the canyon walls and eventually combine into the Río Fuerte, which flows towards the Pacific coast. The Urique Canyon, one of the component gorges, reaches depths approaching 1,900 m (6,234 ft), giving visitors long views from rim lookouts down to the river terraces below.Urique Canyon depth From many viewpoints the foreground is a pine-fringed edge, while the middle distance falls away into stepped rock faces and isolated spurs.

Creel, the railway and canyon viewpoints

Creel lies on the rim-side plateau at an elevation of more than 2,300 m (7,500 ft), making it one of the highest points on the Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico, better known as the El Chepe railway.Creel, atop the canyon The line runs between Chihuahua City and Los Mochis over a distance of about 653 km (406 mi), crossing bridges and tunnels before reaching the canyon region.Chihuahua City to Los Mochis

From Creel, roads and tracks lead towards Divisadero and the community of Areponapuchi, where several canyon viewpoints line the cliffs.

Adventure park above the Urique canyon

Near Divisadero, the Parque de Aventura Barrancas del Cobre brings together viewpoints, trails and adventure infrastructure directly on the Urique canyon rim.Parque de Aventura Barrancas del Cobre The park opened in 2010 and sits close to the point where the Barranca del Cobre, the Tararecua and the Urique canyons meet, giving sweeping views across multiple branches of the gorge system.Barrancas Adventure Park

One of the most striking structures here is the Teleférico de las Barrancas del Cobre, an aerial cableway whose cabins travel about 3 km (1.9 mi) from the rim station at Divisadero to a lower station set among the canyon spurs.Teleférico de las Barrancas del Cobre Each cabin can carry a sizeable group, giving floor-to-ceiling views over the junction of canyons as the line spans the void without intermediate towers.teleférico gondola

Visiting Barrancas del Cobre: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Barrancas del Cobre lies in northern Mexico’s state of Chihuahua in the Sierra Madre Occidental, with Creel and Divisadero serving as principal access points on the canyon rim.
• Much of the terrain around the canyon viewpoints combines high-altitude plateau and steep cliff edges, and paths near the rim can involve uneven rock underfoot.
• The official language is Spanish and the currency is the Mexican peso.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Barrancas del Cobre

Where is Barrancas del Cobre?

Barrancas del Cobre lies in the Sierra Madre Occidental in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, with Creel and Divisadero on the high plateau above the canyon rims.

What can visitors expect on a visit?

Visitors encounter deep canyons cut by rivers, pine forests on the upper slopes, viewpoints along the cliff edges and infrastructure such as the El Chepe railway and the Teleférico de las Barrancas del Cobre.

What makes Barrancas del Cobre distinctive?

The combination of a vast multi-canyon system, high-altitude rail access and the meeting of several gorges near Parque de Aventura Barrancas del Cobre gives the area a character different from many single-gorge landscapes.