Barrancas del Cobre and the canyon rim at Creel
Published on 08/26/2026 at 10:41 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Barrancas del Cobre, known in English as Copper Canyon, is a dramatic system of canyons carved into the Sierra Madre Occidental in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Stretching across a vast mountain region south-west of the town of Creel, it forms one of northern Mexico’s most striking highland landscapes, where steep canyon walls, pine-covered plateaus and remote Tarahumara settlements share the same horizon.system of canyons in Chihuahua
A canyon system of extraordinary scale
Barrancas del Cobre is not a single gorge but a network of deep canyons cut by rivers that drain the Sierra Madre Occidental and eventually feed the Río Fuerte towards the Gulf of California.network of deep canyons Spanish usage often distinguishes between the overall canyon region, called Barrancas del Cobre, and individual canyons such as Urique, Batopilas and Sinforosa, each with its own profile and depth.individual canyons such as Urique
The canyon walls rise sharply from the river beds to high plateaus, creating height differences that reach well over 1,000 m (3,281 ft) between floor and rim in several of the main canyons.height differences in main canyons On the upland side, the landscape is characterised by forests of conifers, rock outcrops and grazing clearings, while the canyon interiors descend through bands of different vegetation as they approach the warmer river corridors.
Creel, the Chepe railway and canyon viewpoints
The small town of Creel sits on a high plateau in the Sierra Tarahumara and serves as a principal access point for Barrancas del Cobre.Creel atop the canyon region Its elevation is over 2,000 m (6,562 ft), which gives visitors arriving from the lowlands an immediate sense of the highland climate and the broad views towards the canyon rims.
Running near Creel is the Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico, better known as the Chepe railway, a passenger line inaugurated in 1961 that links the city of Chihuahua with Los Mochis on the Pacific coast.Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico Along its route the railway crosses bridges, passes through tunnels and climbs to elevations of more than 2,000 m (6,562 ft), with stations such as Divisadero and Posada Barrancas offering access to viewpoints directly over the canyons.stations such as Creel and Divisadero
Adventure park above the canyon rims
On a stretch of the rim between the Divisadero and Posada Barrancas stations lies Parque de Aventura Barrancas del Cobre, an adventure park developed to bring visitors close to the canyon walls.Parque de Aventura Barrancas del Cobre The park includes a cable car line spanning part of the canyon and a network of zip lines, including a long single-span line known as the ZipRider, which carries riders from a platform near the rim to a landing area closer to the canyon floor.long single-span ZipRider line
In addition to these aerial routes, the adventure park area features constructed viewpoints, walking paths near the rim and access points to trails that descend part of the way into the canyons. The landscape visible from the park shows several adjacent canyons cutting into the plateau, among them Del Cobre, Tararecua and Urique, which together illustrate how extensive the Barrancas del Cobre system is even from a single vantage point.Del Cobre, Tararecua and Urique canyons
Visiting Barrancas del Cobre: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Barrancas del Cobre lies in the Mexican state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico, with Creel and Divisadero serving as key access points and Chepe railway stations on the plateau.
- The terrain around the canyon rim combines high-altitude plateaus and steep drops, and paths near the viewpoints can include uneven rock surfaces and stairways.
- 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 is a canyon region in the Sierra Madre Occidental in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, south-west of the highland town of Creel.
What should visitors expect on a visit?
Visitors encounter a high plateau landscape that drops into deep canyons, with viewpoints, walking paths and access to the Chepe railway linking canyon stations.
What makes Barrancas del Cobre distinctive?
The combination of multiple deep canyons, high elevations, Tarahumara territory and the Chepe railway route gives Barrancas del Cobre a character distinct from single-valley mountain regions.
