Mountain Bike Tours

Truly one of the Western Hemisphere’s great scenic and natural wonders, the Copper Canyon region is fast becoming one of Mexico’s most popular soft-adventure attractions while also catering to hard core backpackers, day hikers, mountain bikers and naturalists. Actually Copper Canyon is but one of six massive gorges in the area covering 25,000 square miles. The area is in fact a maze of 200 gorges that combine to form six immense, interconnected canyons that as a whole is four times larger then the Grand Canyon, with some deeper by more than 1,000 feet. Another draw to the area is the culturally rich indigenous Tarahumara people, which number more than 50,000 and live in almost neolithic conditions among the canyons’ harsh surroundings.

Let us introduce you and your bike to the trails and people of Chihuahua’s Copper Canyon region. You’ll experience the incredible diversity of Chihuahuan ecosystems, from the cool pines and meadows in the highlands above, down through forests that include perhaps the greatest variety of oak and pine species found on the planet, to the subtropical canyon floors and the rivers that carved them out.

Since there are so many chances for adventure along the way, we like to keep our trip schedule flexible enough to accommodate the interests of all our guests. That way we’ll have the option of spending a little more time on activities or locations that strike our fancy. If you’re looking for mucho singletrack, we can arrange the itinerary to give you all you can handle. But remember, our trips aren’t just about riding. We’ll be taking some time to relax and enjoy the fantastic scenery and interesting people we’ll encounter as we make our journey to the Copper Canyons.

Sample:

Day 1: The first day is spent traveling in the air-conditioned support van from El Paso, Texas to the high Sierra Madre town of Creel, Chihuahua. As we cross the Chihuahuan desert, we can visit the Dunes of Samalayuca—one of the largest dune fields in North America and filming location for the movies "Dune" and "Conan". These dunes were the inspiration for the new sport of sandbiking. We’ll pass through the state capitol of Chihuahua City and later have lunch in Cuauhthemoc, a unique town surrounded by an extensive Mennonite farming community. Beyond Cuauhthemoc are beautiful vistas of rolling farmland, leading us up to the Western Sierra Madres. Winding up into these mountains will bring us to the logging town of Creel, a major stop on the famous Chihuahua al Pacifico railway and a favorite with itinerate travelers.

Day 2: The day is spent mountain biking and/or hiking in the lush forests and valleys around Creel. Points of interest include a valley of looming stone pillars called "Visa Viverachi" or "Valle de las Monjas", Recohuata Hot Springs which boast a gushing, heated waterfall and sits at the bottom of Tararecua Canyon, or the picturesque Cusarare Falls and Lake Arareco. The Creel area is world renowned for its sweet singletrack and its laid-back vibe. In 1997 the town hosted a race as part of the Mexican national mountain bike series. The night is spent in Creel, with plenty of Mexican food and beer on hand for those who so desire.

Day 3: Today we get an early start for the canyons. During the drive, we’ll pass through the Copper Canyon and into Batopilas Canyon. We have the option of single-tracking along the way on such trails as "La Estrella", an ancient foot trail affording spectacular canyon overlooks. Test your forearms by riding down the famous switchbacks that descend almost 5,000 feet into the canyon depths. The night will be spent at either a hut in La Bufa, a ghost town left by a gold mining company, or camping under a blanket of stars along the beautiful Rio Batopilas.

Days 4 - 6: These days are spent in the subtropical desert of Batopilas Canyon. Days can be spent on a variety of activities, depending on the group’s preferences. Possibilities include exploring the historic silver mining town of Batopilas, a ride to the 400 year-old Jesuit mission of Satevo, touring the "adobe castle" ruins of La Hacienda de San Miguel, or riding deep into the Porfirio Diaz mineshaft to visit a silver vein. We can ride or hike along the Camino Real trail, built by the Spanish over four hundred years ago and still in use today, to nearby towns like Cerro Colorado. The more adventurous can choose an overnight cross-canyon journey to Urique Canyon with mule support. All of these activities will surround you in the beauty of steep canyon walls, bougainvillea, fruit trees, cacti, and the people of the canyons—the Tarahumara.

Day 7: Time to head back out of the canyons either in the support vehicle or your easiest spin gear as you experience the switchbacks from the other direction. The evening will be spent relaxing in Creel. This is a good time to pick up last-minute souvenirs and enjoy a large Mexican dinner.

Day 8: Our energy well spent, the van will carry us through the Sierra Madres and the Chihuahuan Desert, back to Ciudad Juarez and across the border to El Paso.

• Round trip transportation from El Paso, Texas to the Copper Canyon
  
• All lodging in clean and comfortable small accommodations
  
• All meals
  
• Safe drinking water
  
• First-Aid
  
• Trailside bike repairs and expert guide service
  

Departs from El Paso at about 7-730am, returns usually no later than 4pm.

Level of Biking and Mileage can be adjusted according to group composition.

What To Bring
Clothing
Because the tours can take us through diverse climate changes, we suggest a layering system when planning what to wear. In the high mountain elevations around Creel, nights and mornings can be pretty cold during the Fall/Winter months. At these same times, being in the canyon bottoms around Batopilas will often be “shorts” weather. Also, late summer/early fall can bring afternoon rains, so it would be wise to bring along some rain gear at those times of year. You may also want to throw in your bathing suit for swimming in the river or sitting in a hot spring.

Biking Gear
Basically, we suggest to riders to plan to bring whatever you would when planning a good day ride at home. This would mean things like comfortable shorts and gear, definitely a helmet, sunglasses, a water container (Camelbak or bottles), your favorite power food/bars, a basic patch kit, a spare bike tube, etc. We will provide most bike tools and will have extra tubes as well, but if your bike has a special requirement like a special wrench for your shock for example, we suggest you bring that.

Paperwork
To obtain a Mexican visa requires either a U.S. passport, or a combination of a photo I.D. (driver’s license) and a certified birth certificate. The visas cost between $20-30 U.S. and it is each person’s responsibility to pay for them. When we enter Mexico we will stop so that everyone can obtain a visa.

Extras
Just pack the way you would for an outdoor type of trip—sun block, camera, hat/baseball cap, etc. We also ask that if you have any specific medical conditions or allergies (e.g. allergies to bee stings), that you bring along the specific medication for that condition.

Our trip cost includes all hotels and meals, but not alcohol. If you think you’ll want to have some drinks or buy some beer once we’re down there, bring some extra cash for that. Also, depending on how much of a souvenir hunter you are, you can spend anywhere from a few bucks to a couple of hundred buying handmade Tarahumara baskets, pottery, drums, violins, wool blankets, etc.

Shipping Your Bike
There's a $75 fee for sending your bike to us ahead of time. For this fee, we'll assemble it for the trip, and then disassemble it and ship it back to you. It is important to have the bike arrive to us no later than one week before departure, as that will give us ample time to receive and set up the bike.