Los Mochis Overview

Unfortunately, the grimy, densely populated city of Los Mochis (pop. 275,000) is a necessary stopover for adventurers on their way to Las Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon). As the westernmost stop for the CHEPE train—the railroad snaking through Copper Canyon—the city was first founded and developed by expats as a Robert Owens-esque utopian socialist colony, and later became part of a sugar-growing money-making scheme. While both its socialist and sugar days are over, Los Mochis continues to be an important link between the coast and the interior, funneling goods and backpackers into the mountains.

Transportation. The CHEPE (Chihuahua al Pacífico) train (☎824 1151) runs between Los Mochis and Chihuahua, with stops throughout the Copper Canyon. The posh first-class train leaves daily at 6am for Creel and Chihuahua (1453 pesos). Equally comfortable, but with smaller seats and dining cars, the second-class train leaves daily at 7am for Creel (397 pesos) and Chihuahua (727 pesos). Tickets are available in the station or on board. During peak backpacker season (July-Aug.), you may wish purchase tickets in advance. Viajes Flamingos, Hidalgo Pte. 419 (☎812 1613), in the Hotel Santa Anita, also sells tickets.

Though many bus carriers serve the city, finding the individual stations can be a challenge. Most obvious is the modern Elite station (☎812 1757), at Juàrez and Degollado. Transportes Norte de Sonora also leaves from Elite to Guaymas (5hr., every hr., 205 pesos). Tufesa (☎800-737-8883) on Morelos and Zapata, is a good deal for the long trips, and sends buses to: Hermosillo (7hr., 313 pesos); Culiacán (2 hr., 162 pesos); Mazatlán (5 hr., 310 pesos); Nogales (10hr., 486 pesos), and Guadalajara (14hr., 572 pesos). Transportes del Pacífico (☎812 0347), on Morelos between Leyva and Zaragoza, sends de paso buses to similar destinations.

Buses to El Fuerte and nearby destinations leave from Zaragoza, between Ordoñez and Cuauhtémoc. Buses to Topolobampo and Mavari (every 20 min., 14 pesos), leave from a stop on Cuahtémoc between Prieta and Zaragoza, one block north of Obregón. Los Mochis also has Pacífico (for coastal destinations to the south) and Azteca de Oro stations on Zaragoza, just north of Independencia.

Ferries to La Paz leave from Topolobampo daily at 11pm. (2nd-class 710 pesos, 4-bed cabin 760 pesos in addition to fare). Baja Ferries sells tickets until 2pm the day of departure. (☎817 3752. Open daily 8am-10pm.) Viajes Ahome, Prieto 105-1 at Morelos, also brokers tickets. (☎812 3752. Open M-Sa 9am-2pm and 3-7pm, Su 9am-2pm.) Municipal buses (4 pesos) run throughout the city. The main stop is on Zaragoza at Obregón; ask the driver if he goes to your destination. Taxis (☎812 0283) wait on the corner of every major intersection. Negotiate prices beforehand.

Practical Information. The city is laid out in a grid. Downtown, the principal north-south avenues are (from east to west) Degollado, Zaragoza, Leyva, Guerrero, and Rosales. Perpendicular to these (from north to south) are Juan de Dios Bátiz, Cárdenas, Morelos, Independencia, Obregón, Castro, and Ordóñez. Information on Los Mochis, Sinaloa, and the Copper Canyon can be found at the tourist office at Ordoñez and Allende, inside the Palacio del Gobierno. (☎815 1090. Open M-F 9am-4pm.) Other services include: Bancomer (☎812 2323) on Leyva and Juárez has 24hr. ATMs (open M-F 8:30am-4pm.); American Express (☎612 0590) between Flores and Morelos (open M-F 9am-2pm and 4-6pm, Sa 9am-1pm); emergency ☎060; police (☎812 0333), on the corner of Cuauhtémoc and Degollado; Red Cross (☎815 0808) on Tenochtitlán and Pueblo, one block off of Castro; Centro Médico (☎812 0198) at Castro 130 Pte.; Internet access at WebSurf, outside the mall at Obregón and Rosales. (10 pesos per hr.; open M-Sa 9am-9pm, Su 9am-7pm); and the post office on Ordoñez 226, between Prieto and Zaragoza. (☎812 0823. Open M-F 9am-3pm). Postal Code: 81200.

Accommodations And Food. Hotel Hidalgo 2, Hidalgo Pte. 260, between Prieta and Zaragoza, offers basic rooms. (☎818 3453. Singles 140 pesos, with A/C 175 pesos; doubles 240 pesos; triples 270 pesos. Cash only.) Across the street, Hotel Beltran 5, has pale orange rooms with soft mattresses, A/C, and TV. (☎812 0688. Singles 275 pesos; doubles 320 pesos. Cash only.) The rooms at Hotel Lorena 5, Obregón 186, come furnished with everything but a butler, including A/C, clean baths, TV, purified water, and Wi-Fi. (☎812 6847; fax 812 0239. Singles 300 pesos; doubles 360 pesos; each additional person 40 pesos. MC/V.) Hotel América 5, 655 Allende, offers a more elegant, cleaner stay for a few more pesos. Rooms have A/C and TV. (☎812 1355. Singles 390 pesos; doubles 455 pesos. MC/V.)

Tacos la Cabaña de Doña Chayo 1, Obregón 99 at the corner of Allende, is a great place for late-night grub. The size of the tacos justifies their relatively high price. (Tacos 18 pesos. Quesadillas 18 pesos. Open daily 8am-1am. Cash only.) El Taquito 3, on Leyva between Hidalgo and Independencia. serves super early, pre-travel breakfasts. Try eggs with bread, tortillas, beans, coffee, a full plate of fruit, and fresh orange juice—all for just 45 pesos. (Open 6am-10pm. Cash only.) eSalads 3, on the corner of Hidalgo and Allende serves chicken, vegetables, and salad dishes for 30-42 pesos. (☎818 0016. Open M-Sa 9am-6pm. MC/V.) For groceries, head to VH Supermercado, on Obregón and Zaragoza. (☎815 7285. Open daily 7am-10pm.)

Sights And Nightlife. An extensive collection of exotic flora grows in the Parque Sinaloa y Jardín Botánico, located half a block down Rosales from the end of Castro. The gardens are the former property of North American sugarcane tycoon Benjamin Johnston, and contain plants from Africa, India, Australia, Java, and the West. (Free). The city’s locals often enjoy hot dogs, cold raspados, and other cheap snacks in Plaza Solidaridad on Obregón and Rosales, diagonally opposite to the mall. Adjoining the plaza is Sanctuario del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Mochi’s oldest church, built after the founder’s Protestant wife donated the land to the people. Nightlife in Los Mochis tends to be surly and male-dominated, with belligerent men in cowboy hats at every watering hole. Bars and shady strip clubs cluster on Obregón near Allende, and most fill with rowdy patrons by midnight. La Marea, (☎817 0570) is the hottest under-30 spot. The DJ plays banda, norteño, and reggaeton. (Beer 20 pesos. Tequila 40 pesos. Open daily 9pm-2am. Cash only.)

About 12 miles south of Los Mochis, the port of Topolobampo offers a little more in the way of sight seeing. Topolobampo, the original site of Owen’s farmers’s collective, occupies a distinct geographical position. From here, 11 rivers feed into the bay—the world’s third deepest, after Sydney and San Francisco. Boat trips to the mangrove estuaries—home to a wealth of bird life—can be easily booked at the harbor for negotiable prices. Ask if you can see  Pechocho, the friendly neighborhood dolphin. The port’s most popular beach is Maravari. The area is not very developed, but does offer sweet jet-skiing, banana-boating, and wind-surfing. Buses to Topolobampo (20min.) and Maravari (30min.) leave from Cuauhtémoc and Prieto (every 30min., 15 pesos).