Copper Canyon by Adventure Motorcycle
October 19 – 27, 2024
About this ride
This is a 9 day adventure designed for Adventure motorcycles. We will explore some fantastic corners of the famous Copper Canyon. Riders meet up with their bikes in Douglas, Arizona on Friday evening. We start by crossing the border and stopping at immigration to get all our paper work stamped and the Temporary Import Permit for our vehicles. We will spend the night in a hotel just across the border. Then we get up early on Saturday morning and travel 9.5 hours Copper Canyon (near Creel). Here we begin our big adventure.
This ride is explorer oriented. The ride will have options and some of the options are unridden so you must enjoy that sort of challenge. There will be dirt sections so we recommend that you come on smaller adventure bikes. If you want to bring a 1200cc bike you should be an expert rider in the dirt. . There are some connecting paved options. Some sections can be tough if the weather turns bad. We try to have easy options for any tough stuff but one can never really know, so come prepared. There will be scenic, easier options when possible. The ride will focus on seeing Copper Canyon and experiencing the local culture and people! And doing some fantastic riding. The days can be long, sometimes 8 to 10 hours of riding.
I think I will ride these switchbacks twice
Copper Canyon is a whopping four times larger than the Grand Canyon
Copper Canyon and the road to Batopilas
The ride will include motels each night. Riders will need to carry their own daily personal gear on their bikes or befriend a side by side rider and get them to take a personal bag.
Experienced riders only, intermediate and advanced riders only.
Riders will want to bring a reliable bike in good condition. There are few services in this area of Mexico. Riders need to come prepared to repair their own motorcycle on the trail and that often includes flat tires.
New tires, tubes and chains are recommended.
Ride Signup info:
The cost to join this 9 day Adventure is $1,995 for a single rider. This covers your lodging for the 9 nights during the ride. It also includes your ride packets which include a custom Garmin GPS map on a micro SD card and printed ride maps and descriptions.
Now taking signups: You can now reserve your spot on this ride by leaving a $100 Deposit
$100 Deposit
After your signup riders will receive an email from me with further ride information and instructions.
Note:
Riders must make full payment by August 19th, 2024
Riders will receive ride packets in the mail one week before the ride.
Refund Policy
Do not sign up for this ride unless you are serious about coming. I take your signup very seriously and start planning for you the minute you sign up. If you need to cancel up to 60 days prior to the ride start date I will give you a full refund of you deposit. Final full payment is due 60 days beforet the ride. If you need to cancel after making final payment I cannot give a refund unless I can find a replacement rider. In the case of finding a replacement rider, I will gladly give you the full refund. In the event of ride cancellation, you will be given a full refund.
Copper Canyon, in northern Mexico, is a series of massive canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains. Popular for hiking, it gets its name from the copper-green hue of the canyon walls. The famous Chepe (Ferrocarril Barrancas del Cobre) train connects the region via over 80 tunnels and nearly 40 bridges. Divisadero, a photo stop on the line, offers views into Urique Canyon
Master Yoda gpsKevin
Yoda Roberto
Questions about this ride contact: Yoda Roberto: roberto@gpskevinadventurerides.com
View the ride maps
OK since many of you like to study more detail about the ride, below are the ride maps.
I put these ride maps on the web page because I know a few of you love looking at the ride detail and dreaming about the ride. At first glance these maps do not look so impressive, but they are way cool. If you start zooming in, you can see the ride in incredible detail. I have spent a ton of hours sorting through the details of the ride for each day, so for those of you that enjoy this sort of thing, well enjoy!
Legend:
The Blue lines are MAIN routes
The Red lines are Harder routes
The Green lines are Easy options
The Black lines are the out and back viewpoints
Note: If you really like to study the ride, open the map file below and turn on only one day's ride at a time to understand what is going on.
FAQ's
Q: Do I need to import my motorcycle into Mexico?
A: Riders will need to obtain a $60 import permit and leave a deposit of $400 with the Mexican government that will be returned after your bike is returned to the USA. After signup, riders will be given more information about this.
Q: What bikes are good for this ride?
A: Dual Sport and some small adventure bikes can work ok.
Q: What Side by Side are good for this ride?
A: Almost any, but it must have license or off-road tags, and bring you registration.
Q: What gas distance range should my bike have?
A: I would suggest that on some days you carry enough fuel to make 140 miles due to the fact that sometimes the route can have issues and it is good to have a little margin.
Q: What if I want to do this ride in a small 4x4?
A: Yes, it is possible, but lets talk and make sure it can work for you.
Q: Do I need a Passport?
A: Yes, we will be crossing the US and Mexican borders; both countries require passports.
Q: What are motel room arrangements?
A: Rooms are double occupancy, meaning each rider shares a two queen bed room with another rider.
Q: How does the ride navigation work?
This is a self-led GPS ride; all riding is on your own. You are responsible for your own riding. You will be given a GPS map file and instructions on how to use your Garmin GPS unit. People will hook up in small groups of less than 6 riders and tend to ride together. You are not encouraged to ride alone. You are responsible for your own riding and yourself.
(see my ride Navigation Video)
Q: How do I make the GPS stuff so easy?
I develop very high quality ride maps custom for our ride. They come from much of what I and others have ridden. I take the best from all my rides and make new ones.
(See my Custom Ride Maps Video)
Q; What do I do if I don't have a Garmin GPS?
A: Buy one, you need it. We will show you how to use it. You can get a great one for under $200 bucks.
(See gpsKevin's gps recommendations)
Q: Is the riding really on my own?
A: Yes, but everyone hooks up and rides with a friend, or a new friend or me.
Q: Will I do this ride again next year?
A: No, sorry, I hardly ever repeat rides as I love to develop and discover new places and rides each season. And I have a long dream list of rides now. So this is likely the only time for this ride. Remember: Every time we say no to a ride that is one less ride in life.
Q: Do I need insurance?
A: Yes, you must carry proof of medical insurance and liability insurance for yourself/motorcycle.
Q: Would this be a good ride for new riders?
A: No, this ride is for intermediate and experienced riders only. The riding has easy route choices and tough route options. Each evening we will study the following day's choices. You will find lots of supportive people at the ride.
Are you right for this ride?
When something goes wrong on a ride, would your riding friends say that you are more likely to need help or more likely to give help? You should be in the more likely to offer help camp. This ride is filled with riders that are more likely to give help, so most of the time the riders never need help. Additionally there is all the normal stuff: come prepared to maintain your bike, fix your bike on the trail, repair flat tires, deal with bad weather and rain and make a joke or two.
Warning:
Any and all riding is on you own
Conditions change and routes may not be navigable
Legal access can change and is not guaranteed. Riders must assess the local conditions.
Weather can make the routes impassable.
Riders must obey all local laws
gpsKevin assumes no liability for these rides or your actions.
Who is going on this ride?