RV Trip West Coast Route 200 Mexico

The mountains between Oaxaca city and coast road 200

 pose a barrier that will require 8 hours to cross.

RV Trip West Coast Mexico

Coast Road 200

      The Coastal Highway Route 200 is  two lane blacktop along the Pacific Coast between the mountains and the coastal villages. This road called Route 200 is free of tolls and runs all the way from Tapachula, Chiapas to the area of Tepic near the coastal village of San Blass.  North of Tepic the road becomes Route 15 and continues along the coast and then swing eastward towards Hermosillo.  The road eventually connects to Nogales Mexico.

A toll road cuts through the mountains north 

of Oaxaca city.

There are also roads north of Oaxaca through the mountains.  These roads offer scenery much like you might find in Arizona and Utah. The newest road is two-lane, high speed, Cuota, (toll) from Oaxaca to Mexico City.   There is also a Libre, (Free) road running in the same direction between Mexico City and Oaxaca. This is the old road, narrow and winding, that  passes through many interesting towns.
 These roads are well surfaced. and make Mexico  an enjoyable place to drive.  The scenery is magnificent in the high country of the Mixtec Alta and Puebla while less interesting on the coast as it is flat for the most part and through dense tropical forest with few views of the ocean.  Both these routes pose a few hazards, foremost among them, topes. (speed bumps).

The road between Mexico City and Chihuahua 

goes over the Central Plateau.

Topes

Topes are annoying speed bumps that are at the entrance to every town to slow traffic.  Many of them are not marked and they present a significant hazard if you hit one at high speed.  These are sometimes indicated with a sign Tope (in the south, Oaxaca) Reductador, or Vibrador in the north round Mazatlan.  If you drive in Mexico you cannot escape hitting a tope, even the local drivers slam into them.

Gasoline
Mexico's gas comes exclusively from the Pemex station. They are standardized throughout the country.  

Regardless of your destination: Chiapas or Morelia, Merida or Veracruz, you will gas up at Pemex and the price will be the same.  On remote mountain roads such as the one from Mazatlan to Durango and on to Zacatecas and the ruin of Alta Vista, you might find gas at the small markets in an independent set up.  This might be a restaurant or convenience store that dispenses gas from a plastic jug at a slightly higher price because there are no Pemex stations nearby.

You should get out of the car and note the reading on the gas pump before the attendant starts the pump.  Make sure that the meter reads zero. Check again that you received the full amount before you pay; otherwise you might receive less than you paid for.

Pemex Rest Areas

If you are traveling by RV watch for the Pemex stations outside of the congested cities, they will have a wide paved or gravel area where you can park for an extended rest.  Otherwise the roads do not offer rest areas.  You can find the 24 hour Pemex that will be well-lit with a security person on duty.

Next: Road Trip Coastal, Oaxaca City to Nogales

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San Blas Longfellow Connection

Zicatela Surfing, Oaxaca

Mazunte Turtle Preservation

Copper Canyon Trains Pacific Coast Station, El Fuerte, Mexico

El Fuerte, Best Station for Copper Canyon

     Mazatlan is one of those mega resorts I was avoiding but I love the town and the friendly people so I wanted to visit.  I went through town to the beach for a few hours. Time was running short for me so I headed north and out at the northerly exit and headed for Los Mochis and more specifically to El Fuerte, a town with a train station on the Copper Canyon train line.

     El Fuerte is 50 miles inland from the Pacific Coast city of Los Mochis and the start of the CHEPE train line, a rail line that runs for 400 miles from the Pacific Coast through the Copper Canyon, and into the City of Chihuahua in North Central Mexico.

     For those who want the longest possible train ride on Mexico’s last regularly scheduled passenger train, Los Mochis is the place to start. The train leaves the station at 6 am and reaches the center of the Copper Canyon area at the village of Creel at between 4:00 and 4:30 in the afternoon. Creel offers lots of lodging options and tours to the various Copper Canyon Villages and sights. (See second class train and save)

For those who just want to reach the Canyon, the station at El Fuerte offers a better option. The train is scheduled to arrive at 8:55 am at El Fuerte. Good hotels in town and a great zocalo make El Fuerte interesting. The later leaving train makes it more convenient. The first 50 miles of track from Los Mochis to El Fuerte is through flat farmland offering little to see. East of El Fuerte the train starts into the mountains and the scenery gets interesting.

I parked for the night in the “camp ground” beside the station at El Fuerte and prepared for the morning train. The family charges 100 peso per night for parking and they lock the gate after the evening train arrives from Chihuahua about 7:30-9:30.  See Copper Canyon Train Schedule

Copper Canyon Best Way

From El Fuerte,  I crossed into Sonora on Route 15 which turned inland away form the coast and eventually reached Hermosillo and then Nogales about 2200 miles from my starting place in Oaxaca.
     The Nogales crossing is a difficult one. If I make this trip again, I will take Route 2 south of Nogales and make the border crossing at Agua Prieta.  I had arranged for mail to be sent to the Nogales, AZ, USA post office so I went through Nogales.  The line was a two hour wait.

Next Tucson to Chihuahua by Bus