Considered magical town since 2007, Creel is probably the town's most visited Sierra Tarahumara, its proximity to the city of Chihuahua and its railway station, make this town a must for travelers wishing take a breather before venturing to the famous waterfall Basaseachi, Lake Arareco, El Divisadero, among other beautiful sites.

Creel sits on top of the Sierra Madre Occidental, in the municipality of Bocoyna has a beautiful parade made by an esplanade lined with a single kiosk and a monument to Enrique Creel, the founder of the town. In the northeast corner of the square the Church of Christ the King in Gothic style rises and with it, the Temple of Our Lady of Lourdes, both simple constructions, but beautiful.

The Creel station, was founded in 1907 in what was a ranchería rarámuri (real name of the Tarahumara) Nariachi call. This station is the first encounter with the mountains through the railway from the city of Chihuahua and Sinaloa culminates in the port of Topolobampo. This railway, now known as Chihuahua-Pacific, was formerly known as Railroad Kansas City, Mexico and Orient for many years culminating in Creel, until the decade of the 60 its current line was completed by the Mexican government.

For Creel we recommend you to rent a bike (with a price of forty dollars for now) and go around the village, the landscapes are dreamy, between forests and inhabited by the Tarahumara areas. It is advisable to take the road to Valley of the Mushrooms, where several rocks with strange shapes are appreciated. We also recommend visiting the House and the Crafts Museum, which is on the west side of the square and is dedicated to the indigenous culture of the region: rarámuri. Finally, you should also climb the unique viewpoint of the people. The monument to Cristo Rey, which has a beautiful view in Creel are remarkable seasons, winter is usually appreciate a beautiful snowy landscape. Both seasons have their unique beauty, the end is you who decides when visiting this magical place.

There isn’t much to do in Creel itself, other than enjoy the refreshing, pine-scented mountain air, though the Museo de la Casa de las Artesanías across the rail tracks from the plaza (Mon–Sat 9am–7pm, Sun 9am–1pm; M$10) is certainly worth a visit. It contains displays on Rarámuri culture that give intriguing insights into their archaic philosophy, most notably with a series of black and white photos revealing their vivid ceremonial and religious life. If you’re in the market for handicrafts, the Jesuit mission shop Artesanías Misión, right on the plaza (Mon–Sat 9am–1pm & 3–6pm, Sun 9.30am–1pm), has a host of wares including blankets, baskets, dolls, drums and violins; their products lack the vibrancy of other Mexican crafts, but make up for it with rustic charm.

For anyone who wants to explore the Sierra Tarahumara independently, the ejido (a collectively owned community) of San Ignacio de Arareko, a Rarámuri landowning cooperative on the edge of Creel, contains many of the attractions normally covered by tours. Get there by following López Mateos towards the highway, taking a left onto the dirt road and continuing past the cemetery and uphill into the pine forest. A few kilometres from the ejido entrance you’ll encounter the eighteenth-century Misión de San Ignacio and a series of otherworldly rock formations, including the Valley of the Mushrooms, which contains surreal structures closely resembling giant toadstools, and the Valley of the Frogs, with its squat amphibian-like boulders. The Valley of the Monks lies 5km away, and has tall upright stones revered by the Rarámuri as symbols of fertility. Serene Lago de Arareco, 7km from Creel on the main highway to Batopilas, is a beautiful spot for fishing (largemouth bass) and camping – you can stay in a cabin on the lake.

The Recowata hot springs are 22km from Creel and within biking or riding distance; follow the road to Divisadero for 7km and look for the turning on the left. Here you can bathe in three pools of steamy, clean, sulphurous water. Note that the hour-long descent to (and return from) the pools can be very strenuous, and shouldn’t be undertaken by the faint of heart (or when it’s wet). The Cascada de Cusárare (tickets include entry to the Cusárare mission and museum), 30m high and most impressive during the rainy season, lies some 22km from Creel on the Batopilas road, and a 40min walk from the highway. The village of Cusárare is 3km further along the road and contains the seventeenth century Jesuit Misión de Cusárare (Tues–Sun 9am–6pm; includes museum and waterfall) adorned with Rarámuri wall paintings completed in the 1970s; the mission’s original art, including a set of twelve rare oil paintings by Miguel Correa (painted around 1713), were painstakingly restored in the 1990s and are now housed in the Museo de Loyola next door (same hours). You can reach the falls and village by bike, or on the daily Batopilas bus, though you’ll have a long hike back to Creel if you don’t stay overnight, which you can do by camping or checking into the pricey Sierra Lodge.

Hitching is a possibility, though you should exercise the usual precautions. Furthest from Creel and actually outside the canyonlands is the jaw-dropping 312m Cascada de Basaséachic, protected in the Parque Nacional Cascada de Basaséachic. The second-highest waterfall in Mexico (though the highest, Piedra Volada, only flows during the rainy season), it makes a long, but spectacularly rewarding day’s excursion – about four hours’ drive to the north (163km via San Pedro), and two hours on foot.

The CHEPE train is obviously the way to arrive but, wonderful though it is, the vagaries of the timetable may induce you to catch one of the frequent daily buses that run between Creel and Chihuahua (4hr 30min). Three companies offer services Noreste runs six buses between 6.45am and 5pm via Cuauhtémoc, while Rapidos Cuauhtémoc offers four services (6.30am, 12.40pm, 2.50pm & 4.45pm) and Estrella Blanca just two (8.45am & 11.15am). Noreste also runs five buses to Divisadero from 10.30am to 6.50pm. The train station and bus stops are all near the main plaza in the center of town.