Overview of daily activities during the 2026 ¡Why Copper Canyon Rally!
Early Check-in Day (Sun 2/15): Our gathering spot on the US side of the border will be at East Coyote Howls RV Park in Why, Arizona, which is approximately 53 miles south of I-10 on AZ-85S. We encourage everyone that can to arrive on this date so you have extra time to get settled in and get acquainted. When you get to the park you to go to your designated parking space and get set up. It is important to remember that this is dispersed camping. They do have dump stations, water fills, and bathhouses placed around the park as well as a laundry room. WIFI is also available. So, feel free to come with your waste tanks full and your fresh water tank empty.
Day 1 (Mon 2/16): All the rigs should arrive by noon on Monday, February the 16th so we can start with our preparation for the rally. We will begin sign-up at 11:00 am on the 16th. There, you will receive helpful documentation that will make your time on this rally more enjoyable, verify your membership in Chapter 8, verify that you have all the required documentation to travel into Mexico, assign your group leader. To travel more safely and efficiently, we break into smaller travel groups led by an experienced Group Leader and is followed up by a Tail Gunner. After sign-up the Group Leaders will meet with their groups, assign their caravan numbers to the rigs, ensure that each rig has the map to Conchas del Mar in Puerto Peñasco loaded off-line in Google Maps. They will answer questions, make sure that each rig has a working two-way radio, and go over good practices that help in the caravan travels. This would also be a good time to load the phone numbers of the rest of your group into your cell phones. If you don’t need them on the trip to Puerto Peñasco, you will need them before this trip is over. At 4:30 we will have our first of many daily “Happy Hours” where we cover the planned activities for the next day, and answer questions. We will end our day with a welcome dinner on site.
Day 2 (Tue 2/17): We will start our day as we will all of the days of the trip with the morning announcements via radio. We will go over the weather forecast and our planned activities for the day. From 10:00 – 12:00 we will have an orientation where we will go over the overall plans for the rally, go over travel plans for the 92-mile trip to Puerto Peñasco. After that you will have the afternoon to mingle, relax or top off any items that you might be short on. We will have our Happy Hour again at 4:30 p.m. You may bring hors d’oeuvres for everyone to enjoy.
Day 3 (Wed 2/18): This is the big day! We will have our morning radio announcements. We will line up in our groups, reset our odometers for our turn-by- turn instructions and start the first leg of our trip. This will take us through the border crossing at Lukeville and down to Conchas del Mar in Puerto Peñasco on the north east shoreline of the Sea of Cortez. Conchas del Mar is dry camping, but they will come by and offer dump service, RO water and Propane fill. All of these services will be self-pay and be the responsibility of each attendee. After you get settled in the rest of the morning and afternoon are yours to walk on the beach or the Malecon, venture into town, or just relax and enjoy being in Mexico. We will have our 4:30 Happy Hour and then carpool to Saludos for our Welcome Dinner.
Day 4 (Thu 2/19): We will have our morning radio announcements. You will have an open morning and afternoon to enjoy on your own. We will not be having our normal Happy Hour but will line up at 4:00pm to travel to Marine Peñasco where we will board the Señorita Rita catamaran for a 2-hour sunset cruise starting at 5:00. Included on this tour is an open bar serving Margaritas, Mai Tai cocktails, draft beer, soft drinks, and will be serving a delicious turkey ham baguette and chips!
Day 5 (Fri 2/20): Morning radio announcements as usual. That morning, we will carpool and make the 20 min. drive back up Hwy 8 to Barb’s Dog Rescue where we will do our charity work. As Gina Benner, my contact at Barb’s said, “We always need help…sometimes we have “honey do” type projects that we can use assistance with (light construction, fixing stuff, etc). We also always can use assistance with feeding times, practicing leash training, and just plain old loving on dogs.”. That evening we will have our Happy Hour followed by a potluck dinner. Bring your favorite dish.
Day 6 (Sat 2/21): Morning radio announcements as usual. Mid-morning we grab our trash bags and have a beach clean-up. After that day six will be an open day to go out and explore the town of Puerto Peñasco. There is always the Malecon, the Turtle Sanctuary, the Tequila Factory or a host of fine eating establishments. My experience is that it is hard to find a bad place to eat in Rocky Point. That evening we will have our Happy Hour and then start getting ready for the next day’s trip to Guaymas.
Day 7 (Sun 2/22): Morning radio announcements as usual. We will begin lining up in our groups for the 340- mile trip from Puerto Peñasco to Guaymas. Make sure your fuel is able to handle this trip. If not, make sure that your group leader knows so the group can make plans to stop for fuel. We will set up camp at Hotel Playa de Cortes Guaymas. The rest of the afternoon will be open. We will have our Happy Hour and have a dinner brought in by some local families afterwards.
Day 8 (Mon 2/23): Morning radio announcements as usual. We have a city bus tour lined up with San Carlos Adventures. The tour will last about 5 hours. After the tour, the rest of the day is open. We will have our normal Happy Hour.
Day 9 (Tue 2/24): Morning radio announcements as usual. After that the rest of the day is open to explore Guaymas and San Carlos. We will have our normal Happy Hour. Hopefully during the bus tour, you have seen something that you would like to explore further.
Day 10 (Wed 2/25): Morning radio announcements as usual. Day ten will be another open day to go out and explore. That evening we will have our Happy Hour followed by a potluck dinner and then prepare for the next day’s trip to El Fuerte.
Day 11 (Thu 2/26): Morning radio announcements as usual and then we will begin lining up in our groups for the 223-mile trip from Guaymas to El Fuerte. We will set up camp and a person from the Katchina Tour Company will come to the camp to give an orientation on El Fuerte and Copper Canyon. The rest of the afternoon will be open. We will have our Happy Hour and our welcome dinner on-site afterwards.
Day 12 (Fri 2/27): Morning radio announcements as usual. At 10:30 we have a 70-minute, guided walking tour of historical El Fuerte, starting at the historic mansion. It’s a 1800’s mansion which is now the Hotel Posada del Hidalgo. Your guided walk will take you to the Old Church, the Municipal Palace, the Main Plaza, and several old mansions. That evening we will have our Happy Hour followed by a potluck dinner. From there we will get ready for the next day’s train ride to Divisadero.
Day 13 (Sat 2/28): Morning radio announcements as usual. We will be leaving our rigs (and pets if you have them) in El Fuerte. You cannot take pets on the train to Copper Canyon, but pet-sitting services will be available. The cost of this service will be 20 USD per day per pet. This service will be self-pay. We will board the train to Divisadero. The train Leaves at 9:20am. Take your handheld radios with you to the canyon. We will continue to have our morning radio announcements to try to keep everyone up to date. The train arrives at Divisadero at 4:15pm. We will be transported to Hotel Mansion Tarahumara where we will check into our rooms. Dinner at the hotel will be the best option. Dinner will be self-pay.
Day 14 (Sun 3/1): Morning radio announcements as usual. Breakfast is included each morning with our rooms. Beverages and tips are not included though. After breakfast we will be taken on guided tour around the canyon rim. This is included with our rooms but the guide will be working for tips. Later we will go on the Rarámuri Experice Tour where we visit a Tarahumara community to learn a little bit of their culture, how they prepare food, how they make their handicrafts, how they live, etc. This tour takes about 2-3 hrs. round trip. After the tour we will be taken to a private lake about 20 minutes from the hotel (private Ranch) where we will have a meal of authentic chihuahua style grilled meat, with guacamole, beans and rice. We will have our Happy Hour, most likely at the hotel bar. The rest of the evening is open to do as you wish.
Day 15 (Mon 3/2): Morning radio announcements as usual. We will be transported to the Copper Canyon Adventure Park, or Parque Barrancas in Spanish. Entry to the park is included. Once in the park the activities are self-pay. The cable car over the canyon is a must, and it costs $350MXN. For the adrenalin seekers there are different zipline choices. One is a long, high speed single ride that runs parallel to the cable car, purported to be one of the highest and fastest in the world, and it costs $1250MXN. There are also other zipline options,one is a 3-line zip circuit and a 7-line zip circuit. Choose the latter if you want a longer thrill. It also involves walking over long suspension bridges over a deep gorge. For those that have worked up an appetite There is also the Barranco Restaurant with a glass floor and viewing platform. Follow this link to the adventure park’swebsite: https://parquebarrancas.com/ After our adventures, we will be transported back to our hotel. Happy Hour at 4:30.
Day 16 (Tue 3/3): Morning radio announcements as usual. Board the train at Divisadero for the trip back to El Fuerte. The train leaves at 9:55am and arrives in El Fuerte at 2:35pm. On the train ride we can start discussions of add-on trips. Once we get back to the RV Park we will have our Happy Hour in conjunction with our first Add-on Trip Meeting. Dinner is self-pay this night.
Day 17 (Wed 3/4): Morning radio announcements as usual. We have another tour scheduled with Katchina Tour Company. The rest of the day is open to explore. We will have our Happy Hour and discuss add-on trips some more.
Day 18 (Thu 3/5): Morning radio announcements as usual. We will have a debriefing meeting to get everyone’s opinions of what went well that people enjoyed and what we could learn to make the 2027 Rally a bigger success. That evening we will go to the Hotel Posada del Hidalgo for the El Zorro show and farewell dinner. They offer vegetarian choices for those that prefer that option.
Day 19 (Fri 3/6): GTHO The rally is official over. The groups can begin their add-on trips. You can head back home. You don’t have to leave, but if you would like to stay additional days that will be up to you.
