A Day in El Fuerte

July 31, 2018
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Mexico
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Oh, just a quick little post on a quick little trip to a Pueblo Magico: our day in El Fuerte.

As I mentioned a few posts back, Arie and I took a wonderful road trip through Mexico. We drove down from California through Baja. We then took the ferry over to Los Mochis, which is just an hour drive from El Fuerte, a Pueblo Magico.

If you’re not familiar with Pueblo Magico, it was a program started by the Mexican tourist board to promote small, culturally rich and historically significant towns that are often overlooked by visitors.

It is never a bad idea to see one more Pueblo Magico!

Most people who visit El Fuerte are planning to take El Chepe (the train) through Copper Canyon, as this is the preferred spot to start that journey. Other than that, there isn’t much else to do in this small town, so one day is all you’ll need.

For the full story on our road trip through Mexico:

Getting There

We began our drive from bustling Los Mochis, and soon enough we were in the countryside. With rolling green hills off in the distance and a slightly stormy sky, the subtropical landscape was the opposite of what we had experienced in Baja.

If you don’t have your own car, you can take the bus from Los Mochis. You can take the Azules del Noroeste line; the ride will take about two hours.

See El Fuerte

El Fuerte Museum

We arrived in El Fuerte and parked in the Plaza de Armas (the main square). We did a few laps, admiring the picturesque colonial architecture, and then headed to the “fort.” The fort museum is actually a replica of a fort, which showcases the spirituality and life of the indigenous communities native to the surrounding area.

The fort sits on a hill just outside of the town square. Climb to the top and you’ll have a sprawling view of the town and the meandering river in the distance.

The humidity in El Fuerte in July can be off the charts, and after about an hour wandering around the fort we were in serious need of a cold drink.

The Birth Place of Zorro

We headed to the Hotel Posada de Hidalgo, which is said to be the childhood home of Don Diego de la Vega (Zorro), for an early afternoon cocktail. The hotel bar looked out at the pool, and we wished we could take a refreshing dip.

Not wanting to waste our day in El Fuerte, we used the wifi to figure out our next move.

The Fuerte River and Petroglyphs

Arie had read that there were some hiking trails and petroglyphs along the river that were worth checking out, so we headed that way. We pulled into a park, which was packed with locals grilling and tubing, perhaps trying to find some relief from the extreme mugginess!

We parked the car and headed over a bridge towards the trails. We weren’t sure we were walking in the right direction, but we stumbled upon a locked gate. It turned out that the area with the Petroglyphs was closed for the day!

Even though we didn’t see the mysterious symbols on the rocks, we enjoyed our time exploring the more local side of El Fuerte.

Satisfied with our decision to make this short excursion, we were ready to head back to our cozy and air-conditioned hotel room in Los Mochis. We had a long journey planned for the next morning, we were heading towards the raison d’être for our whole excursion into Mexico; Copper Canyon!

Have you made the trip to El Fuerte? I’d love to hear about it!

More posts on traveling in Mexico

Four Days in Mexico City

Teotihuacan: the Perfect Day Trip from Mexico City

A Weekend in Guanajuato