The aqueduct trail, with stream crossings, can be hiked for as long or as short as you like. For anyone interested in the Creel area, any good tour book will provide all the information needed to plan a trip. If you plan to backpack for any length of time, you DO need a guide. Maps are somewhat useless in the area because there are about 10 million Tarahumara trails crisscrossing the area. The 10 million figure is not hyperbole.
Adversity does have it's advantages.
The colonial town of El Fuerte is historical, beautiful, and a MUST on any Copper Canyon trip. The cathedral was inspiring, the central square was magnificent, and the town itself a treasure. After a day in El Fuerte, we took a local bus to Los Mochis, a taxi to the airport, and without incident, home to Los Angeles. I thought I would add a few interesting points about traveling to Copper Canyon during the Easter season. The Tarahumarans are a deeply religious people and they have retained a number of Indian customs to accommodate their Catholicism.