I did this en route to Zacatecas.  I would have to transfer buses in the morning in the Norteño city of Durango.  All cowboy hats and tumbleweeds.  Old Westerns were often shot here!  Shame I was only passing through!

This would be much better as a day trip – in a bus or in your own vehicle.  Though the driving is tough, so be cautious when navigating this route yourself.

Though it`s a long ride, the bus whips around precarious bends in the road at lightening speed… most of the journey is spent on cliffs perched up high in the mountains!

This is not only the safest, nor the most comfortable route (I fell off my seat countless times while the driver flew around the roads twists and turns at some ridiculously high speed… and didn`t sleep a wink!)… but more than that, it is so gorgeous that a night bus is just robbing yourself of an entire 10-hour chunk of México!

I could see mountain tops and cliffs in the distance… we were so high!  he view was unbeatable!  But still hard to make out in the night.  Much of México is hilly, or mountainous, but this part was different.  Really something special.

The route from Mazatlan to Durango is legendary for it`s pictuesque landscapes, and runs right through the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range.  I knew this before I went, but opted instead to save myself the time and money, and enjoy an extra day in the sunshine.  Bad move.

In fact, the route is so incredibly stunning, that I would recommend it as a fantastic alternative to Cooper Canyon – if either you are strapped for cash and would prefer not to pay to take the CHEPE train; or if you simply enjoy a less fixed itinerary, or have less time to travel North.  

If you have a car, this would make a fantastic few day camping trip.  The drives are incredible and there are so many places to stop and check out along the way.  Good road map in hand, and a Spanish-speaker in your group to chat with locals in the small communities there for suggestions.  Of course, a cautious driver is more than necessary.