10 BEST Things To Do In Los Mochis Sinaloa 2024
Los Mochis, Sinaloa is one of the most overlooked cities in Mexico. It is a major transportation hub for the freeway to the US, the ferry to Baja, and the train to Chihuahua. There are some fun things to do in Los Mochis if you have an extra day. It is considered to be one of the safest places to visit in Mexico with a unique local culture, great parks, and delicious food.
From a transportation standpoint, Los Mochis stands at a crossroads. It is an important stop on the 15D toll highway from the United States to Mexico City. It is one of the few ferry ports to Baja California and an endpoint of the Chihuahua-Pacifico train through the Copper Canyon.
Best Western Los Mochis
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Clean, centrally located, excellent price, dog friendly & a small pool.
Lots of people pass through Los Mochis but very few take the time to explore and eat as they should.
I have grown to love Los Mochis over the years. I’ve gotten in the habit of stopping in Los Mochis on our yearly drives between Guadalajara and San Diego. Even if we don’t stay the night, I plan a rest stop in Los Mochis to stretch the legs at Parque Sinaloa, get some food, and fill up the gas tank.
Culiacán, Mazatlán, and Los Mochis are three of my favorite cities on Interstate 15D from Nogales to Guadalajara.
Overview Of Los Mochis, Sinaloa
Los Mochis is a town of 250,000 people in a coastal agricultural zone. The weather is hot and humid for much of the year but the parks and plazas look like a botanical garden.
There is a strong culture of sports in the region with major league baseball, minor league soccer, and good public sports facilities. My family watches Exatlón México, the sports-based reality TV show with one of our favorite champions hailing from Los Mochis.
The area has a very unique history of US civil engineers first arriving to plan the railroads and ultimately staying to create a utopian society. They set up a cooperative colony building aqueducts, promoting agriculture, and establishing the Sinaloa Sugar Company.
The Best Things To Do In Los Mochis
1. Parque Sinaloa and the Jardín Botánico Benajim Francis Johnston
Parque Sinaloa sits at the top of my list of the best things to do in Sinaloa. I love stopping here to let the kids run around for a little while when we are driving through. It is only a few blocks from Downtown Los Mochis and a very enjoyable way to spend the afternoon for both kids and adults.
The park has 40 acres and is surrounded by a country club, a mall, and luxury housing. There is safe parking next to a concession stand and a kid’s playground. Further into the park, you will find a botanical garden, a planetarium, a butterfly garden, a pond, and running trails.
The park has huge shade trees that create a cooler microclimate on the hottest days of the year.
My kids and I loved the butterfly garden. We got a great Spanish language tour by a professional guide. They have some nice exhibits on the Yaqui Native people from this area. Nature lovers will appreciate the well-manicured gardens and tropical plants.
We don’t always stay in Los Mochis but I almost always stop in Los Mochis to play in Sinaloa Park and get some food. It is the perfect halfway point between Hermosillo and Mazatlán.
- Parque Sinaloa Address: Blvd. Antonio Rosales Sur 750, Centro, Los Mochis
2. Cañeros Baseball Stadium Emilio Ibarra Almeda
My stepdad is a huge baseball fan who has encouraged me to follow Mexican baseball. The Los Mochis Cañeros is one of the most important and historic teams in the Mexican Pacific League of Baseball.
Watching a baseball game at the Emilio Ibarra Almeda Stadium is by far one of the coolest things to do in Los Mochis. Once you go to the stadium and see the Cañeros logos and sportswear, you will start seeing them all over the place. I have been striking up conversations with Los Mochis baseball fans for months. I was kind of surprised by how many of the FGR agents in Sinaloa are from Los Mochis and are fans of the team.
Baseball is a big part of Mexican culture in the north. People love their local teams. I highly recommend visiting the baseball stadium when you pass through Los Mochis, Culiacán, Mazatlán, or Guadalajara. It is a lot of fun.
- Stadium Address: Av. Belisario Domínguez S/N, Las Fuentes, Los Mochis
3. Plazauela 27 de Septiembre
I have a picture of the church in the Plazuela 27 de Septiembre from my first road trip to mainland Mexico. I love showing up to a new town, parking in the plaza, and looking for some local snacks. My blog is called Playas y Plazas because a plaza is the perfect place to get to know a new town.
The Plazauela 27 de Septiembre is in the middle of Downtown Los Mochis across the street from the Best Western and within walking distance of restaurants and museums. Los Mochis is safe and it is nice to enjoy the hot summer nights walking through the plaza.
I recommend staying at the Best Western because it is in front of the plaza.
4. Trapiche Interactive Museum
The Trapiche Interactive Museum is only open a few days a week but it is one of the best children’s museums in this part of Mexico. There are over 70 exhibits for kids to learn about science and the natural world. The word trapiche means sugar mill and this is where the United Sugar Company’s old mill once stood. There are still some ruins of old buildings across the street.
The museum is located on the backside of the Teatro Ingenio just one block from the Plazuela 27 de Septiembre and the Best Western.
- Trapiche Hours: 2PM-6PM Thursday & Friday, 10AM-6PM Saturday & Sunday
- Trapiche Address: Blvd. Rosendo G. Castro 711, Centro, Los Mochis
- Trapiche Social Media: El Trapiche Website & Facebook
5. Museo Regional del Valle del Fuerte
The Valle del Fuerte Regional Museum is located across the street from the Parroquia El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús and one-half block from the Best Western and the Plazuela 27 de Septiembre. It is a tiny museum with history and pictures of the city’s agricultural past.
There has been a lot of sugar cane production in the region and an old sugar refining mill, called a trapiche, once stood where the Children’s Museum stands today. Some ruins of the old factory can still be seen across the street.
While there isn’t much to see in the museum, it is worth a 15-minute detour. I always like looking at maps and there is a large mosaic tile map by local artists of the state of Sinaloa with information on the petroglyphs. The coffee shop in front of the museum has a nice cup of espresso and genuinely nice small-town people who love where they live. I got some nice food recommendations from the barista that we will see in a little bit.
6. Topolobambo Boardwalk and Harbor
Topolobambo is a small but important port connecting Mainland Mexico with the Baja Peninsula. It is also a small town with a boardwalk, brightly painted houses, and a harbor.
The village sits on a rock in the Ohuira Bay which is a part of the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California). There are plenty of tours of both Ohuira Bay in small pangas and longer tours of islands in the gulf on bigger yachts.
A little further down the peninsula is the Baja Ferries terminal to La Paz, Baja California Sur. The trip from Topolobampo to La Paz is a few hours shorter than the trip from Mazatlán to La Paz.
7. El Maviri Beach
Less than 30 minutes away from Downtown Los Mochis is an island beach with a bunch of seafood restaurants on the sand. The island is little more than a sand bar but it is connected to the mainland by a series of bridges that island hop to town.
The turnoff for Maviri Beach is just before Topolobambo. It is a great way to beat the heat in the hot summer months.
El Maviri isn’t one of the most beautiful beaches in Sinaloa nor is it one of the best places to surf in Mexico. It sits inside the mouth of Ohuira Bay and feels more like an estuary than an open ocean beach. It is still a great place to hang out and get in the water.
- Address: 81377 Sinaloa
8. Learn Scuba with Sealion Dive Center
Look at their Instagram and tell me you don’t want to learn how to Scuba dive out here. This is the Sea of Cortez and one of the best places to scuba dive in the world. The diversity of marine life is enormous and you have a very high probability of seeing lots of animals for much of the year. Most of the year you don’t need a wetsuit for shallow water dives.
The best way to visit Isla Farallón is with a scuba tour day trip. The island isn’t nearly as cool above water as it is below water.
9. El Chepe Train To Chihuahua
Lots of people come to Los Mochis to catch the Chihuahua-Pacifico train through the Copper Canyon. I recommend spending an extra day in Los Mochis to eat some food and check out the town.
The train station is located on the southeast side of town. There is a cool train statue in front of the station.
10. Eat All You Can
Sinaloa is famous for great food and Los Mochis does not disappoint. It is a much smaller city with fewer restaurants than Mazatlan but there are still plenty of solid options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even the food at the baseball stadium was solid.
El Farallón is considered to be the best high-end seafood restaurant in the city. We have some friends from Los Mochis who said that El Farallón is their longtime favorite too.
- El Farallón Address: Av Gral Álvaro Obregón 499, Centro, Los Mochis
I ate some Culichi sushi that was nourishing and served to-go for a car ride. Was it the best sushi in the world? No, but it was exactly what we needed at that moment. It was fast, had off-street parking, and a bathroom. It was perfect. I know a lot of people like to hate Culichi but it can be satisfying if you set your expectations.
The burritos after the baseball game were all time. I used to think that the burrito came from San Diego or Tecate or something in Baja. I had no idea that the Sinaloans and Sonorans made flour tortillas so delicious.
At Asadero El Compa Luis the house specialty is a bacon-wrapped burrito. The bacon comes out crispy and perfect. The burrito is stuffed with a carne asada and a chile relleno. I couldn’t believe what I was eating.
They even throw in a few extra bean tacos just in case you are still hungry. It is enough food for several people.
- El Compa Luis Address: Calle Río Presidio 1817, Campestre Residencial, Los Mochis
Where To Stay In Los Mochis
There are tons of great places to stay in the city of Los Mochis but the best hotels can sell out in advance.
Best Western Hotel Los Mochis
⭐️ Rating: 9.0 /10 | Neighborhood: Downtown | View on Expedia.com
This is the nicest hotel in Los Mochis because of its location in the middle of everything. It is across the street from the Plazuela 27 de Septiembre and within walking distance of museums and restaurants. The area is safe and it is enjoyable to walk the plaza in the evening.
Ibis Los Mochis
⭐️ Rating: 9.0 /10 | Neighborhood: Colonia Jordán | View on Expedia.com
The hotel is clean, convenient, and pet-friendly. I got a good night’s rest and a good shower. I didn’t eat at the restaurant but I read good reviews about it.
Hotel Santa Anita
Safe off-street parking and clean rooms. The Santa Anita is the cheapest of the three options but it sells out often. Try to call a day or two ahead of time to book a room.
⭐️ Rating: 9.0 /10 | Neighborhood: Downtown | View on Expedia.com
Final Thoughts On The Things To Do In Los Mochis
I hope this article sounds like a love letter to Los Mochis. I have had so many great experiences in the last few years that I now believe that Los Mochis is one of the most beautiful cities of the country. It is already on my route that I drive at least twice a year. Plus, I am planning a Baja Ferries trip and a Chepe Express trip for the near future.
I think that a city like Los Mochis is an ideal place to learn about Mexico. It is the country with an important agricultural industry that really knows how to eat.
If you are Googling “Best things to do in Los Mochis” there is a good chance that your travel plans could be a lot cooler by spending one extra day exploring the El Fuerte Valley.
