The Sierra Lodge was built by American Skip McWilliams 40 years ago, when it was a primitive location without electric power. Skip made a lot of the lack of power adding to the ambiance, and that he could get more for the rooms without power than with. This lodge is still a nice, quiet, rustic place to stay in the Creel vicinity, out in the forest away from the tacky, poor-man’s resort town . Today, in 2007, though, I would argue with the lack of power, since the road is paved and the power poles stand immediately in front of the building. Even the primitive Tarahumara cabins surrounding it are lit with electric light.
Despite the white walls, the log ceilings and the floors are extremely dark, and there is an excessively low-hanging roof over the veranda, which keeps the rooms very dark even at noon. . At night, the kerosene lamps provide just pinpoints of light to follow. The light doesn’t even reach the floor. I never put anything down in the room except on the windowsill, where I could find them in the gloom. I stayed at more remote locations than this by far, and they had either electricity (with real kerosene lamps for the not-infrequent power outages) or solar lights. It is my understanding that Skip sold this place because civilization was encroaching too close (pavement a quarter of a mile away). I really don’t think it would hurt the ambiance of the place to add some electric lights. The fireplace in our room kept us cosy even though it froze very hard overnight (late March). There are large showers but I chose not to shower in the dark. The dining room is intimate and rustic, and the fireplace, margaritas and authentic Tarahumara music group playing on genuine home-made, unvarnished violins, made for a wonderful, genuine experience. I do think, though, that the name Sierra Madre Hiking Lodge is a little grandiose, considering the hiking opportunities are basically two: a 1 km walk through Tarahumara huts in a dusty bowl to a cliff-dwelling alcove with granary, goat shed and both ancient petroglyphs and modern graffiti; or a 3 km walk down the river, with discarded scraps of cloth and plastic garbage littering every step of the way, to Cusarare Falls (just a trickle in March).
Overall I would recommend this lodge as a superior choice compared with the unattractive town of Creel, but I definitely would vote for bringing in the electricity.