Baja tips eh.

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dieseldan

dieseldan

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Hey there SoCal Mudders,

I'm planning on a road trip to Baja with the family leaving in two weeks for a three week trek and looking for any local knowledge on attractions. Basically looking for tips on places to see after leaving San Diego and Tijuana - though we might take a side trip south of Mexicali to the hot springs in Guadalupe Canyon.. unless temps in the hills are too cold? We're a group of four and plan to camp a few nights here and there with a destination planned between La Paz and Los Cabos. (beach house) Any advice is appreciated.

Cheers.

This is why we're heading south..

family 014.webp
family 014.webp
 
Dieseldan,

Sounds like an incredible trip. First off I would strongly suggest entering Mexico through Tecate, not San Ysidro or Otay Mesa. From San Diego simply take the 94 to 188 and enter Mexico at the Tecate Border crossing (much safer), AVOID Tijauna!! From Tecate simply stay on Highway 3 and you will end up a little North of Ensenada, at a great camping/surfing beach San Miguel (its gated and very safe). South of Ensenada is where the real beauty of Baja begins, there is so much to see on your drive south I would not no where to start, Mike's Sky Ranch would be a nice stop, you can enter it from both Highway 3 and Highway 1, the road is pretty rough and snow would be almost certain this time of year. Malarrimo Beach, southwest of Guerrero Negro, its way off the Highway, but a neat place to explore (watch the soft sand at lowtide several old VW's are still stuck from the 70's). Have a great trip, feel free to E-mail me if you have any questions...
Chris Farmer
 
Great info on the border crossings - had no idea other than when a few buddy's back in high school had to pay questionable bribes in Tijuana for 'speeding'. I've looked at The Sky High Ranch and again wasn't aware of possible snow - do you think this would be the case in the Guadalupe Canyon also? We thought about crossing at Mexicali and checking out the hotsprings for a couple nights. We had reserved a place for a week but I was hoping the weather is ok for a few nights camping too?

All tips are appreciated..
 
Dieseldan,

Guadalupe Canyon is very beautiful, and accessible from both the Mexicali, and Tecate border crossings, (link) Welcome to Guadalupe Canyon Hot Springs should have current weather conditions available, as well as road conditions. Laguna Salada Dry Lake tends to be closed after heavy rains, and the last mile or so to the canyon can be rough, but very scenic. Mike's Sky Ranch is another cool place to visit, snow in the surrounding mountains is possible, but both Guadalupe and Mike's tend to be dry and dusty, the last water crossing at Mike's can get deep after a storm.
Tijauna tends to be avoided now, more for violence related to the drug cartels, there are several things to be aware of now while traveling south of the border, individuals posing as Police have been know to pull over unsuspecting tourists only to rob them, I recommend traveling in a group if possible, and only traveling during daylight hours, I'm not trying to scare you off, just things you should know, I personally have never had any problems whatsoever in over 15 years of Baja travels...
Have a great trip,
Chris Farmer
 
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Thanks for the tips Chris - I've visited other areas of Mexico though not via the border crossing so that's all good to know. Seems there's lots of consensus on what area's to avoid and which are best suited for family travel. We won't be in a group so awareness is important but we'll also not drive at night and destinations will be planned out in advance.

Looks like we've found a great place for a two week stay in La Ventanna so other than a few pit stops on the way down I think we'll focus on day trips to the Pacific side and explore the southern areas.

Just waiting on a quote for truck replacement insurance now as I'm concerned about the unlikely event of theft or total loss...

Thanks again.
 
Hey Dieseldan,

Sounds like you guys have a great trip planned, one more website you may want to check-out is, vagabundos.com (link)> Vagabundos del Mar , lots of great BAJA travel information, Hotels, Fuel Stations (the ones that have diesel!), road conditions etc......

All the Best,
Chris Farmer
 
Another place you may want to stop on the way down is Bahia de Los Angeles. It is on the Sea of cortez side but if you are running down Hwy 1 a couple hundred miles south of the border it is only about 40 minuntes out of your way. I haven't been there for quite a few years now so it has probably grown up a bit from the last time I was there. Even so it has an excellent beach along a very nice bay. Camping on the beach or there are a couple small "hotels" that cater to US and Cuban fishermen. Great fishing most anytime of the year, although right now is not prime time for species like yellow tail.

If by chance you find yourself coming back up the Mexican mainland coast a stop in a sleepy little sea side town called Tobolobamo can make a fun night. There is a small hotel up on a bluff over looking the Sea of Cortez. It was closed when I was there but the court yard made a great place to camp out (we were on motorcycles). The people there are really freindly, in fact we were in invited to a huge fiesta the night we passed through and fed for free.

Steve
 
Thanks Steve, I'll look up Tobolomo on the route and check it out - just picked up an offroad trailer today so hope to put it through some paces down there - can't wait for some warmth.
 
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