Vancouver to Cali Baja - dest. advice

[dieseldan]

I'm thinking of taking the famdamly on a road trip to the California Baja mid January and have never driven that far south. No worries about the drive but I'm looking for advice on destinations.. would be nice to hear from locals or other muddders who've done the trip. Not looking for luxury resorts but decent accomodations and maybe a night or two on the beach.

Thanks.

 

[abclin]

try posting over in the socal 80's site TLCA/Clubhouse area of mud might get more feedback over there

 

[e9999]

Unless you like whales, stick to the Gulf side. Much warmer. Classic destinations are Bahia de L.A. and Bahia Concepcion and thereabouts. Can get away from it all out there on the beach. Literally be by yourself for 10 miles. You want noise, dust, dune buggies and mud flats: San Felipe (not very nice IMHO.)

Then of course there are the mountains up North. Could even be some snow. But you may have seen a bit of that already at home?

 

[RokCrawlinToy]

What route are you planning on taking? What cities or towns, attractions or activities in the States do you wanna see? Or, are you looking just for Baja info.?

 

[surfpig]

Unless you like whales, stick to the Gulf side. Much warmer. Classic destinations are Bahia de L.A. and Bahia Concepcion and thereabouts. Can get away from it all out there on the beach. Literally be by yourself for 10 miles. You want noise, dust, dune buggies and mud flats: San Felipe (not very nice IMHO.)

Then of course there are the mountains up North. Could even be some snow. But you may have seen a bit of that already at home?

Agreed. Though I like the Pacific coast, too. A trip up to Mikes Sky Rancho from the Pacific side would be fun...

I've always wanted to check this place out:

Guadalupe Canyon Hot Springs

 

[calixto]

Whatever you do don't stick around the Tiajuanna/Rosarito Beach area there has been a bunch of violence centered there the past couple years. Over 400+ people killed just since Sept. Don't ever drive at night! And personally I wouldn't camp out anywhere North of El Rosario....other than those few things you should be golden, Baja is awesome. I take some pretty long surf trips down there several times a year. Where to go....I guess that just depends on what you want to do. You will be pretty surprised with the scenery. Baja is amazing diverse for the desert and I am always impressed with how the often the landscape changes. San Ignacio is a really cool town to check out. Closer to Cabo def check out Todos Santos, personally I would bypass San Felipe. The cool thing about heading down the 1 through Baja is that the "highway" crosses over to the Sea of Cortez side in South Baja so you get to experience both. Even if you don't surf there is a great book out called "The Surfers guide to Baja" it's super cheap and has all the info you need to know about traveling down there, great places to stay and really detailed maps for remote places you won't see on other maps. It is geared towards surfing so it means mostly west coast but it is totally helpful for anyone heading down. I think you can order it at home I also put up some old pictures of my last trip to Scorpion Bay on here under the thread heading "1900+ miles in Baja in a T100" in the adventure/expedition forum if you want some pics. Definitely plan ahead with your spare gear and determine where you are going to stay each night before it gets dark and you'll have a blast.

 

[dieseldan]

Thanks for the tips - I'll check out that surfers guide.. I haven't had any destination in mind as I'm completely unfamiliar with the area and don't know anyone personally who has driven the baja. Just looking for a nice area to base ourselves in for 5-4 days with some nice beaches.. curious about that ranch too.

merry ho-ho

 

[eurorom]

Well check this link out!

LexusAllTerrain : photos : Baja- Puertecitos to San ignacio Lagoon- powered by SmugMug


Is this what you have in mind?

 

[FJ40 TOOLMAN]

Try this search Baja Highway:South from San Quintin

 

[dieseldan]

Well check this link out!

LexusAllTerrain : photos : Baja- Puertecitos to San ignacio Lagoon- powered by SmugMug


Is this what you have in mind?

Very nice photos - thanks.. those are great to show the rest of the family. So long as they know what to look forward to the distance won't scare them off the idea.. and when I look outside right now knowing winter only started a few days ago it keeps me inspired too! Thanks for the post.

Taken Sunday



We don't typically see ice flows in this area (wreaking havoc with some docks and pilings)





Two mins ago.. 10cm fresh and 20-30cm coming later this morning.



Merry Christmas!

 

[dieseldan]

Try this search Baja Highway:South from San Quintin

Thanks toolman...

 

[FJ40 TOOLMAN]

This is where nice Baja starts away from border towns about 180 miles from border.I have been down 3 times and roads gotten better each time.First time down ran into flooding.

 

[Grolar]

As far as maps are concerned, the Baja almanac is a great tool. I scored the very last one at my local bookstore two years ago, but then they were out of print. Looks that it might still be the case, but you might want to check ebay for used ones.
My folks drove to Cabo from LA in early 07, with my rig. They had a blast. Loreto was a great stopover, they said.

 

[calixto]

So how did the trip go, let's see some pics.

 

[Enigma]

So how did the trip go, let's see some pics.

Yah, let's see a trip report and some pics. I love the Baja, even though I've only been once (got married at the then only resort in Loreto).