Anonymous - 12-12-2003 at 11:44 PM
Is it possible to take a day hike out of La Paz to places that have waterfalls or streams or pools. We'll have access to a car so we could drive to a
trail head, and go from there. Any suggestions?
David K - 12-13-2003 at 12:34 AM
If you have a GPS, you could look up one of the 'Glowing Green Men' in Baja (Gene Kira wrote about another).
Here's a photo and GPS of one near La Paz (close to San Juan de la Costa off the San Evaristo road), thanks to Tucker. Photos were taken before the
recent hurricanes, so the green may have faded! http://community-2.webtv.net/Boojum1/Glowman
Another beautiful area is south of El Triunfo and San Antonio in the Sierra La Laguna. Take the graded road signed for 'San Antonio de la Sierra', off
Hwy. 1. Giant gueribo trees and palms line an arroyo way back in there. Also some old ruins, but they are well hidden... but next to running water.
Jimmy Smith took us there! Starting on http://davidksbaja.com/baja15/page4.html
Anonymous - 12-14-2003 at 01:02 AM
Thanks for the leads. Did you mean that we can drive the road to San Antonio de la Sierra right to the site of the arroyo, or do we hike from the end
of the road? If so, approximately how far?
Also, we tried to drive to San Juan de la Costa in October, but the road was gone. I don't mean a wash out. I mean gone like in chasm. The roadway
just ended in a cliff that went right down to sea level. There was a dirt road that disappeared into the hills off to the west at the place of the
chasm, and then reappeared out of the hills on the other side of the chasm, and rejoined the main road. But there was no way of telling how far up
into the hills it went before it came back, or what the dirt roadway was really like once it went out of sight. I didn't want to get stuck way out in
the boonies so we didn't chance it. I think we were pretty close to San Juan de la Costa when the roadway did its disappearing act. I would doubt that
it would be repaired yet. It would be a major road rebuilding job.
David K - 12-14-2003 at 10:55 AM
I am sure the San Evaristo/ San Juan de la Costa road would have been rebuilt since the hurricane damage. Tucker, Aldo, or Bajalera can verify that,
as they live in the area.
The road signed 'Ramal a San Antonio de la Sierra' goes right to the guerivo trees which were in a wide arroyo called El Aguajo in the Almanac (map
52, L-5) before reaching Rancho La Concepcion. Do you have a GPS?
The hike to the oldest mine & ore mill in Baja (Real de Santa Ana) starts much closer to Hwy. 1 off that graded road, on a short side road. Jimmy
Smith requested the exact location and GPS not be published. Send me an email from my web site if you want.
Santa Ana was briefly the second location of a Jesuit mission (Ensenada de las Palmas) that started near Los Barriles. Eventually, that mission was
re-established and renamed, at Santiago.
[Edited on 12-14-2003 by David K]
Anonymous - 12-14-2003 at 05:16 PM
Thanks for the claification. No, I don't have a GPS, but it sure sounds as if I should get one.
I've looked at the Maps link from your website, and they are great! But what is the Almanac you refer to? Is it the Map page of your website or
something else entirely? And if so, where can I get it?
We like La Paz because my wife loves the water, and I love wandering inland. It seemed to us the last time we visited La Paz that this area might be a
perfect place for us both to spend a lot more time.
We'll be there the first week in January, and she is getting ready to snorkel, and I am looking forward to exploring some of the arroyos, streams,
waterfalls and woodland, if any I can find.
David K - 12-14-2003 at 05:31 PM
The Baja Almanac is a book of full color topo road/trail maps of all Baja. It is a MUST HAVE for all Baja explorers. The price is low for the info...
$24.95 I think. There is a link to the publisher for ordering in my web site with the other Baja books and authors' links Go to Links to Great Baja
Web Sites, in mine. Go to the section of books. Here>>> http://davidksbaja.com/davidslinks.html
Anonymous - 12-15-2003 at 06:49 PM
Thanks again. You've got a great website. I've looked at the pictures you've posted, and they have me eager to get out and do some walking. And the
links are very helpful. I will get my hands on that Almanac, and head for the hills when I get a chance.
Steve
San Evaristo Road
bajalera - 12-18-2003 at 07:24 PM
We took the road from La Paz to San Evaristo last week, and it's passible. There are some one-way sections and potholes, of course--as well as one
hole the size of a small hotel--but nothing dangerous.
We'd intended to turn inland short of San Ev and cut across the mountains to Highway One, but this road soon turned into a pile of sharp rocks. So we
turned around and came back.
The San Evaristo road has impressive views of Isla San Jose, and some awesome (and puzzling) geology. No waterfalls though.
Have a good trip, wherever you go!
- Lera
San Evaristo road
Ski Baja - 12-20-2003 at 11:59 AM
Sorry I missed you Bajalera, Carol and I were camped up there for a good portion of last week and I was there the week prior to that. The road is
really bumpy but passable and use extreme caution as there are many places a catastrophe could happen. There are very few if any supplies available in
that area and the majority of people you see will be soldiers. This is the time of year for the boats to start bringing across the kilos for shipment
to the U.S. is what was explained by the Special Forces guys we talked to.
The road to the "Glowman" is washed out as well as all the other canyon roads in that area.
There are also many rattlesnakes, scorpions and bees at this time. We have friends that live in that area and they had been dealing with all the
above the whole time we were there. It is pretty though !
Everyone was wearing their jackets over their heads to keep the bees from getting stuck in their hair and they had killed a rattlesnake the morning
we arrived.