BajaNomad - La Rumorosa road used in Licence to Kill

Hi all, I’m a James Bond fan and license to kill is one of my favorite movies. It was filmed in 1988 along the rumorosa pass, which apparently was rerouted and reconstructed right around then. The movie was shot on the old part of the highway. I’m going to do the drive in about a month, and wanted to know if anyone knew which road they used and how I could access it. I also am fascinated by this road and want to learn more about it...when it was built, renovated, where the original portions were that were bypassed...etc. Any information anyone has would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a ton!

License to ill, way better than license to kill :lol:

If you like chick flicks, titanic was filmed over the hill is Rosarito :light:

Use google earth to see the rumorosa grade.

But seriously,....David K has been collecting baja road construction notes since 1967, he will along shortly to share photos of he and his suby on the road in 1978. He probably has a photo album of his dad driving the old jeep wagoner down rumorosa grade, photos from long before Timothy dalton was born.

gnukid - 1-2-2018 at 09:55 PM

We can't tell you cause its a secret

DavidT - 1-2-2018 at 10:41 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

License to ill, way better than license to kill :lol:

Never thought I'd see a Beastie Boys reference on BajaNomad.
:biggrin:

Mjd78 - 1-2-2018 at 10:47 PM

Ya it looks like the ashpLt becomes a dirt road. And license to Ill is a rad record! I’ll play it when I go there! 🤙🏻

Mjd78 - 1-2-2018 at 10:50 PM

Is this it? The tanker truck scene? The truck looks like the old Pemex paint scheme. The rocks look about right ...

That’s it. It’s supposed to be filmed on an abandoned part of the highway

TMW - 1-2-2018 at 11:13 PM

The original paved road is what is now the down hill side. It was both up hill and down hill two lanes before the new section was built going up hill.

Of course the original dirt road may be the old dirt road just to the south that is still usable and has been used by SCORE in some of the Baja 500 and 1000 races.

I read a paper several years ago that told all the details of how and when the paved road was built. I think it was in a newsletter that Discover Baja put out. A very interesting read.

Mjd78 - 1-2-2018 at 11:21 PM

Quote: Originally posted by TMW

The original paved road is what is now the down hill side. It was both up hill and down hill two lanes before the new section was built going up hill.

Of course the original dirt road may be the old dirt road just to the south that is still usable and has been used by SCORE in some of the Baja 500 and 1000 races.

I read a paper several years ago that told all the details of how and when the paved road was built. I think it was in a newsletter that Discover Baja put out. A very interesting read.

That sounds like a very interesting read. So the eastbound lanes are the original roads...good to know. Thanks for the info.

Maderita - 1-3-2018 at 12:41 AM

It appears that License to Kill was filmed on what was at the time a free 'libre" road. It was all asphalt, two lanes. Notorious for fatal accidents. The canyon below was littered with the remains of cars and trucks which had gone over the edge.
"Rumorosa grade" is a common name for Cuesta de Cantú or Cantú Grade, named for a former governor of the territory of Baja California.
La Rumorosa was called "Alaska" many decades ago.
Looks to me that most of the filming was at the higher elevations with domes and huge granitic boulders, elevation 3,000'+.
The new toll highway ("cuota") is now Mex Highway 2D. The free road was Mex 2 and no longer exists between La Rumorosa and the desert.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Federal_Highway_2D

When in the area, you might check out Casa de Piedra and its "mirador" (viewpoint). Park 1/4 mile east of the toll booth (caseta de cobro) on the east end of La Rumorosa. It's easy to miss, so go slow. There may be some banner/flags. Drive in a steep driveway or park next to the highway. My friend Alfredo Vizcarra owns it and charges a few pesos entrance fee. Nice picnic spot.
Or lunch at Cabana del Abuelo, on the free road west side of town, next door to the Pemex station.
An interesting side trip is Vallecitos natural park which has Native American cave paintings. West of La Rumorosa on the cuota, exit at KM68, drive north on graded dirt road approx 1/2 mile. Entrance is a couple dollars with safe parking. A self-guided loop trail takes approx. 45 minutes. 2 hours if you relax and take a lot of photos.

[Edited on 1-3-2018 by Maderita]

ehall - 1-3-2018 at 06:46 AM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

But seriously,....David K has been collecting baja road construction notes since 1967, he will along shortly to share photos of he and his suby on the road in 1978. He probably has a photo album of his dad driving the old jeep wagoner down rumorosa grade, photos from long before Timothy dalton was born.

Why are you such a dick?

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 09:20 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Maderita

It appears that License to Kill was filmed on what was at the time a free 'libre" road. It was all asphalt, two lanes. Notorious for fatal accidents. The canyon below was littered with the remains of cars and trucks which had gone over the edge.
"Rumorosa grade" is a common name for Cuesta de Cantú or Cantú Grade, named for a former governor of the territory of Baja California.
La Rumorosa was called "Alaska" many decades ago.
Looks to me that most of the filming was at the higher elevations with domes and huge granitic boulders, elevation 3,000'+.
The new toll highway ("cuota") is now Mex Highway 2D. The free road was Mex 2 and no longer exists between La Rumorosa and the desert.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Federal_Highway_2D

When in the area, you might check out Casa de Piedra and its "mirador" (viewpoint). Park 1/4 mile east of the toll booth (caseta de cobro) on the east end of La Rumorosa. It's easy to miss, so go slow. There may be some banner/flags. Drive in a steep driveway or park next to the highway. My friend Alfredo Vizcarra owns it and charges a few pesos entrance fee. Nice picnic spot.
Or lunch at Cabana del Abuelo, on the free road west side of town, next door to the Pemex station.
An interesting side trip is Vallecitos natural park which has Native American cave paintings. West of La Rumorosa on the cuota, exit at KM68, drive north on graded dirt road approx 1/2 mile. Entrance is a couple dollars with safe parking. A self-guided loop trail takes approx. 45 minutes. 2 hours if you relax and take a lot of photos.

[Edited on 1-3-2018 by Maderita]

Wow,thsnks?! So there’s no access to the free road (old highway 2)? Is there no turn off to that road? I’m going to follow all your suggestions, sound like it would add on to my trip!

AKgringo - 1-3-2018 at 09:52 AM

I have used the "libremente" from Tecate to La Rumorosa, but I headed south from there to Laguna Hanson. I am pretty sure that there is no paved free road down the mountain from there, but there are several connections to the toll road between the pass and Ensenada.

Where would you be coming from, Mexicali, or Tecate? I am interested in finding the dirt road up the pass from Mexicali, but I don't know where it intersects with hwy 2 at the top.

I drove the toll road from the intersection with hwy 5 to Tecate last December. The spectacular climb was somewhat marred by pea soup fog on the top third of the mountain!

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 10:07 AM

I have used the "libremente" from Tecate to La Rumorosa, but I headed south from there to Laguna Hanson. I am pretty sure that there is no paved free road down the mountain from there, but there are several connections to the toll road between the pass and Ensenada.

Where would you be coming from, Mexicali, or Tecate? I am interested in finding the dirt road up the pass from Mexicali, but I don't know where it intersects with hwy 2 at the top.

I drove the toll road from the intersection with hwy 5 to Tecate last December. The spectacular climb was somewhat marred by pea soup fog on the top third of the
mountain!

I’m coming from Tecate and doing a day or two of exploring. I have a suv with 4wd and want to go a little off the beaten path.

StuckSucks - 1-3-2018 at 10:22 AM

I’m coming from Tecate and doing a day or two of exploring. I have a suv with 4wd and want to go a little off the beaten path.

Here's your "off the beaten path" route -- how about taking the old dirt Rumorosa Road down the hill?

Maderita - 1-3-2018 at 11:29 AM

Another side trip is to drive south from La Rumorosa to the Parque Nacional at Laguna Hanson (small scenic lake), approx 38 miles of dirt road. 2WD except during and after winter storms. Elevations between 4,000' and 6,000' into the pine forests and granite crags of the Sierra de Juárez.

Perhaps visit Rancho el Topo, a working cattle ranch. Horseback riding is available at a reasonable price. Ricardo Sandoval is fluent in English and welcomes visitors. A well-signed turnoff is just beyond the KM35 marker on that road.
https://www.facebook.com/RanchoElTopoSierraDeJuarez/

Maderita - 1-3-2018 at 11:43 AM

I am interested in finding the dirt road up the pass from Mexicali, but I don't know where it intersects with hwy 2 at the top.

AKgringo,
As I recall from 15 or 20 years ago, the dirt road leads to La Rumorosa. Going from La Rumorosa toward the desert, it's somewhat a maze of dirt roads. You could probably just pick a general compass direction. Or preview it on Google Earth to plot your route.

[Edited on 1-3-2018 by Maderita]

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 11:58 AM

I’m coming from Tecate and doing a day or two of exploring. I have a suv with 4wd and want to go a little off the beaten path.

Here's your "off the beaten path" route -- how about taking the old dirt Rumorosa Road down the hill?

Yes! That looks awesome. How do I get there? I looked at google maps and there looks like a few different route, but I can’t trace them all the way down the grade

David K - 1-3-2018 at 12:15 PM

Use Google Earth to pre-plan your access. We were at La Rumorosa rest stop (just southwest of the toll gate) as Baja 1000 pre-runners were heading for the dirt grade down the mountain passed by on the paved street alongside the highway rest stop bathroom building...

This photo is of the original Hwy. 2 heading to the Cantu Grade from La Rumorosa as seen from the rest stop... Nov. 2008.

In the 1960s, we did drive Hwy. 2 up the grade, once... never again on the old paved road. Many Mexicans back in the day would cross into the United States at Calexico and drive U.S. Hwy. 80 (which became Interstate 8) and cross back at Tijuana until the current 4-lane highway in Mexico was completed. That was before hours-long border waits became the norm after 9-11-2001.

StuckSucks - 1-3-2018 at 12:26 PM

Yes! That looks awesome. How do I get there? I looked at google maps and there looks like a few different route, but I can’t trace them all the way down the grade

La Rumorosa Google Maps

If you have problems with high anxiety (thanks, Mel Brooks), you might want to avoid this road. In my Tacoma, several of the switchbacks required multi-point turns. Drop down the switchbacks into the arroyo, then follow it to the toll road at the bottom. If you want, you can easily join the toll road near the military checkpoint/new Pemex station.

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 12:34 PM

I’m coming from Tecate and doing a day or two of exploring. I have a suv with 4wd and want to go a little off the beaten path.

Here's your "off the beaten path" route -- how about taking the old dirt Rumorosa Road down the hill?

Yes! That looks awesome. How do I get there? I looked at google maps and there looks like a few different route, but I can’t trace them all the way down the grade

David K - 1-3-2018 at 12:36 PM

Great map Stuck! If you zoom in at the Hwy. 2 symbol by the toll booth you can see how old highway 2 swung away to the edge of the mountain (my photo above)... and out-of-sight it swings back north and is soon covered over by the new highway. The new highway downhill side seems to be built over the old Highway 2 roadbed.

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 01:22 PM

Yes! That looks awesome. How do I get there? I looked at google maps and there looks like a few different route, but I can’t trace them all the way down the grade

Luckily I don’t get animus too easily, although i am a very careful driver. Is that road unpacked most of the way down? It looks like it is paved at the top for a few miles before it looops back to the toll road and then there are dirt roads everywhere

StuckSucks - 1-3-2018 at 01:28 PM

Is that road unpacked most of the way down? It looks like it is paved at the top for a few miles before it looops back to the toll road and then there are dirt roads everywhere

The dirt road down has nothing to do with the toll road. Once you leave the town of Rumorosa, the road is a single track road, hard pack, with varying degrees of rocks. The road is narrow, so few places to pass should you see other traffic.

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 01:30 PM

Yes! That looks awesome. How do I get there? I looked at google maps and there looks like a few different route, but I can’t trace them all the way down the grade

Luckily I don’t get anxious too easily, although i am a very careful driver. Is that road unpaved most of the way down? It looks like it is paved at the top for a few miles before it looops back to the toll road and then there are dirt roads everywhere

Thank you for highlighting that route!

[Edited on 1-3-2018 by Mjd78]

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 01:33 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Maderita

Another side trip is to drive south from La Rumorosa to the Parque Nacional at Laguna Hanson (small scenic lake), approx 38 miles of dirt road. 2WD except during and after winter storms. Elevations between 4,000' and 6,000' into the pine forests and granite crags of the Sierra de Juárez.

Perhaps visit Rancho el Topo, a working cattle ranch. Horseback riding is available at a reasonable price. Ricardo Sandoval is fluent in English and welcomes visitors. A well-signed turnoff is just beyond the KM35 marker on that road.
https://www.facebook.com/RanchoElTopoSierraDeJuarez/

Thank you for all your suggestions! I’ll add those on my list in addition to trying to find the road where License to Kill was filmed!!

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 01:40 PM

Use Google Earth to pre-plan your access. We were at La Rumorosa rest stop (just southwest of the toll gate) as Baja 1000 pre-runners were heading for the dirt grade down the mountain passed by on the paved street alongside the highway rest stop bathroom building...

This photo is of the original Hwy. 2 heading to the Cantu Grade from La Rumorosa as seen from the rest stop... Nov. 2008.

So it was that much crazier before? I know it was a two lane highway and that trucks could slow things down, but it sounds like the same road that exists now was (eastbound) is the same road that was used before, only I’m sure the road was narrower with less guard failed, sharper turns and had oncoming traffic. The licence to Kill documentary said that they used part of the road that was bypassed because it was the most dangerous part, where apparently a majority of the cars would fall and the part they thought was haunted. I don’t know how much of what they said in the documentary is true or if they are embellishing, but they thought part of the toll highway was rerouted from the old highway in at least one spot.

David K - 1-3-2018 at 02:17 PM

Well, if it is still there, then you will see it on satellite images. I just noticed that just around the corner from my photo the old road seem to go right into the downhill lanes of the new road... As you can see the grade up and using a different route than the grade down, now.

Perhaps, they closed the downhill grade for filming? I just don't see any other paved roads going down the mountain beside the new highway.

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 02:34 PM

Well, if it is still there, then you will see it on satellite images. I just noticed that just around the corner from my photo the old road seem to go right into the downhill lanes of the new road... As you can see the grade up and using a different route than the grade down, now.

Perhaps, they closed the downhill grade for filming? I just don't see any other paved roads going down the mountain beside the new highway.

I agree. Thanks for all your help. Looks like quite an adventure!

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 03:05 PM

Is that road unpacked most of the way down? It looks like it is paved at the top for a few miles before it looops back to the toll road and then there are dirt roads everywhere

Is that road where all the accidents occurred? That road looks pretty crazy but adventurous

David K - 1-3-2018 at 03:26 PM

All the accidents were on the original paved Hwy. 2 road, replaced by the divided (2 lanes up/2 lanes down) toll highway... There are still MANY accidents on it... primarily cargo trucks going over the side!

TMW - 1-3-2018 at 03:51 PM

The turn off for the dirt road down the mountain is at
32-33.13x116-02.51

Bear right onto the dirt road down 32-33.13x116-01.99

[Edited on 1-3-2018 by TMW]

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 04:00 PM

All the accidents were on the original paved Hwy. 2 road, replaced by the divided (2 lanes up/2 lanes down) toll highway... There are still MANY accidents on it... primarily cargo trucks going over the side!

That’s nuts! How does this road compare to the 8 east of Jacumba in the us? I take that to work about once a week from San Diego. Beautiful drive.

David K - 1-3-2018 at 04:15 PM

Not even close... but compared to the 2 lane road it replaced 2-D is much better... as you can pass all the slow trucks.

I-8 is high-speed freeway top to bottom.
2-D has several sharp turns, and being 2-lanes in each direction, allows you to cut across for the curves IF the lane is free. Now, it is fine for all cars to use... and I use it a lot since I only cross at Tecate and usually use Hwy. 5 in Baja for getting south/north.. so I must use 2-D to get from Hwy. 5 over to Tecate the fastest.

ehall - 1-3-2018 at 04:16 PM

Lots of videos on youtube. Mostly street bikes.

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 04:49 PM

Quote: Originally posted by TMW

The turn off for the dirt road down the mountain is at
32-33.13x116-02.51

Bear right onto the dirt road down 32-33.13x116-01.99

[Edited on 1-3-2018 by TMW]

Thanks a lot!

PaulW - 1-3-2018 at 05:12 PM

Use care there is now a big rock blocking the way. Three rigs went down one had fender damage. The other two spotted and made it clear.

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 05:16 PM

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

Use care there is now a big rock blocking the way. Three rigs went down one had fender damage. The other two spotted and made it clear.

I will, if I can’t get on the toll road from there, I’ll at least take the dirt roads for a little as I explore

StuckSucks - 1-3-2018 at 06:14 PM

Here's what some of dirt Rumorosa looks like -- not a good place to get complacent.

mtgoat666 - 1-3-2018 at 06:33 PM

Don’t worry about impassable old roads, you wont miss much if you can’t drive them, the scenery/topography is similar on paved road.
If you want to have a real adventure and see what everyone misses, then park along the highway or old road, amongst the boulder piles, and hike/scramble up a peak or ridge — the views are much more spectacular if you get high above the road atop the ridges and peaks — people on the road got no idea what they are missing. This is a good time of year to hike when weather is cool.

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 06:43 PM

Here's what some of dirt Rumorosa looks like -- not a good place to get complacent.

That’s what I’m looking for! That and the spot where Timothy Dalton lights Robert Davi in flames haha! That might take a bit of exploring though!

Mjd78 - 1-3-2018 at 06:48 PM

Here's what some of dirt Rumorosa looks like -- not a good place to get complacent.

That’s what I’m looking for! That and the spot where Timothy Dalton lights Robert Davi in flames haha! That might take a bit of exploring though!

Mjd78 - 1-4-2018 at 01:08 AM

Does anyone recognize that big white tower on the mountain or this location? Would it be looking towards la rumorosa from Mexicali? The road is dirt and wide and it looks like it is relatively straight. Any thoughts?

84583328-2538-4DB9-85BA-4A1D23DDABA2.jpeg - 74kB

84583328-2538-4DB9-85BA-4A1D23DDABA2.jpeg - 74kB

Maderita - 1-4-2018 at 03:22 AM

I think the tower may be on the aqueduct at this point:
32°35'43.73"N 115°57'2.87"W
It seems the tower is no longer in an upright position.
View from the west, looking eastward. Approx. view location:
32°35'50.63" N 115°58'10.84" W

David K - 1-4-2018 at 07:55 AM

The water tower (vent) is still standing. On Google Earth, objects are distorted from certain angles... Just circle around them...Notice the shadow of the tower, which is taller than this image shows.

David K - 1-4-2018 at 08:05 AM

That may not be the same tower, as the GPS points are different...
Here is the next vent tower, going west:

Again, notice the shadow length to more accurately gauge how tall this is.

Water Tower #3

David K - 1-4-2018 at 08:21 AM

Up close... still standing. It is just hard to see on Google Earth!

This is almost over the top looking down! Shadow off to the lower left. Pumping station way down the face of the little mountain.

Mjd78 - 1-4-2018 at 09:18 AM

Up close... still standing. It is just hard to see on Google Earth!

This is almost over the top looking down! Shadow off to the lower left. Pumping station way down the face of the little mountain.

So that is to the north of the toll roads? It looks in the picture that I posted that there is a wide dirt road tat descends from there into The Valley towards Mexicali. On google maps, it looks like it might be Carretera a La Rosita. It make its way down the mountain north of the highways near what appears to be a water pipeline.

David K - 1-4-2018 at 10:38 AM

There are lots of dirt roads in Baja! This water pipeline was a major construction project. Yes, it is north of the highway and south of the border.

Also, there is a gasoline pipeline installed just south of the highway to deliver fuel to northern Baja. It runs between the highway and the north end of Laguna Salada.

Mjd78 - 1-4-2018 at 12:17 PM

There are lots of dirt roads in Baja! This water pipeline was a major construction project. Yes, it is north of the highway and south of the border.

Also, there is a gasoline pipeline installed just south of the highway to deliver fuel to northern Baja. It runs between the highway and the north end of Laguna Salada.

Interesting!

motoged - 1-4-2018 at 01:03 PM

Again, notice the shadow length to more accurately gauge how tall this is.

David, the angle of the sun determines the length of shadow more than the actual height of the tower....justsayin'

Mjd78 - 1-4-2018 at 02:38 PM

Interesting!

Mjd78 - 1-5-2018 at 11:32 AM

Interesting!

I think I found the tower. It is north of the toll road on a small mountain in between the Sierra Juarez and Mexicali. Immediately south of the border.

AKgringo - 1-5-2018 at 04:25 PM

Not that it matters much, but the correct term for those towers on the pipeline is penstock.

Mjd78 - 1-5-2018 at 04:27 PM

Not that it matters much, but the correct term for those towers on the pipeline is penstock.

I didn’t know that and I appreciate that.

Mjd78 - 1-5-2018 at 04:33 PM

On google maps, there looks to be a dirt road just after you pass the military checkpoint on the right, next to some sort of a power station or something like that. Does anyone know if I am able to take that dirt road and go off-roading for a little bit in that area? I want to explore that area and t looks like that dirt road is the easiest or maybe only way to get there.

TMW - 1-5-2018 at 05:36 PM

The various dirt roads in the area have been used by CODE, a Mexicali race promoter, to run off road races. As far as I know you can drive or ride on any of the roads not marked "Do Not Trespass" or "Private Property".

John Harper - 1-5-2018 at 05:36 PM